ART WITHOUT AGE: SUNSHINE PLACE NURTURES A NEW CREATIVE MOVEMENT

A new generation of artists is emerging in the thriving Philippine art scene. But for the first time, a multi-generational collective is set to make headlines within the year.

- By VERONICA VELOSOYAP WUSON

For the past decade, Sunshine Place along Jupiter St., Makati, has nurtured artists of all ages — from grandmothers to grandchildren — within the creative space of its atelier. Some have already held solo exhibits and participated in group shows, steadily carving their place in the art community.

And now, a new chapter unfolds. Gilda Reyes, the watchful head of the five-story wellness center, confirms that plans are underway for exhibitions in select SM malls across Metro Manila. The news has ignited excitement among its resident artists, who will soon showcase their works under a new brand — Sunshine Place Artists.

"We have been meeting with SM mall executives to materialize this plan, a natural sequence of the creativity unleashed in the center," Reyes shares.

For Sunshine Place president and feng shui artist Lizanne Uychaco, this expansion is a testament to the center's vision. "Sunshine Place was built not as a business enterprise, but as a space where people, especially seniors, could reclaim that joy," she says.

To nurture this growing artistic community, Uychaco enlisted Fidel Sarmiento, president of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP). Renowned for bringing art to unexpected places — prisons, military camps, corporate offices, and public parks — Sarmiento and the current AAP Board recently established AAP Tahanan in Silang, Cavite, the first dedicated headquarters for Filipino artists.

At Sunshine Place, Sarmiento takes on a new mission: awakening forgotten dreams, with renowned hyperrealist painter Robert Fernandez assisting in honing artistic skills.