Celebrities and personalities from the basketball community, as well as art lovers, trooped to Cloudscape in Poblacion, Makati recently for the opening night of “Hard in the Paint,” an urban street art exhibit dedicated to all things basketball.
“’Hard in the Paint’ is a basketball terminology wherein one drives in or goes hard to the basket. I thought this is perfect because any baller would get it, at the same time, it has a double meaning – I go hard in the paint when I’m creating my pieces,” said artist Marclen Ricafort-Chulani, who mounted her first solo exhibit.
But who is Marclen Ricafort-Chulani? Apart from being a relative newbie artist, she is a fun-loving and creative preschool teacher and a yoga instructor, and has loved and played basketball all her life. ”I’ve always been a fan of street art. Whenever I travel, I make time to explore all the hidden gems and murals of each town. Even as a preschool teacher, I’ve always enjoyed having my students explore different materials. Messy play is always fun, and it definitely sparks their creativity,” Marclen said. “My love for street art and sports has inspired me to create pieces that showcase my favorite teams and athletes.”
Indeed every piece of canvas in the 20-piece collection is special and one-of-a-kind. Marclen used her unique vision and played with mixed media, acrylic and upcycled sports equipment to come up standout pieces that draw and captivate any onlooker. Opening night was a hit among attendees with the collection almost sold out! Talks of a next collection featuring more athletes and teams are already underway.
“’Hard in the Paint’ is my chance to express my love for basketball and art. It’s an opportunity to show how basketball doesn’t stop on the court,” Marclen shared.
For more updates, you can follow @makeyourmarc.art on Instagram
