FROM the sun-baked Haciendas de azucarera of Pampanga to the tiled-roof bahay-na-bato of Biñan, and to the scenic crafts town of Paete, artists join hands to mount an extraordinary Lenten exhibit, ?Pasyon ni Hesus.?

Many of the pieces on exhibit are commissioned works and fabricated images of the characters who figure prominently in the story of the Passion of Christ.

The exhibit, which promotes Philippine Catholic traditions and raises awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage, is curated by ecclesiastical exhibit designer Rei Gana Nicolas.

If the canvas is to the painter, the hallway, the dusty silong sa ilalim ng hagdanan, or even the torn-down kamalig is to Nicolas. Armed with a solid background in Catholic dogma, having been a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and a catechist during his college days, Nicolas is an amalgam of talent and faith. He transforms lobbies and empty rooms into well laid-out exhibits with fresh concepts that may earn either accolades or criticisms.

The work is gratis et amore. Nicolas considers every exhibit he mounts as an offering to his Gran Patrona, the Nuestra Señora del Rosario, La Naval de Manila.

In the very convent where this image is venerated, Nicolas is the leading proponent of exemplary exhibits mounted from the ?90s up to the centenary of the Virgin?s Canonical Coronation in 2007. The design and layout of Museo de Sto. Domingo is his token of affection and gratitude for the many blessings bestowed on him by the Blessed Virgin.

Museum style

The execution is museum style. The images are meticulously chosen. The focus is on the image and not on the décor.

This is the Nicolas way, to draw one?s attention to the beauty of the image ? the milieu of its existence and the style of its craftsmanship. To reflect on the image?s story and the message that could lead to a connection with one?s daily life. A process that is both aesthetic and spiritual.

Appointed as honorary adviser to the UST Museum by Father Rector Rolando de Ia Rosa, O.P., in 1991, an art educator and a production designer for movies and television, Rei, as friends call him, takes the afternoon off on a bus ride to Paete, where the exhibit?s frontispiece is being made.

Relief by Ac-Ac

The frontispiece is a relief showing old women chanting the Pasyong Mahal inside a nipa hut. To Nicolas, the only artist who could render this concept would be the famous Philippine folk genre artist Luisito Ac-Ac. His works convey strong Filipino sensibilities and at the same time reach a high level of craftsmanship. Whether in the quaint town of Paete or in the Heritage Halls of New York, Ac-Ac?s visualization of the Filipino?s innate charms never fails to capture one?s admiration.

Exhibit segments

Succeeding segments of the exhibition give form and substance to the unfolding drama typical of a hometown Mahal na Araw. The first segment is on the Agony in the Garden, Desmayado, Coronacion de Espinas, Nazareno, up to the Crucifixion. Second Segment is the Mater Dolorosa ? images of the Blessed Virgin in a wide range of pain and anguish.

The third segment is Paglilibing ng Sto. Entierro. Images in miniature of the Santo Entierro?s entourage take positions as in a Good Friday procession in Carcar, Daet, or any other town; and, lastly, Jesus Rescucitado.

Valencia of Pampanga

The main segments of the exhibit are not that easy to mount by any measure. So Nicolas trooped to Pampanga to seek help from two artists.

In San Fernando, Jojo Valencia, a doctor by profession, created beautifully carved images in terra cota. His Pieta and Scourging at the Pillar are his most invaluable contributions to the exhibit. The elementary schoolboy who started carving out of chalk was now the artist who painted and carved images with a distinct Filipino look. Though unschooled in art, Valencia?s work is a diorama of saintly characters with Filipino features in Philippine setting, yet attired in classical fashion and complete with the symbolisms of the Catholic faith.

Art restorer Joven

The principal contributor of images to the exhibit is art restorer Tom Joven. Paglilibing ng Sto. Entierro almost entirely came from his collection. Locked for many years in a room in their ancestral house in Bacolor, Pampanga, Santa Maria Cleofe, Marta, Maria Magdalena and Veronica were spruced up and brought to Manila to take their positions in a processional formation in this exhibit hall.

Joven started collecting antiques in the ?70s and worked as a finishing artist in an export company in Pampanga. He had gained entry into the restrictive world of high-end trade of antiques via the La-0 Group and, with sheer patience and mastery of skill, earned his way in the restoration of centuries-old images of prominent Filipino collectors.

This passion and love for our cultural heritage combined with the strength of his talent brought him to the altars of the canonically crowned images of the Nuestra Señora de Ia Corea of San Agustin, the Desamparados of Sta. Ana and Marikina, and the Los Remedios of Pampanga, for the restoration works on these venerated images.

Opening at UST parish church

?Pasyon ni Hesus? opens for the pabasa and the visita of Cuaresma, March 22, 10:30 a.m., when project chairman Father James Alamillo, O.P., assisted by Reverend Father Luclo Gutierrez, O.P., and Fray Bonifacio Mergal. O.P., will lead the blessing of the exhibit at the hallway of the Santisimo Rosário Parish inside UST.

Department of Tourism director Romulo de los Reyes and actress Boots Anson Roa will cut the ribbon.

Heirloom images of noted collectors such as Nolie Hans, Francisco Vecin, Dr. Norberto Martinez, Fr. Roland Castro, O.P., Father Jojo Zerrudo, Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P., Jun Manahan, Noel Abquilan and Dez Bautista, among others, have been loaned to complete the exhibit.

?Pasyon ni Hesus, A Lenten Exhibit? will run until April 12, Easter Sunday. Project coordinator and graphic artist is James Patrick V. Jaring.