Maserati Mark’ed by passion and hope

“It is not our inheritance merely to abide in this beautiful world. It is our inheritance to understand it.” 

These words caught my attention while watching an episode of the TV series Madam Secretary. While the line was from an inaugural poem written by a fictional famous poet, its meaning is very real.  Beauty surrounds us in this world. But beauty can be difficult to perceive, appreciate or understand when people lose a sense of passion and purpose. 

In a rare collaboration, famous automobile brand Maserati and acclaimed artist/photographer Mark Nicdao bring beauty, passion and purpose in one room. 

Mark unveiled his latest photographic exhibit at the Autostrada showroom in Bonifacio Global City last Friday. The exhibit, titled “X-Ray,” is a visual narrative of how Mark rediscovered his passion and reason for photography.

Despite his success, Mark eventually lost passion for his work. “We photographers sometimes fall into the slippery pit of being able to look but not see… it was easy for me to slip into the rituals of the job,” he shared. 

Traveling around a scenic country for work, Mark went on a spiritual journey that reignited his passion. What triggered the change of heart? Mark said: “Going on this trip turned things around for me, the grand natural beauty of the place made me see and feel what passion is again.”

Mark thereafter promised that his next solo exhibit would be meaningful and would tell the story of his rediscovery of self. X-Ray fulfills that promise, with a series of 26 photographs taken while Mark was on a bus and in motion. 

The photographs are purposely left untitled. “I wanted to leave things simple. Words can be a distraction and I would prefer that the photo be appreciated and interpreted by the audience,” Mark explains. 

A deep understanding for passion is what brought Maserati and Mark together. “Passion is what drives us to do better, to do greater things and spurs us into action. We proudly support our fellow Person of Passion!” AutoStrada’s Jason Soong says. Autostrada is the exclusive distributor of Maserati in the Philippines. 

During the launch of X-Ray, AutoStrada also introduced their “People of Passion”—select individuals who have contributed their time, expertise and wisdom to their communities and are fervently passionate about making a positive change. 

While waiting for the program to begin, I fortunately found myself chatting with Marc Nelson (one of AutoStrada’s People of Passion). Marc exuded a passion for life as he shared his memorable stories competing in Amazing Race and his love for traveling. On the side, we also deliberated on whether he should drive a Maserati Ghibli or a Maserati Levante to Tagaytay. As mundane as our chat may seem, this gave a glimpse of an inherent trait among People of Passion. They possess a constant thirst to discover and experience the beauty of this world—whether it’s the beauty of a Maserati car or the beauty of the places visited through the car. Adding to that thirst to behold and understand beauty is a sense of purpose.

AutoStrada’s People of Passion, like Maserati, are also advocates of the Hope in a Bottle campaign. The Friends of Hope foundation (headed by Nanette Medved-Po) aims to build more classrooms for public schools, especially those in far provinces and areas affected by natural disasters.

X-Ray runs until February 2, 2018 at the Autostrada showroom, 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. Photographs exhibited in X-Ray are one-of-a-kind and proceeds benefit Hope in a Bottle. More information on how to be part of “Maserati x Hope” can be found in the foundation’s website GenerationHope.ph.