Newest art gallery opens in Naga

HIS VERY OWN GALLERY. Dennis Gonzaga, a former Ateneo Humanities Professor, an artist, and an art curator now owns and manages the 416 Gallery in Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City. Gonzaga is known for his artworks about Bicol mythology and legends. He provided the illustrations for the Bicol-translated book of Franz Kafka, as published by the Ateneo de Naga University Press. Photo by Paulo Papa

NAGA CITY---The 416 Gallery in Barangay Bagumbayan Sur, in this city, provides venue for Bicolano visual artists to be recognized and sell their work.

The gallery officially opened last July 6, 2019, and conducts more art class and workshops for young and even old aspiring artists.

Dennis Gonzaga, the owner, art curator and a former Ateneo humanities professor in an interview said that his gallery provides a place for artists here to grow and be paid for their works to address some material needs that every visual artist faces.

He admitted that some artists quit and leave their skills behind due to lack of buyers or patrons of their products. Other artists need more stable jobs to sustain their passion for the arts.

He said that the allegory of a starving artist must be forgotten because art is also a part of the human economic enterprise.

He added that the role of the artist is to define the cultural identity of the Bicol region and the nation.

He is inviting all artists and art enthusiasts to visit his gallery for inquiries.