VISUAL ARTIST GINA APOSTOL

By Gina Apostol
Iloilo City
August 26, 2016



Artmaking in the company of men as she was quoted was not easy. Art organizations in Iloilo City are dominated by men and their huge egos. Admiringly, she also headed the chairnmanship of Iloilo's art group, thus making her courageous entry in the male dominated industry.

She titled her 2 solo shows "Bahagreyna" as write-ups often described her as the "warrior - spirited woman". She has also devoted her last 13 years in teaching visual arts to children as part of a workshop program of Robinson's Place mall in the city.

Gina is in her mid forties now and the challenging art environment leaning to the contemporary is again taking its toll as buyers would opt for abstract and minimalist art. She said she often find it arrogant for other artists to claim a very high price for a work done in 20 minutes. She didn't give in to this market, she passionately brought out conceptual, fantasy or surrealistic subjects. Her studio is a reflection of a dedicated woman artist whose passion rose beyond the lures of the material world. "I am happy painting my own subjects and I don't give in to the demands of galleries. My collectors are very much aware of that."


Busy preparing for her 3^rd solo show next year, Gina who has spent almost a decade in artmaking aspires to open her own cafe gallery with tutorials for hobbyists and children alike in the very near future.