In his own description of "Dance of Time," Rishab gets inspiredly literary in a philosophic vein:

"There is perfect harmony in the passage of time.  Just as there is perfect harmony, balance, synchronicity in the ballerina's movements. The difference is, the ballerina's dance must come to an end, as well as the ballerina herself. (Maybe she'll stay a little longer.) But time dances forever. Without waiting."

"Dance of Time" is one of two paintings in acrylic on canvas, that Rishab contributes to "Cordillera," a group exhibit by the Baguio City-based Tam-awan Village Artists, which include Ged Alangui, Roland Bay-an, Jojo Elmeda, Jordan Mang-osan and John Frank Sabado. They are not all from the Cordillera, but everyone has established both physical and spiritual kinship with the place. The two or three works each of them has for the show vary not just in style - from the representational to the abstract with the ethnic touch, but also in medium (mostly mixed) and surface (wood and paper, apart from canvas). However disparate they come across visually, they retain their basic unity in their expression of the Cordillera lore and culture, either subliminally, as in Alangui's colorful and graphic montage, "Northscapes," or manifestly, as in Bay-an's less sophisticated "Cordillera," also a montage, with its easily recognizable and familiar highland motifs.

The Tam-awan Village Artists' group exhibit will be on view, starting May 11, at Hiraya Gallery, which is gaining a reputation as a kind of haven for Cordillera art, particularly through its fairly regular staging of the individual shows of Sabado.

The exhibit runs until May 30. Hiraya Gallery is located at 530 United Nations Avenue in Ermita, Manila. Gallery hours are from 9 to 4, Mondays to Saturdays, and from 1 to 4, Sundays. For more information, please call/fax 523-3331 or e-mail hiraya@info.com.ph and visit the website http://www.hiraya.com