In 2016, the New Zealand Embassy in Manila – under the vibrant leadership of Ambassador David Strachan and his team – marked its Golden Anniversary: 50 years of fruitful bilateral relations with the Philippines. As part of the commemoration, the embassy presented an exhibit entitled Open Spaces: New Zealand through the Lens of a Filipino, which showcased the work of accomplished artist and lensman, Jose Mari “Mayie” Delgado. The exhibit was held in the last quarter of 2016 at the Yuchengco Museum in Makati.
The event was a well-attended flurry of activity, as guests waited with eager excitement to view Delgado’s skillfully captured images: 42 prints of New Zealand landscapes, photographed
over three of the artists personal visits.
“New Zealand has everything a photographer would dream about, with regard to nature. The country has lakes, mountains, changing elevations,” Delgado shared. “I also find that the best time to photograph New Zealand is in the winter time, for its special kind of diffused light in that season.” Delgado drove hundreds of kilometers from Auckland to Wellington, and from Christchurch to Queenstown. With the use of 35mm and medium format digital cameras, he captured New Zealand’s ethereal beauty with the trained eye that one can expect of a seasoned artist. Yet each image is imbued with a fresh perspective: through the eyes of a Filipino.
“Open Spaces, open hearts, open minds is what New Zealand is all about. Mayie Delgado’s
pictures capture this spirit,” Ambassador Strachan said. “We are pleased to show another
side of New Zealand’s scenery to Filipinos. Mayie’s photographs beautifully capture New Zealand’s extraordinary landscape in a unique way.”
“We warmly welcome Filipinos to experience New Zealand through their own eyes,” the Ambassador added, as he noted that tourism to the country is on the rise, with approximately
20,000 Filipinos having visited New Zealand in 2015.