The UP Asian Center with the support of the UP Office of the President invites the public to attend the upcoming launch of the exhibit titled “PateroSpunkS: Fashioning Fine Arts” on 8 December 2024, 4:00 PM, at the Japan Hall, UP Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. Register for the event through the link provided.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
“PateroSpunkS” – a play on Pateros, spunk, and punks – reflects the daring of Elmer Nocheseda and Jojie Loren, two home-grown artists of Pateros, who go beyond the conventional. They explore new art forms through their collaborative pieces that also evince pride of place.
This exhibit was inspired by the pen and ink drawings of Nocheseda depicting street scenes of Tokyo and the Tsukuba Bampaku (Tsukuba Expo) in 1985 when Nocheseda took his graduate studies at the Tsukuba University from 1984 to 1988. He focused on streetwear for which Tokyo denizens are known for. Besides the streetwear doodles, a word which Nocheseda translates to “kutkot,” he also rendered his impressions of the Tokyo vibe in his characteristic mixed media abstracts when he was working with a Japanese trading company in the early 2000s. The doodles served to alleviate the acute homesickness he experienced at the time. It was also during this period when Nocheseda was afflicted by the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, a fact which at the time he was not aware.
While Nocheseda’s Parkinson’s has worsened over the years, his art-making has persisted and his works have become edgier and more raw, leading to a renewed spunk that is expressed in textiles. These mixed media textiles were used by the highly regarded and award-winning Filipino fashion designer – Jojie Lloren – in reimagining the humble “daster,” a symbol of comfort and casualness in Filipino homes, as fashion pieces that showcase chic and creativity. In this collection, the “daster” becomes a canvas for storytelling, blending Lloren’s exquisite sense of design with Nocheseda’s exotic doodles.
This exhibit is part of the 69th Founding Anniversary Celebration of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman as we reflect on our journey with the theme Memory, Movement, Momentum: Asian Center at 69.
The launch of this exhibit embodies the spirit of momentum. In combining fine kutkutan art with the world of tahian of textile fabrics, this exhibit aims to bridge the gap between different forms of expression, showcasing how art can transcend traditional boundaries. This collaboration captures the commitment of Nocheseda and Lloren to artistic exploration and serves as a celebration of new beginnings—an invitation to reimagine how art continues to connect us to our cultural roots while reaching out to global audiences. Through this exhibit, viewers are invited to rediscover beauty in the ordinary, where comfort meets couture, and art meets life.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
JOJIE LLOREN
Fashion Designer
Jojie Lloren is a highly respected and sought after Filipino fashion designer who hails from Pateros. He studied Clothing Technology at the University of the Philippines, with his eyes set on a career in fashion. An unforgettable highlight in Lloren’s career is his winning the grand prize at the Concours International des Jeunes Createurs de Mode in 1998 in Paris that also earned for him a scholarship at what some writers say is fashion’s equivalent of Harvard - L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de La Couture Parisienne. In a 2015 article in Tatler Philippines, the following describes his design signature: “Lloren’s expertise in fine dressmaking is manifested in clothes that are deceptively simple and lean towards the architectural type of designs. ‘I can draw inspiration from anything, even depression,’ says Lloren.”
ELMER NOCHESEDA
Artist
Elmer I. Nocheseda’s passion lies in documenting and preserving the rich range of Filipino cultural heritage. “We cannot love what we do not know” is his dictum. Slowed down only by the unsettling bouts of Parkinson’s Disease, Elmer still tries to keep busy and continue serving his passion. As an independent scholar, Elmer has authored journal articles and books on various subjects that are valuable and yet not given the attention that they deserve. His first book “Palaspas: An Appreciation of Palm Leaf Art in the Philippines,” published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press in 2010, reaped several awards and recognition including the National Book Award, Gintong Aklat Award, and the Cardinal Sin Emerging Author Award. It is now considered a classic. His book “Rara. The Art and Tradition of Mat Weaving in the Philippines,” which “gives us a complete experience of mat making” was published in 2016 by Habi, The Philippine Textile Council and the Museum Foundation of the Philippines.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
J. SEDFREY S. SANTIAGO
Lawyer and Art Collector
J. Sedfrey S. Santiago is a lawyer by education and an art enthusiast by inclination. He is an Associate Professor in the Marketing and Law Department of the John Gokongwei School of Management, Ateneo de Manila University where he mainly teaches corporation law. He is a shared faculty with the Department of Fine Arts (DFA) where he teaches “The Creative Professional,” a required subject for all Fine Arts majors, “Art Appreciation,” that he approaches mainly from the perspective of an art collector, and “Art and Business,” which he developed for the DFA. In addition to teaching, he does research and has published mainly with the Ateneo de Manila University Press. His latest book is “The Art of Collecting: A Guide to the Philippine Market” (2020). He is a fledgling curator, starting only in 2022, with the exhibit of award-winning fashion designer/artist Steve de Leon entitled “Stitching Faith and Fashion” at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) glass gallery.
ABOUT THE PROJECT DIRECTOR
MCM Santamaria, Doctor of Law
Professor and UP Artist, UP Asian Center
MCM Santamaria is a Professor of Asian and Philippine Studies at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. He served as Assistant Dean for Cultural Affairs of the same institution from 2021 to 2024. He has received the title of UP Artist from the University of the Philippines System. He is known for his works on Sama-Bajau ethnography, dance studies, ethnic conflict as well as law and religion in Southeast Asia. He received his Doctor of Law degree from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Law in 1999.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
The exhibit is organized by the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman with the support of the University of the Philippines Office of the President. For inquiries, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.
The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.
