PITIK EXHIBIT. Pitik is open to the public for free until March 3, 2018. Photo by Kate Angel Leigh Largo.

By Trisha Monceda Pates and Kate Angel Leigh Largo (Xavier Ateneo Senior High interns)

Forming part of Panaghugpong 10: Xavier Ateneo Arts Festival, in celebration of the National Arts Month, artists' group Circulo de Arte collaborated with Museo de Oro to put up the “Pitik” exhibit.

Museo de Oro assistant curator Oscar Esteban A Floirendo, in an interview, explained that the exhibit is about love: “Pitik is a Binisaya word which translates to ‘heartbeat’ [in English]. So why Pitik? The group wanted to answer that question through visualization [visual arts] … Basically, they want to answer the questions: What does your heart beat for? For whom? What about? Why?”

Circulo de Arte, a young artists' collective in Northern Mindanao, is composed of college students and alumni of Xavier Ateneo.

The exhibit was made possible with the assistance of Casa del Arte members, a new group composed of XU Senior High School student artists.

Pitik opened on Wednesday, February 7, the same day as the opening of Panaghugpong 10, led by Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA). Performances from XU Glee Club, Xavier Philharmonia, and XU Cultural Dance Troupe, among other groups, dotted the said event.

Pitik is open to the public for free until March 3, 2018.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) leads the celebration of the National Arts Month by showcasing the aesthetics of Philippine culture such as in architecture, cinema, dance, literary arts, music, dramatic arts, and visual arts, following the theme, Ani ng Sining, Alab ng Sining.

The celebration aims to promote and popularize artistic creation of Filipinos, integrate arts in community life, celebrate the significance of arts and culture in uplifting national spirit, and harness art as a catalyst for values education.

Xavier Ateneo’s Panaghugpong is a multi-arts festival, comprised of various productions of the performing arts companies in the university as well as art workshops, exhibitions, concerts, and cultural education programs.∎

To book your visit, you may contact Museo de Oro here.