I am a humble member of this group we founded more than a year ago, and up until now I feel blessed to be one. So here is a brief history of our organization that has grown by leaps and bounds but never forgets to touch the ground.
GUHIT PINOY UAE BRIEF HISTORY
"Guhit Pinoy UAE is a duly recognized and registered organization of professional and budding Filipino artists under the auspices of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai. Founded by a group of visionary artists hailing from different backgrounds and expertise, Guhit Pinoy started with a dozen members and grew into one of the biggest all-Filipino art group in the UAE. With diverse visual arts disciplines such as painting, photography, graphic design, sculpture, illustration, fashion design, filmmaking and even modeling, Guhit Pinoy has already produced award-winning talents in national and international arts competitions.
Guhit Pinoy UAE is the local chapter of Guhit Pinoy Global, the founding organization established by a group of Filipino comics illustrators from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working overseas, it was no wonder that the organization swiftly grew legs and gained momentum. Guhit Pinoy has now truly gone regional and even global, with chapters all over Asia and the United States. Most of its founding members are currently affiliated with multinational advertising agencies such as Fortune Promo Seven, Impact BBDO, Memac Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, Publicis, McCann Erickson and others. Some of its international members are veteran artists working in multinational production firms like Walt Disney, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Pixar, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox.
Born of a passion for creativity, Guhit Pinoy UAE is a product of individual minds coming together to craft an organization of artists whose main purpose is to promote Philippine arts. Thus, its initial project was a group exhibit held at the Global Village in Dubai inside the Philippine Pavilion during the 2007 Dubai Shopping Festival. Entitled “Unang Guhit” (First Stroke), the show was met with enthusiasm by the international community, thereby inspiring other Filipino talents to join the young organization.
Guhit Pinoy UAE regularly hosts some of the most exciting and stimulating art activities and sessions for Filipinos in the country. Likewise, the group actively participates in various art competitions sponsored by public and private institutions all year round. Its socially-oriented activities include participation in last year’s Environmental Clean-up Drive held in Mamzar Park sponsored by Dubai Municipality. Future initiatives include creating a program to assist distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) as well as establishing fund drives to support charitable institutions in the Philippines.
Recently, Guhit Pinoy joined the national art competition, Red Bull Art of Can 2008 edition, through a group entry entitled “Unified Chaos”. The collage/mixed media piece was a product of true collaboration—springing from each member’s abundance of artistic gifts and generosity of spirit. The output reflected Guhit Pinoy’s guiding credo of teamwork and unity. To cap 2008 calendar of events, Guhit Pinoy UAE with the other international chapters, took part in the 4th Philippine Comics Convention held in Manila last November at the University of the Philippines, which was attended by hundreds of comic book enthusiasts.
To date, Guhit Pinoy UAE boasts of fifty (50) members residing in the UAE and more than a hundred online members. Guhit Pinoy Global members are spread around the globe and represented by these chapters: GP-Riyadh, GP-Jeddah, GP-UAE, GP-Beirut, GP-China, GP-Manila, GP-Bacolod, GP-Singapore, and GP-California.
Guhit Pinoy continues to spread its wings by providing a creative venue for people who have a genuine love for the arts and an intense passion for life."
- GPUAE Founding Members
