Art always has the power to liberate. To give a voice in good and especially dark times. In uncertain times such as the pandemic, art making has been an outlet for most people (this writer included) to express the unexplainable into something visual.

Creative spaces like Walls Gallery remain an important part of society. Art is a form of survival in a healing world. For two decades, it has been discovering and supporting rising Filipino artists, especially those who do not have the means to work in mainstream galleries.

This art venue offered its physical space at The Triumph Square in 2018, and in 2019 mounted a series of six exhibits featuring various visual artists at Shangri-La Makati.

As a result of the successful show, the gallery was moved to launch "Collaborare" in 2020. Due to the pandemic, the exhibit was postponed.

Now, the harvest of creative works will be seen on 18 November at Walls Gallery, which will have an interesting collection consisting of mixed media artworks made in collaboration with rising names in the community and the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation, Inc.'s Artisans of Hope.

A handout from the gallery shares: "NVC Foundation has been recognized by notable institutions for its significant contributions to community development. Most recently, the Ateneo de Manila University awarded NVC Foundation the Parangal Lingkod Sambayanan Award for helping those in need through the foundation's Nutrition, Education and Livelihood programs. Among NVC's livelihood assistance programs is the Artisans of Hope Livelihood Workshop.

"The NVC Artisans of Hope have developed ingenious ways to upcycle materials like tiles and eggshells as design elements in their distinct mosaic products. A few years ago, they began to upcycle Nespresso capsules into their crafts as well."

To borrow from the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," joining an art collective like the artists behind Walls Gallery and "Collaborare" can really be transformative especially if one wants to pursue a life in art beyond art making for survival.

Catch the art exhibit on 18 November, 6 p.m. at The Triumph Square Roofdeck, 1618 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. Contact 0917 863-5778 or 0917 819-6483 to reserve slots.

Proceeds of "Collaborare" will support emerging Filipino artists, the Artisans of Hope Livelihood Workshop and the Mingo Meals Nutrition Program of NVC Foundation. Learn more about NVC Foundation at www.nvcfoundation-ph.org.