“Earth grounds us. Water moves us. Air breathes life into us. Fire transforms us,” Milo Naval says on his first solo art show “Yakisugi.”
The coming together of Aphro’s Tina Fernandez, designer and artist Milo Naval, and mixed media artist Christina “Ling” Quisumbing Ramilo unfolded the same way forces of nature tend to gravitate toward each other.
“A few months ago, Luis Espiritu called and asked if I would like to meet Milo Naval,” Fernandez recalls. The founder of Artinformal and Aphro has always been energized by the idea of meeting designers and exploring new ideas. “During that meeting, I found out that Milo was looking for a space that would launch his art! After our lunch, I asked him if he wanted to see Aphro. I felt that the space was the best setting to show what he’s been working on.”
Milo Naval’s answer was a resounding yes. He had been developing his artistic expression for a good part of three years, drawing from his work as a designer and passion for environmental causes. “I was initially experimenting and looking into various techniques of preserving wood. I was drawn to yakisugi (a Japanese traditional method of preserving wood) for several reasons. First, it is natural and uses zero chemicals. As a designer, I am also partial to black,” he explains.
His collections have typically featured one to two statement pieces that showcase charred wood. “I love how this method brings out certain textures, cracks, and characteristics of wood. It took a while before others could understand and appreciate it. But I still used this technique for certain pieces as a point of conversation.”
Christina “Ling” Quisumbing Ramilo also happened to be at Aphro, the day the “Yakisugi” show was conceived. “It was like everything was coming together,” describes Fernandez. “While I was looking at the works of Milo, I actually thought of Ling. It could have been the materials, the process, the feel…. Ling was drawn to the works of Milo as we were sampling how his works would feel in the space. I introduced Ling to Milo and seeing their camaraderie, I asked Ling if she would curate Milo’s show. She immediately agreed.”
Related story: Looking for something to do this weekend? GH Mall has free Filipino films, art, and workshops
Related story: Wood, stone, steel: Three artists explore coexistence through sustainability and memory
Nature in flux and man-made systems of design
“Yakisugi” is a mixed media exhibition that invites viewers to look at the natural world through the lens of structure and geometry. It explores the tension between design and atmospheric volatility, marrying a highly tactile palette of burnt wood, glass, and metal.
The artist, designer, and environmentalist says, “I wanted to relate this process of charring wood with the elements–fire, rain, lighting, wind. My idea was to re-frame how we see these natural occurrences as forces that bring benefits. Usually, we are frightened by the idea of fire consuming the fields, or rain pouring down.” But rain quenches the earth. Fire purifies and nourishes. “These elements are here for a purpose.”
“Yakisugi” also attempts to capture, section, and measure the volatility of the natural world through rigid lines and grids. “I wanted to capture the beauty of imperfections. At the same time, show how design can be a tool that highlights how nature can work in our everyday lives. As a designer and artist, I am always finding ways to celebrate the natural world,” Naval intimates. In “Yakisugi,” he worked with charred wood and wicker, galvanized steel as well as glass to portray the various forces of nature: fire, rain, lighting, and wind.
Naval expounds, “I wanted to interpret my experience of rain through geometry, the elements through materials. While working on these pieces, I often asked: how do I bring out the natural characteristics and nuances of these materials?”
The story behind “Yakisugi” immediately resonated with Fernandez. In the past decade, she has opened the doors of Aphro to artists, artisans, and designers who want to collaborate and play. “What initially drew me to Milo’s works is their quiet power,” she introspects. “They invite you to slow down and look. He transforms common everyday materials through fire, resulting in something contemplative and emotionally resonant.”
Jungian archetypes and creative playgrounds
Over the years, Aphro has also become a go-to for exquisite ceramics. Fernandez, herself, is an avid collector of pottery. Among artists, makers, and designers, it has also been known as a creative playground.
“Aphro has become home to artists who want to play and create functional objects as a break from their serious artmaking. Then come the designers whom I’ve admired through the years. They are the ones who usually create one-of-a-kind or limited series of unusual objects. They all know that Aphro welcomes beautiful crazy ideas.”
The 160-sqm, high-ceiling space, located on The Alley at the Karrivin was designed and built by Jagnus Studio around the concept of Jungian archetypes–more specifically, Aphrodite, Zeus, Dionysus, and Persephone. “Aphrodite due to the ever changing display of beautiful works. Zeus to command presence. Dionysus, patron of the arts, wine, fertility and theater. Persephone the child (hence the giant slide),” Fernandez explains.
“Yakisugi” runs from July 21 to August 22 at Aphro, The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati from July 21 to August 22, 2026. For updates follow @Aphrolliving
Related story: Walk through 50 years of The Peninsula Manila in this special anniversary exhibit
Related story: A dozen queer artists take over Gallery.Sort.Of’s annual Pride exhibition
