This year’s Art Fair Philippines was a blast! Ironically, I read about color blindness from Oliver Sacks’ An Anthropologist on Mars and watched a music student from Nodame Cantabile hit a musician’s block a few days after my visit. These topics seem unrelated, but curiously, they did, at least for me.
Art Fair PH: Vibrant, Dynamic, and Exhausting
Art Fair Philippines in its old location at The Link was a gamified affair — every time I conquered a floor, I would feel recharged. This year, the organizers relocated to the Ayala Triangle, and as expected, I missed the old setup. Don’t get me wrong; the events team did a great job putting up all those white tents and installing those air conditioning units! As soon as I entered the enclosures, I forgot I was in a park (except when I glimpsed views from the outside through the emergency exits).
However, I needed to walk continuously for several hours with no floor levels to clear. There’s no sense of “completing” an area. By the time I was at Tower 1 (which you can reach by walking a flight of stairs), I was too tired to feel any restarting vibe. I was lagging.
Regardless, this edition was a much better experience than last year because more pieces resonated with me. I loved most the vibrant, complex, and loud paintings; it’s like the artist pulled out all the stops to explore colors, textures, and details but did so with such finesse the work didn’t look messy in the slightest. I didn’t understand these paintings at a glance, but they stirred my soul, which is what my goal was in attending these fairs.
Color Blindness Can Be Accident-Induced, But an Artist Finds A Way Around It
A few days after the Art Fair, I reread Oliver Sacks’ An Anthropologist on Mars, starting the book with a chapter about color blindness. Many of Dr. Sacks’ works feature neurological patients, their bizarre cases, and how their resilience helped them see their illnesses more as opportunities and less as impediments. The topic of color blindness was especially striking because the patient was an artist known for his colorful abstract work. After a head trauma, his world turned gray, and understandably, he was devastated.
I couldn’t imagine seeing the world in such drabby tones. I was reminded of how much I loved the vibrant works during my Art Fair visit and thought what it would be like for me if I ended up color-blind. For starters, I probably won’t attend the event.
What’s fascinating, though, is that the artist featured in the book found a way to continue doing what he loves — creating art — despite or because of his condition. You’d be mesmerized at how Sacks told the artist’s story, from his despair to his triumph, and maybe you’d ask yourself, too: if they can do it despite their condition, why can’t I?
How to Get Out of a Slump? Play Mozart with an Unconventional Pianist
Nodame Cantabile is a Japanese drama adapted from a manga series of the same name by Ninomiya Tomoko. It stars Ueno Juri and Hiroki Tamaki as Noda Megumi and Chiaki Shinichi, respectively — two music students whose fates were intertwined through their musical potential. Well, Megumi, nicknamed in the show Nodame, is more of a prodigy who doesn’t know what to do with her talent and just goes with the flow. Chiaki, meanwhile, knows he can do better and accomplish greater things but is stuck in a traumatic past.
The first episode starts with Chiaki having a crisis because he wants to be a conductor, not a pianist, but he’s stuck. Needless to say, his piano lessons aren’t going well. Circumstances led to him teaching Nodame to play Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, which eventually rekindled his passion for music in a slightly different way. Yes, he couldn’t set out to do what he wanted, but he’s got a side quest now that sure looks fun (good luck with that, young man).
The first episode seems to tell those uncertain about their paths that there exist alternative routes to reach their destinations. Also, sometimes, it’s the journey that’s more worthwhile than the end itself. In Chiaki’s case, he’s bound to find love beyond chasing his musical goals.
Go watch Nodame Cantabile (it’s on Netflix) if you’re curious about where Chiaki’s headed. A gentle reminder: several scenes, themes, and stereotypes in the series are questionable, and all characters, as in all of them, are slightly problematic. If you’re looking for a series to validate your sense of morality or teach you how to be a better person, this is not the drama for you.
Well, at least one of you will likely check out the series despite my disclaimer. You’ve been warned!
The Wrap Up
Looking at artworks can be life-changing but also bone-tiring, but worth it as it teaches you to see and appreciate human creativity and different perspectives. When you’re exhausted, it might fuel you to think that among those creatives, some may have gone color-blind and still pursued their craft; perhaps you can imitate that resilience and stop making excuses. Somewhere along the way, you’ll find people who will help you once you decide to challenge your limitations. You might even find love as you thread.
Did I manage to connect the topics? I promise it made total sense in my mind. That’s it for this month’s Fixation Friday!
