John Javellana didn’t make it to the opening of his first-ever solo exhibition on Nov 14 — he was in Tacloban, busy documenting the wrath of Yolanda for a newswire agency. He saw firsthand how the town was decimated by the super typhoon, and decided that he would donate alls ales to the relief aid for the typhoon survivors.
In ‘Home Court’, the Manila-based freelance photojournalist, a De La Salle University alum whose photos have been widely published worldwide, focuses on the most beloved sport in the Philippines: basketball.
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He went into the heartlands of the country, from the mountains of Sagada to the rebel camps of Mindanao. Shot as a personal project while on location during his many assignments as a photojournalist, Javellana chosevarious rural and urban grass roots locations to observe the dynamics of play and the pragmatics of daily life.
His images show how basketball courts are inserted into the everyday and survive or are destroyed by time and disaster.
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‘Home Court’ by John Javellana, Upstairs Gallery Manila Contemporary, Whitespace, 2314 Don Chino Roces Ave Ext, Bgy Magallanes, Makati City; +63 2 5765024. Till 5 Dec.
