With everything and anything that can be passed off as ‘art’ nowadays, the vexing question pops up when a quirky contraption in non-conventional medium either by itself or in eclectic or awkward collusion with other materials is foisted onto an unsuspecting arty public. Nilo Ilarde does works and presents them as he would have curated them – assemblages, installations and murals. In this case, it looks nothing more than some scroll or paper wrapped up in scroll form with strings and put inside a picture frame reminiscent of Joseph Cornell (1903-1972). It is not difficult to see where Ilarde comes from, having been inspired by Roberto Chabet, dubbed the Father of Philippines Conceptual Art. Ilarde obtained his BFA from the University of the Philippines’ College of Fine Art, majoring in Painting. He was exhibition director of the Pinaglabanan Galleries in Manila from 1984-1985. He won Commendations in the Young Arts in Asia Now, Hong Kong Art Centre, in 1980, and a winner for the Painting category in the Art Association of the Philippines competition in 1981.