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BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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Friday, March 9, 2018
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BEFORE they concentrated their business efforts to their Vietnamese restaurant at the Iloilo Riverside Boardwalk (near Medicus Hospital), Leslie and Grace Blair used to operate a café (at Esplanade One, where else?) that played host to many art events in Iloilo City.
I remember performing at one of the Poetika readings there in late 2016. But the Blairs and I werenât introduced then. I saw Les Blair perform a Robert Burns poem wearing a kilt of the Scottish highlands during the event, but that was about it.
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Then, came the idea of positioning the Manggad literature racks in key art places and artistsâ hubs in the city: 1) at the Casa Real Gallery in the Old Capitol Building (the gallery has since then moved to the Villanueva Building downtown, and has been renamed Gallery i); 2) at the Iloilo Cinematheque on Solis Street; and 3) at Esplanade Uno CafĂ©.
MANGGAD: The Literature of Western Visayas is a project of The Peter Solis Nery Foundation for Hiligaynon and the Arts, Inc. It hopes to provide a one-stop shop for all literatures produced in Western Visayas, and by notable writers of the region.
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For the Manggad Project, I talked to Grace Blair. She was most supportive. And her support was total and inspirational. (When Esplanade Uno Café closed shop, she transferred the Manggad literature rack to her Vietnamese restaurant.)
As with most people who share a meal with me, Grace and I became fast friends. Thatâs how I learned that she was also a nurse, and has lived in such diverse and exotic places as India and Vietnam. And probably in some parts of Africa, too, but I wonât stake my truthful reporting on that last one.
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In February 2017, I organized Functus, a gathering of visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, performers, art patrons and literature consumers at the Casa Real Gallery. It was also my despedida party of sorts after rocking the Ilonggo scene with my very controversial short film âIkapito nga Adlawâ at Cinekasimanwa 4 in late 2016.
Friends who missed my ballsy movie (the only competing film with an R-18 rating) during the official festival run were treated to a special screening.
For my Functus event, Grace showed support by sponsoring the drinks.
On a related note, Della Jarantilla who ran a bakery in La Paz, also a fast friend from my January writing workshop at The Stage, also offered some pastries to cheer up my farewell event.
Needless to say, I was greatly touched by the generosity of these ladies.
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When I came home in August/September last year, I needed a venue for the awards ceremony of The 2017 Peterâs Prize. I wanted a restaurant in Iloilo City.
We used to hold The Peterâs Prize Awards Night at Al Dente Restaurant in what was formerly the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center. Until we had some big winners in Negros and Mindanao, and I had to award the prizes in such places as Murcia National High School, The Farm at Carpenterâs Hill in Koronadal City, at STI-West Negros University in Bacolod, and even over the radio at Tatak Negrense with host Chona Villaluna Gosiaoco.
It has been a while since we had a big awards night in Iloilo, so I felt it was justified to move forward and explore other venues. Leslie and Grace Blairâs Vietnamese restaurant just turned out to be perfect.
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For 2017, the Peterâs Prize of The Peter Solis Nery Foundation included a category for Visual Arts (Painting Based on Literature).
At least nine paintings were qualified. And most of them measured 3 ft by 4 ft. They were pretty big. Some pretty. Some big. Most were pretty and big.
For that, I needed a gallery to showcase those works of art. But most art galleries in Iloilo were booked at that time.
The Vietnamese restaurant came to the rescue and agreed to display the paintings for 10 days.
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The resto worked very well because I had a decent place where 10 judges could visit and make their rankings at their convenient time; and art patrons could start viewing and buying the art works. And then, they can order lunch, or pho, or something.
Or someone could come to just drink Vietnamese coffee, and end up going home with a purchased painting.
At least half of the paintings were sold before I left the Philippines in September 2017. And I am most proud and happy about that.
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But I didnât just leave Iloilo after the awards of The 2017 Peterâs Prize.
While in constant Facebook communication with Grace during the week before the Peterâs Prize event (I was in Mindanao for a writing workshop), I had this crazy idea of having another farewell event of sorts.
This time, unlike Functus (where I served free food), I wanted people to come to the event and pay for their own food. As a treat, I will perform standup comedy for them.
And then, it evolved into a concert. It became a Peter Solis Nery Show.
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The event was called âMy Life as Art⊠Liveâ. Of course, it capitalized on the style of my column here at Panay News.
It was like my column, all right. The same humor, the same cattiness. Only it was live.
And, of course, it included all the unprintables that crack up the most tight-assed Ilonggos.
I was a success. And I loved it!
Iâve done this before, this stand up thing, in the beginning of the new millennium, in such venues as Gracianoâs, Hafa Adai Cafe, The Hite, Zuba, and all those places that are now defunct. But it was short lived. I was short lived. They were short lived.
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Iâm used to working â call it performing, comedy for food. Like, a show, a performance for a meal.
And to be honest, the most I got paid in the early 2000s for my comedy acts was probably P500 a night.
The only big consolation then was that I got the most beautiful boy (waiters and bartenders included) in the room, if and when, I wanted him. Haha!
Which, of course, didnât often happen. Because I was a proud closeted homosexual at that time.
I mean, sure, I got the reputation. But if I were a slut like that, wouldnât I have been a subject of sex scandals already? (To be continued/PN)
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