Spreading wings for charity

Beautiful things often come from generous minds. 

Galerie Raphael Davao, together with The Giving Bridge Initiative, an organization that supports and empowers children’s mental and physical health through life-changing reconstructive surgeries and educational scholarships, recently held a special exhibit featuring the works of Rina Angeles and Laura Samonte, titled, Still Unfurling.

In the exhibit, Rina and Laura, acclaimed surgeons and devoted patrons of healing and hope through community service, present a collection of figurative and abstract expressions, rooted in empathy, discipline and care.

Rina Baluyut-Angeles is a visual artist from Davao. Her lifework seamlessly flows between healing and expression. A plastic surgeon by profession and a singer and painter by passion, she channels her creativity into acts of care and empowerment. Through The Giving Bridge Initiative, she transforms her diverse talents into gestures of hope, crafting experiences that touch both body and spirit.

Rina’s abstract pieces, composed of layered swaths in earthy color palettes, feel both deliberate and instinctive. The surfaces are built through repetition and pressure, as if accumulated over time rather than resolved in a single gesture. Her palette evokes renewal, with forms that catch fragments of light like glittering gemstones.

Meanwhile, Lauralee Leaño-Samonte is a practicing surgical oncologist and a self-taught artist. She creates oil paintings mostly inspired by flowers and women, using them to express growth, vulnerability and renewal. Working in figurative surrealism, her paintings balance careful detail with a gentle, intuitive approach. For her, both surgery and painting are acts of healing.

In contrast to Rina’s abstracts, Laura’s figurative, mystical portraits are a symbolic telling of growth in vulnerability. A woman’s face emerges against a backdrop of verdant flowers, her gaze indirect but steadfast. The florals bloom with her, coexisting with her gentle allure.

In essence, Angeles’ and Samonte’s works seek growth not merely in resolution, but also in presence. For both artists, making art is in itself a way of healing. Art to them is a solace, a vessel where intuition is guided with method, where the heart listens as much as the mind leads.

“We are so happy for this collaboration with Galerie Raphael Davao and we hope to raise funds for The Giving Bridge Initiative to help the children who need reconstructive surgeries,” shared Rina. “This exhibit is the first of two benefit shows. The later ‘For The Children’ concert on 14 March at the Acacia Hotel Davao will feature performances by concert pianist Michael Lopez, performers Danielle Fanlo, Rommel Taniegra, Bong Aviola, Francis Orias, Tancho Beas and Gemma Herradura, accompanied by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Symphony Orchestra and directed by Cecile Hidalgo.”A