Street fashion and art have come together for a very special cause. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, ICanServe presents “The Pink Room” — a special exhibit of sneakers reimagined as art pieces, seen through the eyes of 25 of the country’s most prominent artists.
These very special sneakers, collectively known as the “Icons of Hope,” will be on display at The Estate Makati Lounge in SM Aura from 1 to 2 September, and then over at Brittany Hotel in BGC from 4 to 14 September. The shoes will then be put up for auction to raise funds for ICanServe and their projects.
For each of the artists, their canvas was the Nike Air Force 1 (AF1) Triple White. They were challenged to use their creative palettes to make the shoes fly, figuratively, or maybe even literally.
Whether that meant adding feathers, as RM de Leon did, or to put Pegasus wings on them, like Daniel dela Cruz did in silver and bronze, or with wooden rafters from Carlo Calma. Monica Calma turned her shoes into a sculptural piece with swathes of pink paint, the universal color for breast cancer awareness. Toym Imao brought his trademark sarimanok design to his one-of-a-kind creation, while Carlo Tanseco took the patriotic route with Jose Rizal and the colors of the flag in his work. Plet Bolipata and Elmer Borlongan did a special collaborative piece, while Lydia Velasco painted one of her women on the shoes. National Artist Ben Cab also contributed his artistry to “The Pink Room,” using a play of colors for his pair of Nikes for the auction.
Other artists participating in “The Pink Room” are Vien Valencia, Tracie Anglo-Dizon, Ronald Ventura, MM YU, Melissa Yeung Yap, Jose Santos III, Pam Yan Santos, Max Balatbat, Manny Garibay, Arce, Gus Albor, Christina Dy, Jinggoy Buensuceso, Katrina Cuenca and Monica Delgado.
Nike AF1 Sneaker enthusiasts and Filipino Contemporary Art collectors will be thrilled to own any of these one-of-a-kind creations. Just register at The Pink Room to join the actual auction on 14 September at Brittany Hotel. In addition, anyone who drops by The Pink Room can also choose to make a donation to ICanServe. Every minimum donation of PhP500 will also count as a single raffle entry for a chance to win one of two Art Shoes, designed by artists Lilianna Manahan and Ciane Xavier.
Proceeds of “The Pink Room” auction will enable ICanServe to fund treatments and medical procedures for breast cancer patients, as well as invest in the training of public health care workers in the areas of early detection. It will also enable them to launch more high-impact health literacy campaigns, and create breast cancer control programs, all in support of its mission of saving lives. In their 25th year, their flagship campaign “Ating Dibdibin” is a testament to their mission statement, ‘no cancer patients left behind,.’ The comprehensive, institutionalized community- based breast cancer screening and patient navigation program is made more accessible through partnerships with local government units.
It was in 1999 when Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, now 27 years in remission from breast cancer, founded ICanServe, along with fellow breast cancer survivors Crisann Celdran, Becky Fuentes and Bet Lazatin. Their vision, in the early days, was to provide a circle of support for women having to deal with new diagnoses, undergoing treatment, and navigating life in remission. Education became a pillar of their advocacy, evolving its programs to promote early detection, timely access to proper treatment, and continued breast cancer care.
Through “The Pink Room”, ICanServe hopes to spread its reach to those women in need of a resource for all the necessary information they will need, while also providing them with a sense of community. These unique art pieces will help them make greater strides in spreading awareness about breast cancer, especially to the younger generations.