[PARTNER] Wynn Wynn Ong: Redefining Boundaries

Wynn Wynn Ong

March 8 – June 15, 2017
Yuchengco Museum
RCBC Plaza
Corner Ayala and Senator Gil Puyat Avenues
Makati, Metro Manila

HOURS
Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closed on Sundays and holidays

ADMISSION
Adults = P 100
Students, children, and seniors = P 50

ORGANIZERS

Wynn Wynn Ong: Redefining Boundaries is presented by Yuchengco Museum with the support of Wynn Wynn Ong Artisanal Works in celebration of Women’s Month this March. 

ABOUT YUCHENGCO MUSEUM

Since 2005, the Yuchengco Museum has been dedicated to fostering a greater public appreciation of the finest in Filipino and Sino Filipino visual arts and creativity. Located in Manila’s bustling financial district of Makati, the museum offers exhibitions, programs, and publications focusing on three themes—Sino Filipino Expressions, Design as Art/Art as Design, and Bridging Cultures.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Celebrating 15 years in the industry, jewelry designer Wynn Wynn Ong continues to redefine what it means to truly be a woman of style. In a special retrospective at Yuchengco Museum, Ong features the fruits of her creative endeavors through the decades—from art jewelry to objets d’art to couture. For the very first time, the museum’s Masters Gallery will showcase the works of the innovative style stalwart and aesthete. Highlights of the retrospective include Ong’s couture and private jewelry in collaboration with style brands, as well as furniture and lighting pieces.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

 Wynn Wynn Ong, of pure Burmese descent, was born in Rangoon, raised in Vienna, and has lived in Manila most of her adult life. Born into a family of inveterate jewelry collectors, readers, and travelers, her intellectual aesthetic was shaped by the people and cultures she was exposed to throughout her life.

Each piece from her studio goes through conception, gestation, and coming to life. To her, the thoughtful creation of each piece is akin to the birthing process. Nothing is released until it feels "complete."

She defines it as the moment when the vision in her mind aligns with the actual piece. When asked if the word 'designer' defines her, she says she prefers to be known as someone who was fortunate to be able to combine her worldview and love of learning into creating objects of beauty. 

Ground floor of Ong's exhibition

Detail of a frog studded with faceted aventurine on a large chest covered with handcut tiles of common green mussels.

Baguette-shaped minaudiere with gilded and silver-plated from the lid of the Manunggul jar featuring the journey of the dead.

Philippine sealife and sea forms burda barong necklace hanging from a sash.

Handwoven wicker minaudiere in the form of a bulol (Ifugao rice god) lined with fine leather. Designed in collaboration with Rita Nazareno of S.C. Vizcarra.

Body piece handcrafted using repousse, chasing, lost wax casting, plating, gilding, and benchwork techniques. Plated and leafed in other areas in 24K yellow gold set with faceted emerald-colored doublets and green agate cabochons. Designed in collaboration with Milka Quin.

TESTIMONIALS FROM CREATIVE COLLABORATORS

The collaboration between Wynn Wynn Ong and the workshop of Zacarias1925 by S.C. Vizcarra is a fluid, special encounter of design, legacy, and craftsmanship both ateliers are known for. The exquisite, handwoven wicker Bulol clutch is the culmination of Wynn Wynn’s design concept with the intricate skills of the master weavers and leather workers of the Manila workshop founded in 1925 by my grandmother. 

Rita Nazareno
S.C. Vizcarra

It was an amazing experience to have done this collaboration with Wynn Wynn Ong. It was an adventure! Her artistry and creativity fueled this endeavor. The eloquence of how she tells the stories for our inspiration and direction fires up the desire to create more and to do better. It was a dream to be inside the beautiful mind of Wynn Wynn Ong.

Milka Quin

WYNN WYNN ONG AT THE MUSEUM SHOP

Ong will set up a pop-up shop at the Yuchengco Museum lobby for the duration of the exhibition (until June 15). Visitors will be able to browse and shop for Wynn Wynn Ong gifts and merchandise inspired by her creations, as well as fashion accessories that she designed for the GREAT Women Brand.