yaru nu artes ivatan

In spite of the truly beautiful landscape and endless vistas of Batan and Sabtang islands, the highlight of the trip was discovering this quaint independent art gallery along the national road in Basco. The art gallery houses art work from members of a collective of young Ivatan artists with a few souvenirs thrown in. True, some of the pieces are touristy but there are standouts - there is a new painter who uses impasto with a crazy color range and a surrealist whose subject matter is at the same time futuristic (think stone pylon from space odyssey) and native (roof building or fishing). The sign board at the front of the gallery itself was a piece of art! It, sadly, isn't for sale. The price range of the pieces is from 1T to 7T, but bear in mind that the only working ATM machine is 200 metres away at the PNB bank (good luck if it is on-line). There should be biodata available for each artist, though. I wanted to raid the stockroom but there weren't any items in storage. For pete's sake, DO NOT ASK FOR A DISCOUNT (my emphasis and opinion only). No matter how much fun you get from striking a deal, these are artists here. Respect the value they put on their work. If you change your mind about buying anything last minute, knock on the door even in the dead of the night (that's 8 pm in Basco). Who knows, the door to Aladdin's cave just might open!

The colorful sign outside was just a sampling of the artwork inside. Go down the length of Abad Street, and you'll see it beside Shanedel's. I couldn't afford the paintings, but a more budget-friendly option was a commissioned postcard. For P300, I took home a beautiful postcard of the Naidi Lighthouse, done by Ivatan artist Leslie Merina. The charcoal drawings here are really good too. Great slice of life captures.

During my trip to Batanes i bought 2 paintings from the gallery. All paintings are by Batanes Artists. Do ask for a discount. Aside from paintings they also sell some souvenirs.

All artworks reflect true Ivatan culture. Amazing talent of the locals. I especially loved the portraits.

Thank you for patronizing Ivatan fine art. Dios mamajes, keep Ivatan art alive :D

Thank you for your kind words, we hope that your visit in our gallery made you Batanes trip memorable. Dios mamahes, keep Ivatan art alive! :D

Thank you for the visit and for patronizing Ivatan fine arts, we hope you enjoy you vist. Dios mamahes, keep Ivatan art alive! :D

Thank you for the visit, and for your kind words, Dios mamahes :D

thank you for recommending our gallery, Dios mamahes, keep Ivatan art alive! :D