Agnes Arellano was born in 1949 in post-war Manila, Philippines, into a prominent family of architects. Her grand-uncle Juan Arellano's neo-classical masterpiece, the Old Legislative Building, now known as the National Museum, was rebuilt that same year after World War II devastated it, as the city entered an era of reconstruction and renewal. Agnes is a sculptor, best known for her surrealist and expressionist art in plaster, bronze, and cold-cast marble. Her sculptures center on the female body and engage with sexuality, religion, and mysticism.
In 1981, while traveling across Europe, a fire razed her ancestral home in San Juan, Manila, claiming the lives of her father, mother, and sister. Her father, Otilio Arellano, was a respected mid-century modernist architect. She founded Pinaglabanan Galleries in their memory, on the site where her family home once stood, creating a space for art to live.
Tragedy struck again in 1998 when a second fire gutted her rented storage space and her entire collection of Philippine contemporary art, including her sculptures and molds. These devastating events shaped her career, as her work explores themes of creation and destruction and the cycles of life from birth to death.
Today, she works in her home studio in Manila with her long-term collaborator and life partner, multidisciplinary artist Billy Bonnevie, 67. She is currently preparing for a new exhibition with master craftsman Ediser Minor, 83, who has been by her side for the last four decades. The show, entitled "La Greca," is set to open in time for her 77th birthday, in November.
"I made a vow that every two years I have to do an exhibition. That cycle- of giving back- keeps my feet moving and my creativity flowing. Sometimes the work needs time to incubate. So I take my sculptures to different parts of the world. That's the intent, to share the work," Agnes says.
How old are you and how old do you feel?
"I will be 77, but I feel like I'm in my 50s and 60s, until my knee hurts. I try to experience what 77 is like. My mom died at 64, so when I reached this age, I thought, wow, I've already set a record."
What helps you maintain your physical, mental, and social well-being?
"I swear the digital world drives me crazy. Once in a while I run amok. But I think it's what keeps my mind young, so every time I succeed in ordering something online or on an app, I'm rewarded. Doing things for myself seems to have helped. I used to have a staff of ten- now it's just the two of us, though someone comes in to help once a week.
We try to go for a daily walk to the nearby court. Breakfast always comes before tai chi. We have a boiled egg and a banana. We do tai chi twice a week, three times when we can. There are a lot of warm-ups, and every part of you gets exercised.
I also practice I-Ching. I have been consulting this ancient text for many decades, not so much to see into the future as to realize my place in the cosmic scheme and to better accept Change, which is the only constant thing in life. But it's the art that keeps me sane. Creativity balances you."
What advice do you have for aging well?
"Keep moving. Walk. Listen to music. Do more Art. Sing!"
Life expectancy 2023
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