Sunday, August 1, 2010

Ilocos Treasures: A Photographic Exhibition in Guangxi

As a photographer, I was so happy that my request for a photography exhibition in the region of Guangxi in China was approved. I asked Charly Zhang from the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office that I will be showcasing some photos from Ilocos Region and he instantly said yes. But at first, he requested for a big size photos which are impractical to bring. I did not expect that this exhibit will materialize because I did not bring any materials except for my external hard drive until I met him upon our arrival in Guangzhou.

He was cleared about my intention to bring these photographs to the various schools in Guangxi so he approved of exhibiting my photos on a campus tour.

Yaoyao was instrumental in helping me with the exhibit because she forwarded the photograph files to the schools and were printed on tarpaulin. Upon our visit to these schools, exhibits were formally opened. Schools administrators, faculty and students were happy to see the photos from Ilocos.

I titled my photo exhibition as “Ilocos Treasures: A Photographic Journey.” This is a photo exhibition that showcased the Ilocano heritage, culture and tradition. I have shown also a slide show in some other schools.

On the last day in China, I was awarded a certificate of recognition for this exhibit by no less than the director of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Laibin City Mr. Meng Zhie Jian.