Explore contemporary art and culinary creativity like never before as chef and food writer Angelo Comsti brings together a feast for the senses with “Life as we know it,” an art and food walking tour at SM Aura ongoing until July 14, 2024.
More than a destination for extraordinary shopping and dining experiences, SM Aura continues to delight by reinventing urban art spaces with initiatives to promote greater accessibility and appreciation for art. Curated by Comsti, the art and food walking tour features seven contemporary Filipino artists: Joshua Limon Palisoc, Michael Sagaran, Vincent Diñoso, Bryant William Cuison, Belle Dinglasa, Jefre Figueras Manuel, and Archie Oclos. Located in various spaces around the mall, their works depict a slice of everyday life—a moment in history, a daily chore, key society figures, or the evolution of gender identities. For a thoroughly immersive experience, five off-the-menu specialties inspired by the artworks have been created by the mall’s restaurants and cafes: Gelato by Chef Miko, Puffy’s Soufflé Pancake Café, Teakha, Lé Chon Prime, and Yardstick Coffee.
Sculptor and visual artist Joshua Limon Palisoc and his Sa Bingit ng Pagbabagong Anyo ng Diwata at the mall’s Upper Ground Level Main Entrance 1.
Enjoy this divine culinary rendition inspired by Joshua Limon Palisoc’s Sa Bingit ng Pagbabagong Anyo ng Diwata. A fior di latte gelato topped with colorful hundreds and thousands sprinkles and candy bits at Gelato by Chef Miko.
Sculptor and visual artist Joshua Limon Palisoc’s Sa Bingit ng Pagbabagong Anyo ng Diwata portrays Diwata as a spirit of nature epitomizing courage, freedom, and a boundless capacity to transform. Made with stainless steel, LED lighting, and found objects, the work features a half man, half woman body adorned with animal features and holding a Bahagharing Ahas (Rainbow Snake), a potent symbol of healing and rebirth. Enjoy a heavenly scoop of fior di latte gelato topped with colorful sprinkles and candy bits inspired by Palisoc’s work at Gelato by Chef Miko.
Michael Sagaran with his artwork Taal Volcano 2020 Erupting at the Book Nook, Level 3 of SM Aura.
Inspired by Michael Sagaran’s Taal Volcano 2020 Erupting, this exquisite strawberry mochi souffle pancake represents the unpredictable yet awe-inspiring nature of a volcanic eruption, and indeed of life, specially created by Puffy’s Soufflé Pancake Café.
Michael Sagaran’s Taal Volcano 2020 Erupting immortalizes the historic Taal Volcano eruption, which the artist witnessed. Capturing the power and beauty of nature with acrylic on canvas, Sagaran’s work is also symbolic of the cycle of life. An exquisite strawberry mochi souffle pancake representing the unpredictable yet awe-inspiring majesty of a volcanic eruption, and indeed of life, has been specially created by Puffy’s Soufflé Pancake Café.
Emotion through Motion by entrepreneur turned visual artist Vincent Diñoso at the Meeting Pods on Level 3, SM Aura.
Lé Chon Prime deliciously captures the essence of Vincent Diñoso’s Emotion through Motion with their Lechon Porchetta Bao made of fluffy white bao bun, porchetta slice, fresh vegetables, and original sauces. This innovative dish is a fusion of Filipino, French, and Chinese flavors, and just like the artwork, which is made of multi-layered gauze, the dish is also made of layers of different flavours and textures.
Emotion through Motion by Vincent Diñoso is an engaging, two-sided painting on gauze that depicts the motion of the human body to evoke a sense of emotion. Utilizing layers of delicate gauze, the artist explores the intricacies of human movement to capture the fleeting and multifaceted nature of life, the interplay between joy and melancholy, strength and fragility. Lé Chon Prime captures the essence of Diñoso’s artwork with their Lechon Porchetta Bao made of fluffy white bao bun, porchetta slice, fresh vegetables, and original sauces. This innovative dish is a fusion of Filipino, French, and Chinese flavors.
Abstract artist and contractor Bryant William Cuison and his work, Resonance, at the Northside Escalator Landing on Level 3.
Teakha’s sweet and sour prawn balls with tofu takes its culinary inspiration from Cuison’s Resonance with the contrasting flavors of sweet and sour mirroring different perspectives all in a beautiful blend of possibilities.
Abstract artist and contractor Bryant William Cuison’s Resonance features a series of circles resembling the view through a peephole. Each circle offers a glimpse into a different possibility or perspective, inviting viewers to think about the many options in their own lives, the power of choice, and to imagine what lies beyond the threshold. Teakha’s sweet and sour prawn balls with tofu takes its culinary inspiration from Cuison’s work, with the contrasting flavors of sweet and sour mirroring different perspectives in a beautiful blend of possibilities.
Azucarera by Belle Dinglasa at the mall’s Southside Escalator Landing on Level 3.
Yardstick Coffee’s secret menu concoction, Monochrome, is a café latte with activated charcoal capped with sea salt foam taking inspiration from Belle Dinglasa’s black and white photographic work, Azucarera.
Azucarera, a photograph in black and white by Belle Dinglasa, features Lolo Melchor, the artist’s late grandfather, who kept a post as a maintenance worker in a sugar milling company in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the 1960s. His primary job was to make sure that the train used to transport the harvested sugarcanes, also known as tubo, into the processing plant was always in tip-top shape. The juice extracted from the sugarcanes was boiled, and the residue that remained was called muscovado sugar. Hence, Negros Occidental, where this shot was taken, is popularly known as the sugar capital of the Philippines. Yardstick Coffee’s secret menu concoction, Monochrome, is a café latte with activated charcoal capped with sea salt foam inspired by Azucarera.
Tarsier by JEFRË at SM Aura’s Upper Ground Level Main Entrance 2.
The tour also invites participants to rediscover gems in SM Aura’s permanent collection by internationally acclaimed Fil-Am artist Jefre Figueras Manuel, also known as JEFRË” His ‘Contour Sculpture Series,” composed of four works at SM Aura, is his first sculpture commission in the Philippines.
JEFRË’s green Tarsier installation welcomes shoppers at the mall’s entrance 2, while his other sculptural installations include the endangered Philippine eagle at the mall courtyard, and the red carabao and blue rooster at the mall’s Skypark and chapel garden, respectively.
Archie Oclos’ mural at the mall’s Grand Staircase celebrates the country’s national treasure Lang Dulay, the T’nalak weaving master of the T’boli cloth.
A mural of Apo Whang-Od, the legendary hand tap tattoo artist of Kalinga’s Last Mam-babatok, by Archie Oclos at the Grand Staircase, SM Aura.
In addition to JEFRË’s works, there is a number of murals along the mall’s Grand Staircase. One of the tour’s featured artists is Archie Oclos, whose works celebrate the country’s national treasures, iconic Filipina women Lang Dulay, the T’nalak weaving master of the T’boli cloth, and Apo Whang Od, the legendary hand tap tattoo artist who is Kalinga’s Last Mam-babatok.
Register for “Life as we know it,” an art and food tour, at SM Aura via the SM Malls Online mobile app https://click.smmallsonline.com/DFqS/ARTINAURA for a free DIY tour of the artworks and art inspired dishes.
