I’m at the end of my blog series about BenCab Museum, and it is to talk about the art museum itself. Now I am not an artsy person. One of my frustrations is to be able to draw something that is recognizable for what it is. Then I recognized a lost cause for what it is, and gave up (yeah, there are some things that we have to concede on). But that does not mean we stop appreciating, and “appreciate” is what I did during this visit.
I have blogged about the Eco-Trail Walking Tour through the BenCab Museum Farm & Gardens and then a bit of my gastronomic experience at Cafe Sabel. Personally, these two are already good enough reasons to visit BenCab Museum. But if you need more convincing, then let me try to do that.
Here are seven more reasons why you should visit the BenCab Museum if you find yourself close by.
Reason #1: You will be transported to another dimension. Or world. Or plane.
My usual impression of a museum is one that is mostly dark, almost stuffy, with dim lighting and a hushed atmosphere. This one is quite the opposite: airy, spacious, bright, and you can be noisy (but no screaming, please). There are no schoolmarmish or stern-looking museum curators looking down their noses at you as you walk around, with ready admonitions like “NO TOUCHING THE PIECES!” or “NO TAKING OF PICTURES!” The warnings were there, all right, but discreetly posted.
Reason #2: You’ll realize that art is more than just creating using an easel and a palette of paints, or sculpting on stone or marble. Art may be created using any medium.
There are various galleries at BenCab Museum: Contemporary Gallery 1 and 2, for example, has lots of creations made using various media. Like wood. Or junk steel or metal. Or broken glasses. It’s amazing what the human mind can come up with using random tools, as long as it has lots and lots of creativity and ingenuity.
Reason #3: It’s a thought-provoking experience.
I’m sure some of you can relate to this: you look at a painting, then you go… “wh…..at… is this supposed to mean?” Then you start thinking you’re stupid for not figuring it out. Don’t worry, I think a lot of us feel the same.
There were several times I felt that way when I was going around at the BenCab Museum. It’s frustrating as all get out, but there are also times when I feel proud when I think I got it. When I made up this whole interpretation in my head and felt satisfied with it, no matter what others say.
(By the way, when thinking gets a bit too much, you can just step out into the terrace to catch some air and check out the view. It grounds you, haha!)
Reason #4: You will realize just how gifted and talented man can be.
Granted, we may not be one of those with the God-given gifts to create something out of colors and whatnot, but still, you cannot help but be amazed at the amount of talent that one person can have.
The Maestro Gallery, for instance, which has several works by National Artists, almost had a hushed quality to its interior, even if the room is so small. As I was walking around the small space, I felt like I was in the presence of someone almost holy.
Unfortunately, the painting of “Sabel ’67” by BenCab was currently on loan to the National Museum when we were there. Too bad, I wanted to see the painting of BenCab’s muse.
The BenCab Gallery was a pure showcase of Ben Cabrera’s talent and imagination as he worked on mixed media. What an artist.
Reason #5: You will learn a little bit about culture up in the north.
More than just the word “igorot”, there are a lot of things people from down south don’t know about us, so they end up making presumptions. Sad, but true. A visit here will give you a small glimpse of this well-preserved culture and, hopefully, help you gain – if not enlightenment, then understanding. Rather than savages, they are survivors. More than being primitive, they are creative.
Reason #6: You can take a walk through history.
Sounds boring? But I much prefer doing it this way than just sitting down listening to history professors drone on and on and on…. (no offense to history professors, but you have to admit some of you are sleep-inducing).
Meet people you haven’t known of before. Read snippets about them. And go “Oooooh, I see~”
Reason #7: You can unleash your playful side. And be naughty. Be very, very naughty.
For obvious reasons, I am not posting all the photos I took inside the Erotica Gallery. It’s not as risque or hardore as the ones I saw the the Jeju Loveland, but while the ones at Jeju Loveland are more on the playful side, these ones here evoked a more artsy feel, if you get my drift. It’s like, at Jeju Loveland, it is safe to just laugh and poke fun at everything. Here, it felt wrong to do that. I’m sure that’s not what the artists were aiming for in the first place.
But yeah, you can think naughty if you want, haha!
So there you have it. Seven more reasons why you should consider spending half a day at BenCab Museum. I find it pretty sad that still so many of the locals haven’t visited this place yet (can’t blame them, as the admission fee is quite steep) but I personally think that it is worth it. 🙂
I’m leaving you with this couple of items on the wall or mural outside the museum.
Quickly, to get there:
- take a cab and tell the driver to take you to BenCab Museum along Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, after the woodworker’s village; or
- take a jeepney plying the route. The terminal for Asin jeepneys is at Kayang, Public Market, beside the Baguio City Jail.
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