Join us for A Day with Paper, a series of workshops and talk sessions with Asao Shimura, Atsuko Yamagata and Ambie Abaño on November 29 (Saturday) at Parola UP Fine Arts Gallery. Participation is Free. Register now!
Papermaking Workshop by Asao Shimura
November 29 (Saturday), 2025
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Gallery 1, Parola UP Fine Arts Gallery
Register here: https://bit.ly/klfi-jfm-paperWS
This workshop will give participants hands-on experience with basic papermaking techniques.
About the facilitator:
Asao Shimura is an artist and researcher specializing in paper and book making. Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1950, he has taught, consulted, and conducted research across Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and Vietnam since the 1970s.
In 1989, Shimura moved to Baguio City in the Philippines to manage the now-defunct Duntog Foundation Inc., a papermaking center, and settled in Sitio Poking, Benguet Province. He went on to consult for Kami Philippines Inc. (researching pineapple leaf fiber, piña, for paper and shifu) and Nezen Weaving Co. Ltd. in Japan, and directed Masa Ecological Development Inc. In 2009, he began the Traditional Papermaking Village Project (TPVP) to develop a cottage papermaking industry using rice-straw waste gathered by farmers in Ifugao province. He makes paper with natural fibers available in the locality and gives workshops to help people explore their environment through the art of papermaking.
A Talk on Paper by Ambie Abaño and Atsuko Yamagata, moderated by Lisa Ito-Tapang
November 29 (Saturday)
1:00 PM to 2:15 PM
Gallery 1 Parola UP Fine Arts Gallery
Register here: https://bit.ly/klfi-jfm-artisttalk
The speakers will discuss paper’s role in their art practice, using techniques such as printmaking, painting, collage, and installation.
About the speakers:
Ambie Abaño’s work is characterized by her exceptional skill in woodcut printmaking. While she remains deeply connected to traditional methods, her curiosity and creativity have driven her to experiment beyond conventional boundaries. Her explorative spirit has led to the creation of remarkable sculptural and installation pieces, which blend the intricate details of printmaking with the spatial dynamics of three-dimensional art forms. She earned her MFA from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts where she serves as Associate Professor. She was president of the Philippine Association of Printmakers from 2007-2012. She has conducted numerous workshops in printmaking for art organizations, and cultural and academic institutions all over the Philippines since 2001.
Atsuko Yamagata (born 1982, Hokkaido) works between Japan and the Philippines. Using materials such as glue, handmade paper, thread, and fabric, she creates both two-dimensional works and installations. Drawing inspiration from microscopic images of cells and microorganisms, folklore, local memory, and biological structures, her work explores the forms of life and the universality of emotion. Influenced by her experience of relocating from Manila to Gunma, she investigates the relationships between past and present, self and nature, memory and material through landscape and bodily perception.
About the moderator:
Lisa Ito-Tapang (Lisa Ito) is a curator, writer, and cultural worker. She is the curator of the UP Fine Arts Gallery (Parola), the exhibition site and creative compound of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) of the University of the Philippines Diliman, in Quezon City. She is an Assistant Professor at the CFA’s Department of Theory, teaching art history, theory, and criticism since 2012. She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and a member of the Young Critics Circle Film Desk. She received her B Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Art Studies (Art History) from UP Diliman. Her work centers on amplifying and making visible marginalized, interdisciplinary, and socially-engaged art practices and practitioners.
Material Exploration Workshop by Atsuko Yamagata “Stains and Layers: A Dialogue with Paper”
November 29 (Saturday)
2:30PM – 4PM
Gallery 1 Parola UP Fine Arts Gallery
Register here: https://bit.ly/klfi-jfm-materialWS
About the facilitator:
Born in 1982 in Hokkaido, based in Gunma, Japan. Atsuko Yamagata works between Japan and the Philippines. Using materials such as glue, handmade paper, thread, and fabric, she creates both two-dimensional works and installations. Drawing inspiration from microscopic images of cells and microorganisms, folklore, local memory, and biological structures, her work explores the forms of life and the universality of emotion. Influenced by her experience of relocating from Manila to Gunma, she investigates the relationships between past and present, self and nature, memory and material through landscape and bodily perception.
The programs are free and open to the public! Slots are limited. Registrations will be accommodated on a FIRST-REGISTER, FIRST-SERVED basis.
A Day with Paper is organized by Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation Inc. in partnership with Parola UP Fine Arts Gallery and College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with the generous support of Japan Foundation Manila.
For inquiries, please email contact@klfi.ph.