My own small story with Silvana Diaz
This year, Galleria Duemila celebrates its 50th anniversary. As a long-time friend of the gallery and its founder, Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz, I thought my own small story—however modest it may seem in the larger picture—might offer a pleasant and somewhat informative diversion from the recent celebrations.
Perhaps my recollections can provide a simple, personal retrospective that honors a half-century of memories and enduring history.
In the 1970s, while I was still honing my craft as an artist, I owned and operated Il Signore, a boutique haberdashery in the city. One day Silvana visited the shop, likely drawn by a recent feature about it, and noticed one of my artworks on display. She introduced herself, explaining that she was in the process of opening a gallery, and proposed borrowing two of my pieces to showcase in her inaugural exhibition. Within days she contacted me again with the news that both had sold. I was deeply impressed.
What struck me most about Silvana was her bold, straightforward character. It stood in sharp contrast to the overly diplomatic and sometimes evasive communication style I often encountered among Filipinos. Having recently returned from my studies in Italy, where forceful and emotive language was the norm, I found her directness refreshing and invigorating. To me, she represented a vital force capable of bringing much-needed order and professionalism to the local gallery scene. By the time Silvana approached me, I had already exhibited at one other gallery. Those two spaces quickly became the only ones I truly trusted to represent my work. Out of loyalty to these early supporters who had taken a genuine chance on me, I made the deliberate choice not to exhibit elsewhere.
A gallery willing to take such risks is one that prioritizes art itself over mere sales. This approach grants artists complete freedom to present works straight from their creative vision, unburdened by calculations of financial reward. That kind of environment is rare and precious.
Observers who spend time in the local art scene can quickly discern its true dynamics and power structures. For those based abroad, a practical alternative is to explore online, connecting directly with galleries whose visual language and ethos align with their own artistic goals.
The arrival of the digital age has profoundly transformed how art is experienced and shared. At first, the unprecedented exposure that online viewing offered was thrilling, amplifying artists’ reach far beyond what was previously imaginable.
Yet this same openness has also flooded the scene with a torrent of mediocre work. Too often, pieces that are visually striking or deliberately absurd gain dominance, crowding out art that truly elevates the mind or refines the soul.
While art remains essential to human existence, the oversaturation of fleeting, merely “entertaining” creations risks overshadowing more meaningful and enduring work. This remains a complex, ongoing issue without easy resolution.
Today, art has become a major business, frequently driven by motives far removed from genuine creativity. Some investors acquire pieces not out of passion but as a vehicle for laundering money. At the same time, fewer people engage in deep, sustained reading, preferring instant answers that leave little room for imagination or spiritual growth. As an artist, I find these trends alarming and deeply disheartening.
Through it all, my exhibitions with Silvana remain among the most unforgettable of my career. Each one presented unique challenges, especially given the scale of my work, whether conceived for indoor or outdoor settings.
I often cautioned her not to expect strong sales. Yet she never hesitated to collaborate, showing no fear of the outcome. Her unwavering support and readiness to champion even the most demanding pieces were instrumental. They gave me the confidence to create freely, knowing there was always someone who would stand behind the work itself.
Currently, Galleria Duemila’s anniversary exhibition, “Avanti, Sempre Avanti/Forward, Always Forward,” running until March 14, 2026, brings together paintings, mixed media, works on paper and sculptures, many of them unseen or rarely shown in recent decades. These pieces, spanning from 1957 to 2018, and drawn from the gallery’s extensive collection, were chosen intuitively. They reflect what drew Silvana to promote Philippine modern art so passionately: works that surprise, spark bewilderment, and stir curiosity. For her, and in the spirit of the gallery, art was never simply about fame or market prices. It reflected her excellent taste and intuition in selecting works that stirred the viewer’s emotions and thoughts in equal measure.
