The Essence of Things by RACHEL MAYO

TENCE RUIZ’ DESICCATED PROXY: Philosophical Musings of a Social Realist

2012-02-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

In Desiccated Proxy (on view at the Galleria Duemilla until February 29) Jose Tence Ruiz (b. 1956) continues to explore the paradoxes, contradictions and the absurdities of human existence as he portrays various social ills alongside existential queries mostly with the use Catholic symbols in his attempt to make some sense of the complexities his finds in life.

Labeled as a social realist, Ruiz, (who once made a name for himself as an editorial illustrator for various newspapers in the 80’s and who has shifted to the finer nuances of art making like Niel Doloricon and Danny Dalena) continues to confront, probe and question the powers that rule society such as religion, politics and economics and the choices man makes amidst the challenges that these institutions present. In this show, however, Ruiz has extended his musings towards the more sublime.

Unlike your usual down-to-earth protest social realism that often depict the struggles of the working class, Ruiz’ satire has gone beyond the mere social landscape as he extends his work towards existential queries through the sublime realm of his own philosophical meanderings while tackling human deficiencies and questioning the role of God amidst the suffering.

Desiccated Proxy is an exhibition of about 13 works in various media such as painting, installation and wall-installed sculpture, that continues Ruiz’ series of his personal iconography which he has developed through the years – the kariton which symbolizes poverty and has been developed into Gothic cathedrals; the kotillion, his women in grotesque attire that denotes human excesses; the crux which transforms itself to the bunjee jump that refers to Christ-like pain, suffering and submission and the recent dekalogo series, taken from the idea of the 10 Commandments tablets that denote “personal values”, “obedience” and “compliance”.

Overall the exhibition contains all of his iconographic work but upon entering the inner gallery of Duemilla, one is immediately struck by the prevalent essence of Catholic imagery utilized to produce works , inevitably not only hinting of the artist’s deep religious upbringing, but the tendency to seek a higher a ground in his existential concerns.

This portion of the show opens questions to belief structures and the conflict between the ideals of divine perfection that religion presents against man’s foibles and the choices offered to him in this temporal existence.

This theme is highlighted by the presence of a huge and imposing mixed-media installation that dominates the inner hall --- 113.28 x 70.33 x 95.35-inch cathedral titled, Santuario. Eloquently wrapped in rich red velvet fabric and tightly bound (like a straight jacket), the menacing Gothic architecture conjures the image of the luxurious robes of the Catholic icons tightly holding in the virtues of religious dogma. A window reveals an interior that contain Ruiz’ proverbial kariton filled with the sweet, almost decadent profusion of flowers surrounded by neon orange life-jackets bathed in a sickly red glow….

“Religion has to be some form of deep seated neurosis, gripping us in its seductive and velvety grip, until it almost suffocates us with its densities,” the artist writes about the work.

Ruiz questions true Divine intervention in the painting "Gulpe Sarado Ayon Sa Ngalan Niya" 2011, oil on primed linen (70.17 x 60.28 in.) as he continues to make use of the religious undertone of the exhibition with a dramatic picture of what look like the suffering and dying Christ-like figure. Feet bound and arms extended, as ropes, forming like a cross suspends the figure above a shadowy backdrop. Upon closer inspection, the central figure is actually a macabre composition of twisted torn limbs that denote the violence and death that man inflicts against their fellowman as the artist cites boxers, martial artists, soldiers and zealots who invoke their God before going for the kill.

Another religious symbol in the exhibition is the Dekalogo series or works that are shaped like the 10 Commandments tablets. Exhibiting four works of this series, Ruiz utilizes this symbol as a “metaphor for an inventory of values…. How much of our personal decalogues do we abide by without compromise?” the artist probes.

Dekalogo 1 Poso Pusali, a mixed media work created and developed from 2005 to 2010, (27.58 x 27.97 x 5.91 in.) shows a richly textured tablet using plumbing fixtures -- one side of which is a faucet surrounded by an assortment of objects such as nails, a paint brush, microchips, a steel bar and pipe, imbedded and “fossilized” in the hardened plaster that have been painted to produce a weathered effect. The other half of the tablet is a contrast of monochrome that looks like cracked marble flooring with a single toilet handle planted in it.

Utilizing the symbol for water, which in esoteric terms refers to metamorphosis and philosophical recycling, the artist brings forth an existential dilemma in this work where we find two opposing ideas -- water flowing out from the faucet and the other, flushed as waste. . “…Do we turn our wells into cisterns of decay, or would we tap even the driest rock for fluid, in our search for existence,” he writes.

Tence Ruiz is a probing and inquisitive mind. His art is dynamic in its progressively ever-changing focus --from the political terrain of his society, to Pop culture, to environmental concerns, to man’s excesses and inequities. Desiccated Proxy, which seeks to touch on the mysteries of existence, takes his audience to another level of seeing.

Tence Ruiz is also a performance artist and curator. This is his’ 13^th solo since 1985.

Exhibition traces the roots of Modern Art in the Philippines

2011-12-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Danny Dalena, Jaime de Guzman, Onib Olmedo, Ang Kiukok are some of the country’s well-known artists whose paintings provoke strong emotions from their viewers through their powerful representations of the human experience.

Their works, usually employing dark tones and contoured forms, often delve into the unpleasant internal and external realities of life. This is the spirit of Modern Art. And these artists were once students of the man who brought Modern Art to the Philippines.

On view at the Main Gallery of the Cultural Center of the Philippines until Jan. 7 is “Edades: From Freedom to Fruition” (alluding to the “freedom from the old” and “fruition or products”), an extensive exhibition of old paintings and memorabilia and exhibition notes that walk through the life and works of Victorio Edades (1895-1985) like a life-size 3D coffee-table book.

The show is a biographical sketch that traces Edades’ early beginnings from the town of Bolosan, Pangasinan, at the turn of the 19th century; his work and studies abroad; his American wife and daughter; his dip into the field of architecture; his handwritten notes and letters about art… all the way to the products of his life’s work as educator at University of Santo Tomas, where, in the ’30s, he helped organize the Department of Architecture and put up the School of Fine Arts.

At the end of this multifaceted curatorial presentation is a showcase of works by his students, such as Ang Kiukok, Angelito Antonio, Antonio Austria, Manuel Baldemor, Norma Belleza, Charito Bitanga, Ed Castrillo, Danilo Dalena, Jaime de Guzman, Edgar Doctor, Raul Isidro, Jerry Navarro, Onib Olmedo, Ramon Orlina, Leon Pacunayen, Rhoda Recto, Lazaro Soriano and Veronica Yuyitung—products of Edades’ passionate vision to uphold Modern Art during his time.

Edades was proclaimed National Artist for painting in 1976. He is known as the Father of Philippine Modern Art. In the early part of the 1900s he helped veer Philippine Art away from the idealistic exteriors of Impressionism and Realism into the exciting possibilities of the new movement, ending “the parochial isolation of Philippine art and placing it in the mainstream of international culture.”

Armory show

It was in 1919 when Edades left for the United States to study Architecture and Fine Arts at University of Washington in Seattle.

In 1922, Edades was confronted by the artistic revolution from Europe through a traveling exhibition of the Armory Show led by Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp, the Surrealists and the Dadaists. The show, though unpopular to the American conservative public, inspired Edades who felt he finally discovered the artistic direction he wished to pursue. He was quickly drawn to the Modernist thought, which encouraged artistic experimentation and allowed the artist to interpret reality in his own way.

In 1927, Edades won second prize in an annual art competition among North American artists for “The Sketch” and, in 1928, he returned to the Philippines and mounted a solo show of about 30 paintings at Philippine Columbian Club. The show, perceived as a flop, caused a public uproar and one painting, “The Builders,” was described as “ugly distortions, dark and strong colors, and rough strokes.”

“The Builders, 1928,” is now a classic in Philippine art history. It is on view at the show, and is now part of the CCP collection. It is an imposing 119 x 320-cm oil-on-plywood that portrays a compact composition of naked muscular men lifting and moving huge rocks, their sturdy bodies outlined to enhance their brawny built. Dark and shadowy, the work is mostly painted with wide and thick strokes of murky yellow, brown and green, exuding an image of oppression and the heavy hardships of manual labor.

13 Moderns

After his controversial show at Philippine Columbian Club, Edades embarked on a series of public debates against the conservatives through the newspapers in a determined effort to bring Philippine art up to date with the rest of the art world. Later, his struggle to promote the vision of Modern Art in the country was shared by other like-minds, such as Carlos Francisco, Galo Ocampo, Diosdado Lorenzo, Vicente Manansala, HR Ocampo, Anita Magsaysay, Cesar Legaspi, Demetrio Diego, Ricarte Purugganan, José Pardo, Bonifacio Cristobal and Arsenio Capili—known as the “Thirteen Moderns.”

Galo B. Ocampo, known for his indigenous-theme works and who formed the famous triumvirate with Edades and Carlos “Botong” Francisco, said Edades is “the one who planted the seeds of discontent but also of awakening… that ‘triggered’ the most significant movement in the history of Philippine art.”

“Edades: From Freedom to Fruition” also includes the artist’s portraits, nudes and landscapes from 1928-1981, some of which were never exhibited before.

This tribute exhibit is aptly greeted by a quotation from the late art critic Dr. Rod Paras Perez: “Edades’ choice of scenes bereft of any attempt to ‘prettify’ showed the way to a new world. Edades opened the door to Modernist Art in the Philippines and did not close it afterward. In the process of opening that door, his ideas also changed the tone of art discourse in the country—perhaps with more far-reaching effect than is easily perceived.”

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/27979/%E2%80%98edades-from-freedom-to-fruition%E2%80%99

Mark Justiniani’s Phantom Limb: Altered Reality

2011-11-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

Mark Justiniani’s (b. 1966) challenges reality in his latest exhibition using the magical illusion of mirrors in Phantom Limb at the Finale Artfile (on view until October 27).

Taking inspiration from the concept of "proprioceptive memory", a theory that argues that after amputation the brain retains the memory of the missing limb known as phantom limb, the artist likens this exhibition to the mirror box, developed by neuro-scientist Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran in the 90’s -- a contraption made of mirrors arranged at a particular angle inside a box that allowed the amputee to “see” two limbs and to "move" the absent limb which eventually led to their treatment.

Through light and space and mirrors within a box, the artist likens Phantom Limb to the phenomenon of society’s collective “wounds” or ‘historical phantoms’, which may be materially absent yet still alive in our memories and in ways continue to alter the course of the present.”

What distinguishes this show is how viewer’s experience is more engaged in the non-material aspect of the work rather than its plastic elements.

The show is a collection of 28 works made of six-inch-thick wall-installed 14” X 18” boxes including a few 14-inch square table top pieces. These boxes house small sculpted figures and installation pieces made of mixed media -- resin, coconut shells, cloth, metal-- composed and arranged to make up a tableau of poetry and wit that touches on the surreal as the artist continues his dialogue on the social, historical and cultural aspects of Philippine society for which he is known for.

In “Tawiran”, “Diskurso” and the “Listener” the artist utilizes the concept of the phantom limb phenomena by supplementing the missing parts of his figures through the use of its mirror image. “For those that lack half of its symmetry,” the artist writes, “[the] reflections offer us the flip side; they are accurate proxies or doubles for an absentee image. It is the recognition that illusions are appearances, and they have the capacity to suggest and sometimes be as potent as the thing replaced.” The work “Palakpak” another work along these lines, shows a single hand facing the mirror as it produces the image of numerous hands clapping… like the old Zen koan, “the sound of one hand clapping”.

In some works, the parallel mirrors produce several images to replicate a single object such as in “Himala”, a take-off from “Jesus Feeding the Multitudes” where he used a few pieces of bread and a single unmarked can of sardines, which has been visually multiplied.

“Dispersal” sees several scattered slippers and military boots, again conveniently multiplied by the parallel mirrors. While “Pamantasan”, “Akda “and “Diskurso” comments on education where classroom desks and scattered sheets of paper are strewn about and mirrored in an endless loop.

A sense of the metaphysical can be gleaned in “Messenger”, “Tagamasid”, “Bulawan” and “Oyayi” in dreamlike compositions of floating dots like endless stars against subtle blue light that give the pictures a sense of the movement of time, of streams of consciousness that transport the viewer to distant planes. “The Long Leash”, is a brightly lit neon green chain hanging in mid-air and “Tawiran”, a makeshift bridge, both appear to be running endlessly into the distance.

Justiniani began his artistic career as a painter in the early 90’s has since been known to diversify into other mediums and forms such as wood, plastic, metal and other materials as he consistently applies his characteristic playful surrealism in his commentaries on Philippine society, whether in painting, sculpture or installation work. Phantom Limb is an exploration into reality and illusion, of shared memories and illusive dreams…and how perception can sometimes deceive. In this show, Justinaini’s art mirrors his capacity for the endless possibilities of this medium.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/22373/altered-reality-in-mark-justiniani%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98phantom-limb%E2%80%99

Thoughts on Art, Media and the Public: The Role of Art in Society

2011-08-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

Media people hungry for sensational news created this furor which now threatens artistic freedom. It all began when a television crew sneaked into the Main Gallery of the CCP and took shots of selected elements of Mideo’s work and immediately showed these clips to a prominent Catholic religious figure for a reaction. It was a blatant attempt at generating conflict which was good copy and revenue for them.

Mideo’s art may be viewed as strange for most, but desecration of religious objects have, through times been created by artists who have strong feelings about religion and its role and influence in their lives. Indeed Mideo’s approach may have been quite grossly exaggerated which probably was intended in the first place, to hit at the collective nerve.

The role of the artist in society is like an antenna. It picks up signals from its collective psyche. It is beyond the material, mental, emotional and spiritual realm of this collective. Art seeks to express in symbols that which affects this collective. The role of art usually serves as a tool to evolve our consciousness on certain issues surrounding its society --- in matters of politics, economics, religion, etc. Mideo was simply critiquing on the power of the Church and its position on matters that concern him and his society.

Mideo’s use of religious objects that he aligned with popular and consumerist symbols is his way of saying that all these has become one and the same for him and that the religious objects have lost their spiritual meaning in the lives of many --"the collapse of cultural cannons within the society".

Mideo’s concern is legitimate because as an artist it spoke from his heart and mind about the things of this world that concern him. Maybe he outdid himself in utilizing these objects of worship by using too much of it, almost at the point of outright anger and disgust. He utilized the condom and the phallic upon these objects to editorialize on the issue regarding the RH Bill -- assigning the images of worship as a symbol to refer to the Catholic Church, known to be critical of this proposed Law. Bold and expressive artists are usually known to be open-minded about matters of faith and religion. It is part of their psychic make-up. They put all their thoughts, feelings and time in the creation of their works without inhibition.

Media should have balanced their coverage by not only asking the priests and the man on the street about specific elements of Mideo’s work but should also have consulted art critics and academicians to explain the work to them for a more balanced perspective. However, even if it were explained to them, they will only see the surface and Mideo will still be misunderstood.

Art is a reflective activity that communicates new ideas towards the formation of new world views that eventually affects the future. A good artist has a profound understanding and awareness of his time and can act as an early-warning system of changes to come. Art that creates powerful symbols through its imagery is effective in speaking to the hearts and minds of people in a subliminal manner, its codes revealed only upon introspection. The impact of Mideo’s art cannot be discounted due to its persistent presence in media today who has in fact unwittingly (again) assisted in allowing Mideo's message to seep into the sublime sphere of the collective psyche. Despite the fact that this has generated so much debate and anger and pain on all fronts, Mideo’s art has obviously stirred up the collective sentiment and often, such incidents may result in a shift in culture.

Rudolf A. Treumann notes this phenomena in his article, The Cognitive Map and the Dynamics of Information --- “It is only afterwards when the public has digested art and internalized it to the degree where no one is conscious of its strangeness, that rational thinking awakens..”

Media’s pervasive exposure of Cruz' art to the public generated so much interest and curiosity, people --who usually stayed away from art exhibits -- began trekking to the CCP to view the show ( before it was ordered closed). When they begin to ask themselves why this art is so….then in a subliminal way, Mideo may succeed as a catalyst for future change. * * *

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/9883/perspectives-on-%E2%80%98kulo%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98polytheism%E2%80%99

Mideo Cruz’ “Poleteismo”: When Art is Condemned

2011-08-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

"For art to be relevant, artists must address the social and spiritual issues of our time.

Our own cultural system is so pervasive that we tend to mistake its attitudes, practices and

beliefs as a fact of life, the way things necessarily are” -- Suzi Gablik

The point of contention is an installation work by Mideo Cruz entitled “Poleteismo,” part of a group exhibition “Kulô” at the Main Gallery of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) launched last June 17 (until August 21) on the occasion of CCP’s celebration of Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday. It is participated by artists from the University of Sto. Tomas (now celebrating its 400^th year), who, like Rizal, were products of the same institution.

The curators and organizers of “Kulô” wanted works that are “direct or indirect representations, portrayals and recollections of Rizal as explored through traditional mediums, multimedia installations and graphic design in the hope to contribute to the discourses of the pen and the sword, and of education and revolution— topics that continue to implicate Filipino artists and thinkers... a gathering of ideas and ideologies, principles and disciplines, and past and present dialogues….”

* * *

The furor began when a shocked woman allegedly reported the installation work of Cruz to a late-night television documentary usually known to expose crimes and other illegal activities. The said work combines religious and pop culture images and objects that included Catholic icons such as that of Christ, the Virgin and other “sacred” figures alongside pop icons such as Britney Spears, Obama, election posters of local politicians and other common everyday materials such as, traffic signs, Chinese calendars, elementary educational materials, health center pamphlets – everything we see around us. But what stood out among this cacophony of imagery was the apparent defacement of most of the religious objects and pictures where cartoon characters, animals, the condom, the male organ and sexy pin-up girls were utilized on symbols of Catholic worship.

The television crew, knowing that this artwork will elicit a strong reaction immediately showed what appears to be a disturbing video of the installation to retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, who was naturally outraged, branded the work as an outright disrespect towards “God and Christianity.”

“The ones who did those things are sick but they are not only sick, what they did was also sickening,” said Archbishop Cruz, who related the controversies to the issues regarding the reproductive health bill and same-sex marriage.

“No one in his right mind with the proper value system would even think of doing such things. I wonder if those who did those desecrations would allow me to do those things to them,” he said.

“Those responsible for this should better see a good psychiatrist, take their medicines so they’ll become normal, especially as their human sexuality is concerned,” he added.

This shocking news was deliciously picked up by primetime news (including reactions from the general public) and the dailies and suddenly went viral on the internet. Distressed Catholics began calling the artist names and cursed him to high heavens. Online debates ensued which triggered a man and woman to sneak into the CCP premises to vandalize Cruz’ work. Death threats were purportedly received by the artist.

In the meantime organized Christian groups denounced the exhibition and said the work “ridiculed and mocked our Christian faith” and wrote a formal complaint to the CCP President, Dr. Raul Sunico and demanded that the said work be brought down for “being offensive to religion”, an act punishable by the Revised Penal Code.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines on the other hand, rallied behind the artist and CCP and conjured Article 3 Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution on Freedom of Expression.

In response to the heated controversy, the CCP decided to hold a public forum where all concerned were invited “to set the points of analysis and study with the aim of promoting exchange, and more importantly, the commitment for tolerance in both areas of art and religious practice.”

Conducted at the Main Gallery of the CCP last August 5, the forum, dubbed as “DAKDAKAN: KULÔ” was fully jam-packed where heated and emotional exchanges were witnessed between the religious groups, including a number of white robed foreign priests against their jean-clad “opponents” – young artists, art educators and students of philosophy.

This is the first time in the history of the Cultural Center where an art exhibition had generated so much controversy that involved the public. Who then is Mideo Cruz whose work has spawned the ire of the Catholic public and why is his art this way?

Mideo M. Cruz is a performance, media and visual artist who has exhibited extensively in the art centers of Asia, Europe and the US since 1996. He is a recipient of the Ateneo de Manila Art Awards in 2006 and the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Awards in 2003. He has received numerous prestigious international art grants and has participated in various major art events abroad.

In “Poleteismo”, the artist Cruz tackled the subject of idolatry – what present society would usually deem as heroes – adored, admired or worshipped. According to the exhibition notes, the work “speaks of idolatry and the deconstruction of neo-deities. Two main points of the installation are the relic (cross) and the poon or the image of Christ which represents our cultural past (being 400 years under Spain and several years in Hollywood), and the transformation of the deity from the Greco-Roman statuette to an epitome of neo-liberal economy respectively. Basically, all the pieces reflect to neo-deities that are everywhere, but we are in denial that these exist and are actually happening.”

The work is not new. Elements of it have been exhibited by the artist in numerous occasions in the past, the earliest was at the UP Vargas Museum way back in 2002. This was followed by a show called Santong Pinagpasasaan at Kulay Diwa Art Galleries in 2005; then in 2007 it was shown at the Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines including images of it shown in the music video Anghel Sa Lupa . Why then, despite having been actually shown in several exhibitions in the past, it never got the attention of the public the same way as it does now?

Cruz is a provocateur who has always used art to generate a strong reaction from his audience. A performance show once found him lying on a slab, covered in blood with a gigantic rosary hung across his neck. An exhibition catalogue once described Cruz’s work as “distinguished for his provocative multi-disciplinary interventions straddling the irreverent, the blasphemous, and the subversive”.

Artist/writer Philip Paraan decribes Cruz as “one unrelenting artist-activist, a facile generator of anxiety and debate and is skilled in the production of excitingly intellectual images and forms within the unorthodox as seen in his art practice teeming with imitable social and political commentary. “

What Cruz has done in “Poleteismo” is an obvious attempt to shock. In art shock value is the “potential of an image, text or other form of communication to provoke disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions.”

Throughout the history of art, there have been artists who deliberately attempted to shake the status quo, to provoke a strong reaction, to challenge the establishment. At times they manage to capture the public attention, but sometimes they have been known to resort to the manipulation of events and circumstances in order to produce their desired results --- all for the purpose of finding ways to be heard or maybe gain some spotlight amidst the highly competitive art world.

It is not a remote idea that the “shocked” woman who supposedly called the television network about Cruz’ work may have been part of the grand scheme of Mideo’s art just to generate a strong public reaction. Who knows? But there are other pressing issues at hand regarding institutions that may have assisted in creating and furthering this debacle that has spurned hatred and has put CCP -- a respectable institution known for its dedication towards artistic quality -- on the spot. The media that immediately sought the opinion of priests have wittingly started the furor that may perhaps generate competitive ratings.

It is widely known that art exhibits, especially contemporary in nature, are mostly catered by members of the art community who know what they are in for. Why then has Cruz’ 10-year old work just recently been exposed to the public?

What should have been kept within the “sacred” halls of art galleries and museums, where previous works of the same nature as Cruz’ are a common fare, was irresponsibly laid by media on a public innocent of art’s esoteric ideals. These types of works should first be critically examined, interpreted and filtered by art critics, art historians and academicians before it is served to the public.

We cannot blame the harsh reactions of the religious sectors affected. They were confronted with a raw experience of having their objects of worship defiled, again not uncommon in the art world. What the priests should have been concerned about instead was not the merits or demerit of Cruz’ art, for they are not qualified to do so, but to ask why has someone like Cruz intentionally and publicly declared his irreverence for such icons of worship that have been revered by his society for the last 500 years -- considering he was educated in a Catholic institution.

Jungian psychologist Erich Neumann wrote, “But let us be careful! We are speaking of ourselves. If this art is degenerate, we too are degenerate, for innumerable individuals are suffering the same collapse of the cultural canon, the same alienation, the same loneliness – the rising blackness with its shadow and devouring dragon. The disintegration and dissonance of this art are our own; to understand them is to understand ourselves.” ●

Q & A for artist Mideo Cruz. (an online interview)

1) What do you mean by “neo-liberal economy”?

I’m referring to the prevailing methodology used by most of our world economist who were mostly educated in Chicago School of Economics under their guru Milton Friedman. It is an approach based on neo classical economy in liberalizing trade. Some experiments were started in Chile after the Sept 11 incident when Milton Friedman became an economic consultant of Pinochet. The “Chicago Boys” tried to reform the economy from the nationalization program of Allende. Presently China is showing their adherence to that method.

In my work I use these signifiers from pop culture, company logos and scrap materials from multinational products. Other jargons that may used are consumerism, free trade and globalization.

2) In an ABSCBN interview you said, “Hindi mo maiiwasan na kapag nagpo-provoke ka o naglalabas ka ng ideya, e may mga tatamaan” – I’m sure you somehow knew that you could be hitting some sectors that might feel offended. Can you describe how you feel today?

From the recent forum in CCP I feel that some people are a century (or more) behind. I thought we are only far behind for a decade or so but I was surprised that some people would argue that their standard of beauty is taken from Thomas Aquinas or their basis of contemporary aesthetics is from Luna and Hidalgo or a bit later, Amorsolo.

I think people should behave in harmony with contemporary developments.

The images presented in my work for “Kulo” are what we are creating subconsciously in our culture. We need to realize that it is the mirror of our society and of ourselves. The uproar it created might be the unconscious denial of seeing ourselves truthfully in the mirror. The realities in our society is the real blasphemy of our own image; the blasphemy of our sacred self. Sadly it seems that we don’t want to consciously look into ourselves, we rather ignore or deny it.

3) Can you describe the history of Poleteismo? In your exhibition note it was mentioned that the work began in 2002. How did you come up with the idea? What was your intention? Has your intention remained the same from 2002?

Several version of “Poleteismo” was already shown in various venues, first 2002 for the exhibition entitled “Hardware” in UP Vargas Museum under the curation of Jose Tence Ruiz. That time I did it with a live action during the opening, I sat in a wheelchair holding a light bulb plugged to an electrical outlet in the shape of the cross on the wall together with the collage of various images. The second time I did it is in a music video in 2007 where I was asked by my friend Director Sig Barros Sanchez to do the production design. Third is in 2007 for the group show tutoK Nexus, also curated by Jose Tence Ruiz where I also include some pieces from my one man show in 2005 at Kulay Diwa Art Galleries like the “poon”, “altar” and a fragment of “relic”. And lastly the one in CCP under the curatorial guidance of Jay Pacena where I include some pieces from previous installations and live actions like the phallic. Also included again are some works from the Kulay Diwa exhibition like the “Relic”, “Poon” and “Altar”.

The show in Kulay Diwa was featured in a Spanish television Telecingko. Similarly inspired projects were done in Zurich, Switzerland; Taipei, Taiwan; Sardinia, Italy; Hong Kong; China and; Vancouver, Canada.

I grew up seeing my mother posting all our family pictures, certificates, and medals on the walls of our house. Similar things I see in our neighbors’ houses -- posters, calendars, politicians, celebrities, etc. adorning their walls. So I tried to recreate the idea behind these things in the same aesthetic manner. I see it as a methodology how people show their accomplishments, connections, attachments and devotion. It is also a subtle way on how we want us to be cognized or be seen on the surface. So this is a sort of reflection; mere representations of things we see of ourselves --- how we build ourselves through our idols and worships vis-avis how these things have shaped and molded us.

The basic concept of “Poleteismo” is still the same but the work is constantly changing both in concept and in form. In the present setup in CCP you can look in the center of the relic (cross) and you will see literally your own reflection from the convex mirror attached to it and the wall collage behind you, which is figuratively another reflection…this is to denote the continuous cycle of history. One signifier that has been newly adopted in my piece is the symbol for “source of power”. At the UP Vargas Museum in 2002 I initially signified power with the use of a line of electrical sockets shaped into a cross and installed light bulbs all over the wall which was plugged to the “electric cross”. This time in CCP I used the phallic to denote power, a symbolism that could be attributed to patriarchy and feudalism.

I feel that some people just want to look at the surface -- they forgot that some of the phallic wore election wrist bands to symbolize political power. (a lot of them though went missing after the opening)

4) Have you always used religious images in your work? It seems that your work used up a lot of catholic imagery, something like 60% of the installation was made with such. Does this mean that on a personal level, religion has been a strong experience for you?

Religion plays a big part of our history. We cannot escape it after 300+ years of Spanish colonization. It plays a big part in the formation of our culture as Filipinos. It is unavoidable not to include these images if we tackle subjects concerning our society.

5) Apparently Catholic imagery has lost it spiritual power over you, reducing it to mere objects of idolatry. When did this spiritual transformation happen to you? Can you describe your current religious views?

I was raised as a Catholic, part of the 80% Catholics in the country. I grew up believing in Sta. Claus like everyone else. But as you grow up you gain more knowledge about the world you live in. You learn about things that separate myth from reality.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/10443/from-religion-to-idol-worship

‘El Guernica: Deconstrucción’–very inspired

2011-07-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ongoing at the Ayala Museum till Aug. 7 is “El Guernica: Deconstrucción”—an exhibition dialogue between 26 Filipino and 28 Spanish artists that takes off from Picasso’s famous mural, “Guernica,” considered to be the most powerful anti-war painting in the 20th century, as it depicts the violence and chaos that resulted from the bombing of the Basque county of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

The show’s concept is to create new works based on the deconstructed elements of the grid image of Picasso’s monochromatic black-and-white, 11’x25.6’ oil painting. With its rich assortment of expressive images and objects, the “Guernica” in this show has, indeed, prompted some of the most interesting outputs from the participating artists, especially from the Filipino group.

The 24 Filipino artists are an interesting selection by Ayala Museum’s senior curator Kenneth Esguerra, from a wide variety of disciplines and styles—from known contemporary social realists, conceptual artists, surrealists, still life and landscape artists, photographers and printmakers, including an awarded master sculptor and ecclesiastical artist. Inspired by the work of Pablo Picasso, the greatest 20th-century artist, the result of the show is a surprising turnout of works that have never been identified with some of these artists.

Exceptionally outstanding is Willy Tadeo Layug’s “Deconstruccion,” which he crafted using the technique of bas-relief. Layug, more known as an ecclesiastical artist, for the first time exhibits an expressionistic sculpture as he utilizes the hyperrealism of this traditional style as he shows a head of a screaming man desperately longing for peace.

We find Jaime Zobel de Ayala’s dramatic digital collage of figurative photographic images in reddish tones against black, titled “Grito en el Vacio”—also a far cry from his usual Zen-like work on nature, as he, too, takes inspiration from the human anguish depicted in “Guernica.”

Surprising

Another surprising turnout is Juvenal Sanso’s acrylic on canvas, “Red Bull,” lifted from the upper-left corner of “Guernica,” where the artist veers away from his usual architectural landscapes and comes up with an uncharacteristic postmodern approach in bright red.

Abstract artist Roberto Robles also surprises us with a mixed-media, three-dimensional postmodern work also based on the bull from “Guernica”—“Asir al Toro por las Astas.”

The prolific Ramon Diaz, whose style ranges from abstraction to “safe” figurative works, comes up with a powerful surrealistic composition in mixed media on paper titled “The Cry and State of Fury and Despair Produce the Same Terror,” as he captures Picasso’s powerful imagery and color.

Printmaker Benjie Torrado Cabrera also takes a turn from his usual—from paper to a three-dimensional work in “Dialogue with Pablo’s Guernica,” as he engraves his light mystical lines and forms on a standing sculpture of curved polycarbonate sheet.

Other Filipino artists who participate are social realists Nunelucio Alvarado, Pablo Baen Santos, Antipas Delotavo, and surreal social realist Charlie Co.

Surrealists Alfredo Esquillo, Reynold de la Cruz, Dennis Gonzales and terra cotta sculptor Roedil Geraldo have characteristically created strong works, while Conceptual artist Cesare A.X. Syjuco and sculptors Noell El Farol and Mervy C. Pueblo are consistent in their approach.

Also included in the show is photographer Toto Tarrosa, printmakers Virgillio Aviado and Ambie Abaño, painters Ferdinand Doctolero and Betsy Westendorp, and a Spanish artist based in Manila, Cesar Caballero, who is also part of the Spanish group.

Interesting difference

A quick glance at the exhibition reveals an interesting difference in temperament between the collective works of the Filipino artists and their Spanish counterparts. The show is arranged by setting Picasso’s life-size replica of the “Guernica” (complete with the grid lines) between two walls facing each other—one wall hangs the Filipino collection while the other, the Spanish.

The Spanish, usually known for their passion and flamboyance, instead exhibit a more subdued, cold European color, while the Filipino collection exhibits the typical flair for the dramatics with the usual use of bright color and expressiveness.

Where the Spanish artists lift from the visual aspects of Picasso’s work, most of the Filipinos take on its expressive side.

If you wish to see the potentials of some of our well-known and established artists whose works have become familiar, take a look at Ayala Museum’s “El Guernica: Deconstrucción,” to get a glimpse of what true inspiration can sometimes do.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/7961/%E2%80%98el-guernica-deconstruccion%E2%80%99%E2%80%93very-inspired

The Value of Art

2011-06-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Filipino artist Ronald Ventura has set a historical record at the Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction last April 4 in Hong Kong. The painting, entitled, “Grayground” (graphite, oil, and acrylic on canvas, 60 inches by 155 3/4 inches) was sold over 24 times its original “high” estimate for a staggering HK$ 8,420,000 or P46, 995,832.65, the highest result ever for a Southeast Asian contemporary Art.

In the last five years, Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have been experiencing unprecedented sales in the two most influential auction houses – Christie’s and Sotheby’s – have propelled many young Filipino artists into the limelight such as: Ronald Ventura, Geraldine Javier, Nona Garcia, Yasmin Sison-Ching, Annie Cabigting, Winner Jumalon, Nikki Luna, Ronald Caringal, Lynard Paras, Kiko Escora, Janet Balbarona, Rodel Tapaya, Andres Barrioquinto, Marina Cruz, Arturo Sanchez, Nona Garcia, Jon Jaylo, MM Yu, and Wawi Navarroza.

This pan-Asian collecting trend could very well have been triggered by two major institutional movements in the region in 1996— the opening of the Singapore Art Museum, with one of the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian artworks, and the inauguration of the first bi-annual sale of Southeast Asian paintings by Sotheby’s, also in Singapore the same year—which eventually generated international attention and consequently created a demand in the market for works of a new breed of young artists from Southeast Asia whose increasing frequency and success in these auctions have also spread to other auctions and galleries in London and New York City.

Ventura’s Break

Who is Ronald Ventura? Born in 1973, Ventura is known for his cutting edge mastery in drawing with a surrealist bent that utilizes a combination of hyperrealism, graffiti and cartoons within complex compositions that explore social, cultural, and historical issues alongside layers of mysterious imagery that delve into the psyche. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Major in Painting from the University of Sto. Tomas. Since 1998 he has participated in numerous exhibitions here and abroad. In 2005, he won two major distinguishing awards: the Ateneo Art Awards and the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 13 Artists Awards.

Nicholas Forrest (Art Market Blog: The World's Most Popular Independent Art Market Analysis) was asked for his opinion on Ventura’s record-breaking sale: “Investors and collectors are always looking for new emerging markets that have untapped talent and several Southeast Asian countries fit the bill - including the Philippines. What makes Ventura stand out from the crowd is the fact that he has progressed through the ranks and proven himself over quite a long period of time. Ventura showed that he was an experienced artist with a bright future. Adding to his status is the fact that he has been picked up by a New York gallery and was part of the 2008 Singapore Biennale. “

Patrick D. Flores, professor of art history, theory and criticism, and author of several books on Philippine art, says that Ventura’s recent sale could be attested to the artist’s name which has been steadily earning a huge amount of attention from buyers. Flores says “[T]he signature is highly valued in the market, the artist having the most stable market presence among Filipinos in the emporium. I'm not sure if his being Filipino mattered or if what he wanted to say in the painting was a concern.

More Views from the Scene

Norma Liongoren, owner of Liongioren Gallery, one of the older galleries in the country, calls Ventura the “Pacquiao of Philippine art.”

“We have been made proud because of the achievements of Ventura as a Filipino artist and are also happy that now foreign dealers are looking at the Philippines as a source for bankable art,” says Silvana Diaz, owner of the country’s oldest galleries, Galleria Duemilla.

Visual artist and head of the National Committee on Visual Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) , Egai Talusan Fernandez speaks with pride and excitement: “We should be proud that these young artists are making it big. For years Filipino artists are trying to be known not only here but in foreign countries as well… mostly by joining Biennales, Triennials and other special art events abroad. Now it’s art auctions. It’s a good sign that young artists are being noticed abroad…. “

The True Value of Art

“…art as investment, art as social elevation, art as confirmation of status, art as relic hunting….the whole rigmarole has done more to debase the real value of art than anything else in our culture…” – Robert Hughes, Resident Critic, TIME Magazine

Ventura has been a consistent favorite in international auction houses since his first sale at Sotheby’s Hongkong in 2008 for a 1973 work entitled Black and Blanche. Since then, Ventura has sold about ten times more in either Sotheby’s or Christie’s before his major groundbreaking “Grayground” sale. According to Artprice.Com, (the world leader in art market information who keeps track of the art market with its unique databank of 27 million auction prices and indices, and detailed auction results), Ventura’s first sale in 2008 earned him about US$62,000, and showed a consistent increase in the value of his works every year until 2010, his biggest hammer price being 270 thousand dollars before Grayground – a tremendous jump to nearly a million dollars in just a few months!

Indeed Ventura’s major coup, has not only given us Filipinos a collective self-esteem uplift, but his major sale has also brought valuable international attention to Philippine contemporary art which our local galleries, museums and cultural institutions could not have achieved on their own. Auctions also help a lot of artists to earn a good living at a level which the local art dealers could also not possibly provide. However, we also must have a realistic view of how the art market truly moves.

The practice of contemporary art as investment, rather than art for its sake began sometime in the 60’s in the US, epitomized by the commercialism of Warhol. Collectors then began buying art not for its higher intrinsic value, but rather as an object that is expected to increase in value in the future. This eventually paved the way for artists to fall into the consumerist trap which sadly began to influence artistic styles…how trends are established.

The market could really in fact stifle and influence artistic endeavor. Silvana Diaz detects a downside effect from the success of Ventura and the other young artists’ achievements in the global market. “The local market now finds itself somehow in disarray because now a trend has been established and creativity is affected,” which she calls the “creative bandwagon.” “Young artists,” Diaz continues, “now have a tendency to repeat the styles of the popular artistic styles being bought in these auctions.

Though the current trend is difficult to forecast based on auction records, according to Professor Flores, “(Do) artists make art solely for the market or does art start out as a commodity, which is not impossible but clearly quite tragic. There's a thin line between a speculator and a connoisseur. It could be purely speculation; or could be purely a collector's belief that the work is worth that much. Either way, the logic is market-driven, beyond the pale of the curator, the critic, the historian, and even the artist. It's thrilling, and therefore scary.”

And auction prices are not necessarily the real value of the artwork. There are forces that could manipulate these for the benefit of those who are investing—the auction houses themselves, acquisitive collectors and speculative buyers. At this point, art then is truly reduced to a mere commodity.

But the dictates of the market is volatile and the value of artworks are subjected to its idiosyncrasies. For instance, what if a collector suddenly decides to unload his collection at a really low price? In this case, what then is the real value of the art work?

Robert Hughes, producer of a series of documentaries, “The Mona Lisa Curse“ says, “Art is the biggest unregulated market in the world apart from drugs… art is no longer appreciated based on its critical perspective but rather on the price tag.”

Money is the greatest motivator in this world, and art, despite its supposedly lofty ideals, is no longer an exception. * * *

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/3195/yes-but-is-it-art-%E2%80%93-or-investment

Lester Amacio: Of Skulls, Vultures and the Toilet Bowl

2009-09-09T01:39:00.000-07:00

"The creative process, so far as we are able to follow it at all, consists in the unconscious activation of an archetypal image and elaborating and shaping the image into the finished work. By giving it shape, the artist translates it into the language of the present and so makes it possible for us to find our way back to the deepest springs of life."
- Carl Jung

Symbolism is the language of the subconscious that prompts the conscious mind to try to decode it and translate it into words. Such is what one is compelled to do when confronted with the works of artist Lester Amacio (b. 1978) whose current exhibition entitled, Story Teller at the Avellana Gallery (on view until the 30th) show roughly rendered muddy fields occupied by black line drawings of skulls, the devil, the cross, snakes, vultures, flowers and the toilet bowl.
In the style of the neo-expressionists (often times devoid of aesthetic regard)
– cartoon like figures of animals, buildings, spider webs, toilet contraptions roughly materialize in a childlike manner while the artist brings about compositions of a surreal content that communicates a sense of inner disturbance, tension, and ambiguity. His portrayal of inner conflicts in metaphorical iconography is replete with sexual/religious symbols oftentimes psychologically linked with the image of death.

The prevailing presence of the skull, sometimes large and menacing, at other times in multitudes as seen in most of the works, denote, according to the artist his need to kill his destructive inner urges that have oftentimes caused him trouble. The work, Back to Godhead, (36 X 48 oil on canvas) epitomizes this in a canvas filled with a mass of tiny skulls and a large red cross that dramatically cuts the field at the center. The title of the work suggests the artist’s internal need to chastise himself from these so-called debauchery and this theme is constantly suggested such as the need to control lust and alcoholism especially gleaned from Protect Your Mood (24”X26” oil on canvas) where we see the image of women’s legs and wine bottles sticking out of a toilet bowl, the proverbial cosmic flush.

The undeniable influence and impact of the opposite sex is also an essential element in one’s own understanding of the Self. The show, Story Telling explores this issue as the artist portray women’s legs spread-eagled with a large cross stuck between the legs or where a dog/pig creature holds a flower whose large black center seem like an endless void.

Amidst these troubled musings we also find the cross, another persistent symbol which the artist utilizes in conflicting terms --- as a dark image or as a form of redemption. This conflict stemmed from an unsettling personal encounter with a priest whose immoral conduct shook the artist in his earlier years, from his spiritual sense of being. The work Default (12”X24” acrylic on paper) highlights this conflict where we find a self-portrait of the artist with two heads, one with a human head with a cross marking the forehead; the other, a vulture’s head that refers to the artist’s darker view of himself. This figure with a forlorn face is seen hurting himself with a saw on his chest, blood dripping down his red shirt. It is a figure of repentance while the vulture’s head looms above in angry countenance which denotes his other, darker, uncontrollable self. The vulture is known to feed off from corpses. This threatening figure symbolizes that which devours his ability to release himself from the dark forces that rule his behavior.

Most of the subject matter portrayed here is based on previous experiences that had a great impact on the artist which he finds meaningful as he journeys towards self discovery, symbolisms lifted from the realm of the collective unconscious. The vital role of the artist is to help us all see the messages that emanate from this realm.

The psychological theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustave Jung based on their studies of the unconscious mind played a large role in shaping surrealism which developed after World War I. Amicao’s incredible imagery and bizarre juxtaposition is a classic approach of the surrealists who have sought to explore the unconscious mind on a path towards self discovery or what Jung termed as “individuation”. This type of works often exhibit an interaction between three planes --- of the spiritual, the psychological, and the physical translated into art.

Surrealists wanted to reveal images that could be analyzed by bringing realities from their subconscious to their conscious minds. Jung believed it was particularly valuable to bring out the unconscious by means of active imagination to get a better understanding of one’s self. By creating paintings in this manner, Amacio is able to confront and objectify that part of his self which would otherwise be hidden. The strong sexual and religious themes of his works indicate underlying significant issues that seek to be resolved through art and along the way, create a path towards a final spiritual and psychological understanding.
* * *

Sandra Torrijos’ Archetype of the Great Mother

2009-09-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

“…earlier civilizations worshipped the Goddess, not as a power from above or outside of ourselves, but as an externalization of interior states and a projection of aspects of our Psyche, Soul or Self; and as a personification of Energy that shapes and maintains the Earth.”

---- Barry Beck (Ancient Archetypes and Modern Manifestations -- The Goddess)

Feminist artist Sandra Torrijos (b. 1960) has been known to pursue women’s as well as spiritual issues in her body of works which often denote a kind of biographical sketch reflective of her own internal quests. She continues to explore the sublime female power and her quest for the spiritual in her current show, Mensahe at the Avellana Gallery (September 9th to the 30th) – a mixed media installation that delves into the divine influence and effect of the female deity upon her psyche. The work composed of found objects infused in bright Filipino color creates a room that projects the illusion of spiritual energy, devotional love and worship as the artist venerates and adores this female mythical, mystical and mysterious Catholic symbol of the great nurturing Mother.

Once dubbed as a “New Age Feminist” by Thelma Kintanar and Silvia Ventura in their book, Self-Portraits: Twelve Filipina Artists Speak, Torrijos was previously active in her study and practice of Pranic healing, theosophy and Zen Buddhism while highly being involved with women’s organizations such as Kalayaan (Women’s Society for Freedom) while pursuing her career in art.

This developed into feminist works that often imbibed a sense of the psycho-spiritual in her art most especially found in her large mural work at the Cultural Center of the Philippines back in 1990, “Sa Pagbangon ng mga Ina” that portrayed the scope of her artistic concerns which delved into the struggles of women and their pursuit of liberation.

Initially well-known for her works that showed grey and gloomy wrapped figures which symbolized the helplessness and psychological bondage of women in terms of societal expectations, the mural seem to have become a form of psychic catalyst for the artist as she incorporated the image of the Great Mother who symbolized personal empowerment and the final release and freedom from perceived constraints.

After finally putting to rest the pictures of wrapped figures in the 1992 Thirteen Artists Awards exhibition, Torrijos had dispensed with the idea of bondage towards a more constructive theme. Colorful works soon emerged portraying freedom and personal empowerment which the artist hopes to inject a more positive energy into her art.

In 2008, Torrijos created a large mosaic sculpture, “Dakila” (Great) in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the University of the Philippines’ Center for Women’s Studies which embodied the artist’s new attitude of her feminist art. “Dakila is the great woman-mother, teacher, activist, and healer. She is our ageless babaylan,” said Torrijos.

Torrijos admits to being more inclined towards the solitary pursuits of art, reading, and spiritual work, keeping mostly to herself as she explores the depths of internal life. Often biographical in nature, her art is usually aligned with her own experiences as a woman, a daughter and a feminist activist. She is also prone to take dreams as essential mystical clues that can also be gleaned from her works.

A recent intense experience of a religious nature propelled this artist in creating works that developed into a kind of worship for the Virgin Mary. She also had an encounter with a Filipino mystic visionary named Emma, whose video, produced by June Keithley is incorporated in this exhibition, adding a multimedia dimension to her installation. This mysterious visionary is said to have received messages from the Virgin Mary the last 15 years and has exhibited various aspects of supernatural manifestations that can be gleaned from the video.

The compelling attraction towards this personality and its underlying link to the symbol of comfort and liberation in the figure of the Virgin Mary moved Torrijos into working out these profound psychic experiences with what Carl Jung identified as the Great Mother archetype which has now manifested in her work. This exhibition, Mensahe has actually been transformed into some kind of veneration towards a brightly colored statue of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe propped upon a tower of stacked ceramic tiles in the center of the room and surrounded by red roses along with a mass of broken pieces of tiles which represent the broken spirit of the Self in need of spiritual healing.

Suffering from the recent death of her own mother, the artist incorporates red broken tile pieces that have been scattered and glued all over the gallery walls. The color red usually symbolizes blood which also denotes life.

The symbol and archetype of the Great Mother is incredibly old. This most ancient of mysteries is present in our culture by the archetypal image of the Virgin Mary- the woman holding the child which speaks to our own needs as a child and has shaped our own nurturing natures. In the past she was known in her various guises as Ishtar, Isis, Diana, Venus, Aphrodite, Kali, Hera, Shiva and Shakti. This archetype holds in it the collective experience and patterns of behavior of human life, an enormous wealth of experience subconsciously projected to the worship and devotion towards mysterious holy figures. This explains the constant stream of visitors to the shrine of the Mother at Lourdes in France because people are touched by the mystery of the Great Mother. Such shrines have developed throughout the world, dedicated to their own symbols of the Mother.

The church, the nation, a forest, or the ocean are symbolic representations of the nurturing primordial mother or "earth mother" of mythology. According to Jung, someone whose own mother failed to satisfy the demands of the archetype may well be one that spends his or her life seeking comfort in the church, or in identification with "the motherland”.

The bravery of Torrijos to pronounce her veneration of the popular Virgin Mary, usually avoided by other artists who prefer the more esoteric and exotic figures of mythology including her admission that her works are more personal than otherwise, attests to the sheer honesty and candidness of an artist whose psyche has been touched by the Great Mother, a process that can never be avoided once called upon.

Mensahe echoes the artist’s overwhelming belief that now, there exists for her a greater and nurturing power that she could worship and where her art could find its own meaning.
* * *

Ral Arrogante: …of Strange and Fanciful Metal Plays

2009-08-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Ral Arrogante (b. 1948) could well be regarded as one of our more prominent Filipino contemporary sculptors today. He is one of those rare breeds who could claim a distinct artistic style that is singularly identified with him in the local art scene. The mere mention of his name conjures images of those intricate and whimsical assemblages of metal pieces – sculptures that had been playing on the imagination and wit of his audience for decades…

For Ral, it all began with a trip to the Jefferson’s Library back in the early 70’s. He was on an errand for his father to do some research and accidentally stumbled upon a book on Art. It was then that he discovered the works of American sculptor Alexander Calder who was known for using found objects in his wire sculptures and kinetic art and the application of a kind of engineering balance which Marcel Duchamp would dub as “mobiles”.

With a mind that is often attracted to the detailed workings of all types of mechanisms, the image and idea fascinated Ral who, from then on, began collecting his own tiny bits of junk and scrap objects which he would assemble into his own version of the mobile and other sculptural compositions that would usually contain moving parts.

What merely began as a hobby, this self-taught artist soon turned his life into a fulltime career as a sculptor when in 1985, Ral Arrogante walked into the Ayala Museum with photographs of his already huge collection of intricately crafted metal sculptures and earned himself his first one-man show.

The detailed craftsmanship of Arrogante’s works is often achieved through a keen sense of meticulous handling of pliers (no soldering or glue) ….of the twists and turns of pliable metal as each single attachment builds into the creation of a fine piece of work that offer the viewer a wide range of the visual and the tactile while elaborately playing on the effects of wind and physics.

“It is the materials that actually dictate where my art would go…” says Arrogante who is constantly on the look-out for potential materials he could utilize for his art. In his current exhibition, “Paikot-ikot Lang” at the Avellana Gallery (August 8, 2009 till the 31st), Arrogante has come up with a series of works that utilized the body of a car radiator and the lowly aluminum strips from your everyday colored blinds. These strips of blinds were then balanced with other metal scraps that took on the look of single-type propellers along with other contraptions that function as wind vanes, kinetic works which he calls “wings”.

With the car radiator on the other hand, a bit of flattening and staining achieves a patchwork of metal that seem to simulate an authentic rendition of antique sails for a series of river boats inspired from the Chinese junk or the roof of a rickshaw. Other pieces are a more playful and surreal run of the imagination such as the portrayal of a bat seen swinging precariously with its imposing wings made of the same radiator material.

Collecting and sourcing out for junk and scrap, mostly made of metal, (for this show, copper and brass were selected for their natural coloring) is the main source of Ral’s work whose materials often dictate the final outcome of his creations. These masterfully crafted assembled objects usually try to mimic the more familiar things we see around us --- cars, airplanes, animals, insects -- take shape from a collection of metal wires, bolts and parts such as radiator coils, circuit boards, watch gears and other industrial, electronic, mechanical and computer junk. Previous works were a series on wings and wheels and later, a series of that which took inspiration from the complex mechanisms of the clock.

Known as junk sculpture, this type of art, primarily popular in the 50’s was originated by German Dadaist, Kurt Schwitters who began creating assemblages from discarded materials or trash gathered in the streets after the First World War. It is an offshoot of the surreal movement where anything is made possible with the use of seemingly unrelated objects and materials.

Arrogante’s craft has finally evolved through the years with his masterful handling of both the natures of metal and physics --- which all has come under his power to produce art. With a little bit of humor and a touch of playful wit, Arrogante’s metal pieces have truly swung and rotated our concept of what kinetic sculpture is all about.

* * *

Ryan Rubio’s “Form and Satisfaction” The Obliteration of Form and Meaning

2009-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ryan Rubio (b. 1982) now paints and sculpts those ghastly, ghostly figures in his fourth solo, “Forms and Satisfaction” at the Avellana Gallery (August 8, 2009 till the 31st). It is a visual evolution from his previous works since his first one-man at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The young artist is constantly on a battle with his art, finding ways and means, experimenting with technique, doing and redoing, until he reaches that moment of personal artistic satisfaction. He now paints profusely from his gut as he attacks his medium. “I no longer use studies, it is useless. I always find myself painting pure from my heart, my gut”.

Today his works become a product of an evolving style in terms of subject and form. Through the years (he began exhibiting in 2004) we find a transition from surrealism to expressionism, and a hint of impressionism that seem to evolve into abstraction. The artist admits to a predilection for abstraction as he finds this language more appealing in his now obsession with technique.

Where there was once subject and form in his previous works, Rubio now defies this traditional approach to painting by totally getting rid of these elements. “I really have nothing in mind when I painted this collection, Form and Satisfaction. I just allowed the painting to find its own form. Perhaps I am now selfish in a way because this time, I have no intention of relaying a message or meaning to my audience.” says the artist who admits that the titles of his works are simply his own way of interpreting the work after it is done. It’s as if the energy that has went into the act of painting itself has been enough for the artist, its meaning lost in the process.

In what the artist describes as a grueling process of painting over painting, his works now give the impression of a tendency to completely obliterate subject and form including color. His work “red, blue, green, yellow, white, black…Yes! …I am satisfied!” a large 6ft X 8ft oil on canvas is testament to the artist’s strong will to create a work that would finally satisfy his own visual expression. This single work was done in a period of two months with daily overlaying of paint. Painting upon painting, yes, he would paint a complete picture only to repaint again and again, lifting styles, forms and color from previous works until he was satisfied. After six layers of paintings, the final product finally gave in to its own form ---- a nearly monochromatic black and white composition of haunting ghostly human forms that seem to emerge from a mist of grayish quick strokes and drips. What attracts the viewer are the white faceless forms where eyes, nose and mouth are reduced to staring black dots that seem to float amidst the obliterated hair, head and the dark gloomy background.

Rubio’s previous works used to tackle the subjects of Life and Death, and the Afterlife, in Bosch-like idiom. Here we found thin limbed white naked expressive figures amidst a surreal setting of shadowy nooks and crannies in renaissance dark earthly tones. This eschatological subject was from a period of religiosity in his earlier life when he became active in Christian secular activities outside of the Sunday Mass. His childhood was

pained after losing his beloved father which could account for his interest on the subject.

Like life, Rubio’s paintings developed in form and spirit as he journeys from the mysterious ethereal realms of the soul onto the more mundane matters of human nature. Leaning more towards a darker view, Rubio’s succeeding works became more up close and personal and as he delved into his subjects of people in their various emotional states onto the more intrinsic essence of their humanity. He peered into the nature of the human essence and found the contrast between what people seem like upfront and what they truly are hidden beneath various pretensions. This period produced a collection of expressive facial studies that was sometimes completely distorted in Picasso-like manner. The sculpture, “All Male” in adobe found at a niche on the stairway landing of gallery epitomizes this style.

“Form and Satisfaction” continues to hint at this distortion in the artist’s continuing evolution of his style. The floor and table sculptures in cement, wood and steel continue to portray these monstrous facial deformities as he fully exploited the material in rich tactile textures.

As if it had become tiresome and draining to his own soul, the artist has now chosen a different path to his works in this current collection, “Form and Satisfaction” --- completely obliterating reason and emotion, form and substance to what now appears to be ghostlike renditions that merely hint at humanity through the black expressionless dots amidst a wash of white paint upon layers of color beneath the monochrome.

Indeed the process itself, of painting layers upon layers until all color has gone is also reflective of the artist’s approach to subject matter. Like color, white is the accumulation of all colors in the wheel and the artist’s layers upon layers of human experience essentially had become all meaningless.

Perhaps it is no longer vital to portray and identify meaning when there is too much of it. Be it biographical or philosophical, for the artist, the reality of existence here and beyond becomes fundamentally obliterated with a single act of pure, gutful art making where form and satisfaction become merely a part of a personal journey through art and life.

* * *

ECHOS OF THE FILIPINO COLLECTIVE SOUL…. AND NATIONAL IDENTITY THROUGH ART

2006-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

What is “soul”? Miriam and Webster describe it as “the essence, the animating principle or actuating cause of an individual life.;2) the spiritual principle embodied in human beings; or 3) the person’s total self.”

In Greek mythology, soul is PSYCHE. Carl Jung, father of psychoanalysis, defines soul as the center of the SELF. If we expand Jung’s notion of the soul, Jung writes that the only way to realize one’s soul is through a process called individuation or wholeness of being that begins with introspection and deep reflection. In the micro and macro sense of the word, this individual wholeness can be likened to national unity.

What is it about art and artists that society seeks for it to define the collective soul? Art is a reflection of life, a sounding board of what goes on in society. So the question arises, “what sort of art do we find in the Philippines today?”

Today, Filipino contemporary art and all the art found today around the globe, is a hodge-podge of traditions, created through a variety of media that now utilizes any or all of the four elements found in nature: air, fire, water and earth.

Human experience through time (history), space (geography), and spirits (cultures) are made to be articulated in various languages that lift from the collective symbols found in history….since the primitive times, all the way to the current postmodern era.

Focus on the word FILIPINO, where identity through art has always been a source of debate and discussion. Let us try to apply this thought to the art we find today, and ask ourselves, how does this reflect the Filipino identity? To simplify our point, let us reflect on popular culture or other Filipino contemporary artistic expressions that are found in our daily lives such as in cuisine, fashion, music, filmmaking or more importantly, where a society’s art can truly be discerned – in Filipino contemporary architecture.

What do we see? What is the underlying Filipino quality in these expressions? Can we define it?

Why do we seek identity questions from our artists? If we reflect upon ourselves as Filipino individuals what do we see? We may find that we are a combination of popular culture that is combined with a strong sense of international sophistication that is grounded on Filipino traditional values and customs and mores.

If we view the collective psychic terrain of contemporary Filipino culture what we will find is an intricately woven design that is rich, colorful and unique --- deeply rooted in the past, yet able to function amongst the world’s best. Our collective psyche occupies a whole expanse --- from its historical past all the way to our present role in the global community.

The essence of this collective psyche cannot easily be defined. We feel it inside of us. We only know we are Filipino when we are proud of our heroes and are disgraced and disgusted when we are branded negatively by foreign countries.

If we reflect upon our collective psyche and seek the true Filipino soul, then we must also learn to confront what Jung terms as the shadows of the collective unconscious. We must learn to accept the negative aspects of our culture and society and accept certain facts about ourselves. Accept and understand that we are indeed a Third World Asian country deeply in debt and gratitude to the global economic powers and that we belong to the top of the list of the world’s most corrupt nations.

A closer look at our society and our prevailing crimes can also give us a glimpse of our dark side, the poverty of our spirit: incestuous rape and child abuse, drug dependence and petty thievery, alcoholism and violence…

Another aspect of our collective unconscious is the influence of our collective archetypes --- major role models of our nation that have been ingrained in us through history such as the American governing systems and its entertainment culture, Spanish traditions and Christianity as well as Japanese nationalism.

Let us try to view the country as an individual being. A human being is composed of three elements: body, spirit and soul. As a country it can be translated to geography, history and culture respectively.

Geographically our people are scattered in more than a thousand islands.

Geography is the primeval seat of political influence and power. Various ethnic origins spring from these islands, each with its own unique history and culture and each contain various strains and levels of major national experiences. For example, how much of Spain and Catholicism have been instilled in each location? What are the effects of our collective experiences imbibed through history? The effects of the revolution against Spain and Jose Rizal’s death, the Japanese occupation or the two World Wars, the more recent EDSA Revolution(s) or the Marcos Regime --- on each of these individual islands? How unique and particular have these individual islands been influenced by these strong winds of change?

Another important consideration is the state of spirituality of the Filipino. Religion, magic and ritual are major influences that dictate the unconscious or what can be defined as the seat of the soul. In ancient societies we find the shaman or the high priest or the prophet as consultants to kings and tribal chiefs. It is the acknowledgement of human beings that indeed there exists a power beyond their control where the mysteries of life can be unraveled.

Spirituality is the basis of morality, of the sense of what is right and wrong. In psychiatry, it has been found that people with a strong spiritual foundation can surpass suffering and defeat far better than those whose sense of the Divine is vague and undefined.

The contemporary Filipino’s belief system has been shattered and individually reconstructed from various sources. Today a typical educated Filipino’s belief system is a mixture of Catholic tradition and folk superstition, the belief in occultism such as Western and Chinese astrology, palmistry, feng shui, magic and psychic phenomena, Buddhism, Taoism, humanism, the cabala and other theosophical beliefs…

Thus, after all what we have presented… WHO is the Filipino? To expect the Filipino artist to offer us answers to national identity or the perennial and tired question, “What is Filipino art?” ---- becomes a highly improbable task… the proverbial chicken and egg question.

For from a thousand islands, we see a thousand histories, a thousand ethnic cultures, a thousand artistic expressions, a thousand gods…and each is a colorful thread that make up a richly woven tapestry. If we are able to see this colorful and intricate design, I know, we shall see the beauty of the Filipino soul.

* * *

2006-07-03T03:37:00.000-07:00

ART TODAY
and a
LOOMING

COLLECTIVE BREAKDOWN

I love art and I love its creators. Never mind how much I love them…

I bleed each time I see good art die…. victims of oppression, victims of a system made powerful by the tentacles of materialism.

I bleed for the artists who are true to their art yet unable to protect themselves from forces that are too complex to comprehend….artists forced to take the time off theirs work to have to deal with the underlying laws of economics, trade, media, etc.

I bleed for the art that would rather be killed than continue a charade, a lie where the selling of works made popular by the uneducated and unconcerned…calling the obsolete still lifes, flowers, the Madonna and child as “fine art".

What is true art? Is it the experiences of the senses? Or is it the echo of souls that seek liberation from the complexities of modern life?

What is true art? Is it the landscape or the people? Is it the enjoyment of beauty, a way of escaping this mundane existence?

What is true art? Is it the educated aesthetics of formalism, concept and tickling ideas of the plastic field? Or is it the cry from the depths of existence where works are made to articulate the spirit of our times…

What is the spirit of our times? Why is postmodern art seem so blasphemous, so disjointed and confusing?

Why is it always painful to go out there and view a show where the smiles hurt with the wanton plasticity of it all?

Why is it that art seems to have died and what is the cause of its death?

Why is it that art seems to have lost its spirit as it makes the process of creating a more difficult task to handle each day?

What are great civilizations made of? Why does it seem that while we experience the higher achievements in science and technology we find the equal decline of the creative spirit found in art?

The complexities of modern life have become so specialized as the philosophy of materialism (that which governs science) have been well applied to defeat poverty --- transforming money as the basic essential commodity that will feed the human body.

Indeed business is business, a system is a system that without which we cannot function in an organized way. The system is in place in order to create an illusion of control … the laws of man…of government…of industry…of your software.

The problem lies not in the system. It lies in the hearts of man where the system becomes the end, the means to an end. It is a kind of system where art has been relegated to a mere hobby or collection (alongside its material value) --- where parents denounce artistic pursuits in place of an office job. But art is not for the weak hearted nor is art the chosen career of those whose values reinforces the existing system….the existing value system. It is therefore an idea that art and artists belong to a special class… like scientists or writers and philosophers.

Art is the essence of a culture. Its created objects depict, capture and document civilizations, its way of life, religion and values. Without art, anthropology and archeology perhaps may not have been discovered. Great minds that move the course of a society’s future know the value of art as an essential ingredient in the promotion of ideals… as seen in the great ancient civilizations including Mao’s “Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom”.

An excerpt from the book, Man and Time, published by the Princeton University Press, 1973 explains art in relation to its epoch from a Jungian perspective:

It is grounded in the vitality of the collective unconscious, which is opposed to the collective consciousness in the integral psychic field of the group. This stage presupposes the existence of an established opposition of consciousness to the unconscious, characteristic of the modern world. In it, we may go back to the immediate presence of the creative numinosum. Great art of this type almost necessarily implies tragedy. Compensation for the cultural canon means opposition to it – that is, opposition to the epoch’s consciousness and sense of values. The creative artist, whose mission it is to compensate for consciousness and the cultural canon, is usually an isolated individual, a hero who must destroy the old in order to make possible the dawn of the new.

* * *

A Quantum View

They say that man’s creativity has a limit and that all art forms have already been invented and discovered… nothing new anymore… what is new is a manner or way of combining previous forms…. Like experimenting with food or music called fusion. Indeed fusion is today’s artistic language. But what is the spirit of fusion? In physics, fusion means, “ a thermonuclear reaction to which nuclei of light atoms join to form nuclei of heavier atoms…” Thermonuclear is a chemical or physical (physics) process that is capable of producing very high temperatures resulting from fusion.

* * *

Art is a psychical process of the collective. We may wish to view today’s fusion as reflective of the collective psyche.

And what is the nature of this thing called fusion? This great psychic conflict that puts the great forces of the world created by man against the world created by God….or the high (temperature) tension between the larger more powerful collective unconscious versus the smaller collective consciousness!

From a Jungian point of view…. where lies the dark shadows repressed through time… a kind of collective insanity may arise….if Art and its importance is not given its regard in the natural order of things….

* * *

2006-07-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

A REACTION to Randy David’s

“What Makes an artist ‘National’?”

(Philippine Daily Inquirer June 11, 2006)

Art is the highest form of human expression. It is a branch of philosophy under aesthetics. The language of art is sublime. Art belongs to the realm of the gods… where artist, usually of a sensitive nature, are able to “feel” the longings and struggle of the world around him.

Art is a product of the creative ability of man. Artmaking is akin to the creative work of scientists --- inventors and innovators --- mostly drawn from inspiration… a call from the Muse. It is because of creative work (science and art) that eventually allows for civilizations to grow and progress.

Art symbolizes a society’s culture. It is the object or product of human artistic expression that is able to capture the lives, hopes and desires of a people where history and the world can define. If it were not for the pyramids nor the art found in Egypt, preserved through the many generations… we would not have had the ability to understand Egypt… its people then, how they lived, how they worshipped. It was the objects of art that allowed archeology and anthropology to know and understand the culture of a great civilization buried in the past.

Art is not for the masses in a direct way. Creative work is of the highest form of expression where the needs of the masses are addressed. It is the role of the leaders of a nation to see art as a kind of antennae, a way of knowing the sentiments and dreams of the people they govern. What makes an artist “National”? What makes an award “political”? What is a National Artist Award? What is a nation? What comes to mind when we speak of the term “nation”? Of the words, birth…or birth right…race…ancestry…roots What does a “symbol” mean?

A symbol is “something that stands for or suggests something else, by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance”…or, …… “a visible sign of something invisible”. When we put both the concepts of “nation” and “symbol” together, what do we have?

Jose Rizal was an artist and writer. Rizal was an undeniable genius, recognized not only in this country but elsewhere as well. He excelled in medicine, literature, art and other human pursuits of knowledge, a Renaissance Man who has only love for his fellow Filipinos. In his thoughts he saw how a poor and gentle race, once peacefully leading a well-manageable existence was suddenly blown and reduced into pitiful pieces by a foreign power. He saw submission and rape. He saw deception and the corruption of innocence. He saw the humiliation and defeat of a good people who back then did not build on wealth and power but were living peacefully from the fruits of their quiet labor upon a rich land and saw no wisdom in storing up riches. For at the time of the Spanish conquest, the Filipinos existed on a hand to mouth existence, going by way of the seasons…in touch with the spirit of the natural divine…

As our National Hero, Jose Rizal became the archetypal symbol of the Filipino people. In him we as Filipinos have declared that we are capable of the highest achievement in the attainment of knowledge and skill such as Rizal’s. That by Rizal we are capable of loving our country to the point of self sacrifice; that this love for freedom against oppression is inherent in our blood.

By choosing Rizal to symbolize our nation… speaks to us about the pride of our race amidst the dangers of conquests by those who seek to destroy the very essence of our being as a nation. In his last words we see and understand Rizal and why he has been chosen to symbolize our country. The last words he wrote before he was shot expressed his profound passion for the Filipino:

“Arise! See how history has passed by right of heredity from your hands to ours, see how it has been multiplied and increased to an immense size to infinity by the gigantic strength of our arms, and more than by arms, by the eternal, divine suggestion of liberty which burns like a holy flame in the Filipino soul. Neither God nor the fatherland grants us a triumph except on the condition that we share with you the laurels of our hazardous struggle.”
------ Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago, 1898

We chose Rizal to symbolize our nation. What Rizal was all about we as a Nation stand by the symbols he stood for. What has happened since Rizal’s death? If he were alive today, what do you think he can see? Do you think that he will still be willing to die for us? What have we become after Spain, Japan, and the U.S.?

What have we become after Catholicism? Foreign influences that were forced upon us by sheer power and might. What about today’s oppression? Instead of the sword, there is the mighty pen of propaganda (propaganda may be in the form of the written word, the buzz around town, the act of creating an environment in the hope of manipulating public opinion).

Other forms of oppression today may be in the form of monopoly, of a dictation of an elitist group, the power of promised wealth and fame in exchange for corruption…

Oppression then simply means a force that denies and flows contrary to the nature of things…like going against the natural tide of the waves…

Oppression is the complete submission to a larger more powerful force that seeks to make us deny ourselves.

Oppression seeks out to humble the spirit in order for a larger yet stranger force to overtake that spirit.

Oppression humbles and depletes. What then may I ask do you wish for the country to be symbolized today?

Who has been given the mantle to decide what kind of country we are? Who has the wisdom to see that the award for national artist as not a simple matter of depicting a personal art where personal achievements that do not even touch a culture nor change in any form the existing culture we have.

Art lifts us to the ideals of human existence. It allows society a way, a vision towards a sense of freedom of the spirit. It is not in matters of a political fight but rather that which seeks the freedom of a collective soul that is inherent in all humans… why revolutions take place, why we see science as its is today, why civilizations grow, why life on earth is at its place today…. Indeed it is not easy for government nor for leaders to capture the collective psyche of its people. That is the role of the artist or the philosopher.

But if we just simplify our views --- what is art and how can we call an artist a national artist? This is art. It is therefore the question of WHAT HAS THIS ARTIST CONTRIBUTED TO THE ART WE FIND TODAY? Bencab’s content in his works… the Larawan for instance merely captures the work of a historian. Bencab’s work has NOT in any manner influence Philippine

Contemporary art as we see today. Artists all have concerns in their works. We have political concerns that capture oppression in many forms, politics also has many of its forms such as gender issues, environmental and such. That is the role of the artist – to capture the living soul of its people.

The question is, has the artist at all influence the art, nor the philosophy, nor has his works at all contribute to the collective art we find today? FPJ put the hero and the damsel in distress to cinema that Robin Padilla and so many others have followed suit, allowing for the male and female Filipino archetype to symbolize how we feel about the male and female roles in our psyche.

Through the works of FPJ, we have cinema that captures the hearts of the masses….not as a documentarist nor as a historian, but rather as an artist that “knew” back then how the male conquest in the name of love was a needed psychic influence at that time… which eventually defined male/female roles in the 60’s and continue to influence behavior and values we as Filipinos have today.

The selection is not an easy one to make… to call an artist a national artist. It is therefore necessary indeed that government or leaders be able to define what entails a national award.

We had a joke back then… ah, so and so artist has been exhibiting all over the country… he is a national artist.

We seek not mockery but the mere reason why mockery exists is because there is indeed a failure to define and to recognize what symbolizes a national award.

* * *

2006-07-03T03:27:00.000-07:00

Pambihira naman SABEL….!

The National Artist Award and
The Danger of Losing its Integrity

I beg that Bencab will forgive me, beg that he will understand….

Just heard a most disturbing news! Malacanang just accepted NCCA’s nomination of Bencab as National Artist for Visual Arts!

The news of the possibility of Ben’s acclaim was already leaked out since last year. Even then, it had been warned that… “in an art community where people instinctively tear down anyone who rises above the mire, a few are already muttering malice and malcontent…”

Such is the Filipino’s “crab mentality” they say… but remember, there were awardees that never inspired criticism, nor induced any kind of protestation. For who would question the credibility of Edades, Manansala, HR Ocampo, or Amorsolo? Of Kiukok?

The National Artist Award is the premium award of the Philippines in the field of art. It symbolizes the height of artistic excellence, of wide influence and great achievement in terms of work that had made a significant impact on the cultural terrain of the land.

To delve deeper, where it not for the contributions of a particular artist, Philippine art history and its present state, may not have been what it is today.

Philippine art and its variety of nuances has had a great and colorful history. To take away Kiukok for instance from this field… would have left a void in Philippine style figurative expressionism.

The book, The Struggle of Philippine Art by Purita Kalaw-Ledesma and Amadis Guerrero published in 1974 chronicles the major influences on Philippine art and most of the artists mentioned have already garnered this major award… and some still deserve to be acknowledged. For instance:

Manasala brought the Cubist influence to a peak with his transparent cubism…

Fernando Zobel introduced the color black which was otherwise a traditional taboo in art.

Napoleon Abueva who shook the field of sculpture “to its foundation and foment an artistic revolution”, by reintroducing the use of wood in sculpture…therefore “emerging as a catalyst unconsciously contributing to the evolving tradition” of Philippine contemporary sculpture…

Arturo Luz brought “restraint and subtlety and a cerebral spirit which served as foil to the theory of emotion…”

Jose Joya introduced “action-painting in the country and perfected abstract expressionism”;

Eduardo Castrillo who “brought sculptural angular shapes and lines (recognizably his own)” --- to the field of jewelry design and public sculpture.

Roberto Chabet (a non awardee) made great contributions in the field as a local precursor of conceptual / avante garde art “where the sense of the ephemeral took the form of playfulness…”

David Medalla and his kinetic art….

These were individuals whose works created great waves that influenced artistic expression on a wide scope… outstanding individuals whose bravery set new trends and influenced the Filipino way of artistic contemporary expression…. Their works, at some point in history changed the course of our artistic destiny and characterizes the country’s art as seen today…

These are what we know that deserve such awards. These are the trendsetters, those whose works were not intentionally made to be “great” but whose artistic integrity began with the artist themselves unwittingly causing a new wave of seeing, a new wave of speaking and expressing the language of a people….whose aim is yet to be realized in what we have been seeking for… national identity.

The National Artist Award is a national identity award. So let me ask, shall we allow the “identity” of a Bencab to define ourselves? Who is Bencab? What has he done that they think he should be up there as an iconographic image for Philippine art?

Bencab has great skill in drawing. His initial professional work as an illustrator for the print media oriented him in his artistic outlook. He had the mind of a journalist but was highly influenced by his older brother Salvador, a struggling painter.

Bencab was at the right time at the right place. His social forays served him well, defining a persona that evolved through time by being with the right people at the right time…

Artistically we find no great artistic impact in the works of Ben. He indeed has garnered for himself a significant niche in the market field by sheer luck and gimmickry elevating himself to the level of celebrity by posing with the right people at the right time…including pop icon / lingerie model, Alessandra de Rossi.

Ben has the sensitivity of a marketing genius. He does portraits of celebrities and moneyed folk. By getting the award, this batch of “collectors” can get a kill out of Ben’s sketches…

They say Ben did a number of organizational work, helping out fellow artists…the National Artist Award is not the National Social Service Award.

Indeed I could bitch… but truly, understand this pain and this frustration! I am a Filipino and I cannot in all honesty accept that the likes of Ben to stand for the integrity of our spirit. I am truly so sorry Ben…and remember that at one time, a decade ago, you ask me, why I have not written a single piece on you…?

Be wary with those who put themselves at the level of judging on who earns such a prestigious award. Personal politics in this country can eat up our Will to be who we truly are!

I could go on and on about Ben and why he does not deserve this prestigious award…

But let us take a closer look at Ben’s canvasses…his Sabel for instance. What do we see? What have we been seeing since Ben introduced Sabel in 1966…4 decades ago….

Sabel sashays in and out of the canvass in her filmy attire, sometimes we see her on metal, sometimes etched or sometimes even enlarlaged…her backdrop changes…the Philippine flag in obscurity, this iconographic image that once symbolized the downtrodden…but has now become a glamorous celebrity…still wearing her saya, still seeking for answers …in and out of Ben’s hands…in and out of our pockets…

Indeed…I could only say….for Pete’s sake Sabel…we know who you are…

* * *

http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=20060608-4264

THE FILIPINO’S LOW SENSE OF NATIONAL SELF-ESTEEM, Why Our Artists Mimic International Art (The Struggle of Rizal Continues)

2006-07-03T03:23:00.000-07:00

Filipino hero, Jose Rizal fought against Spain’s injustice and oppression. What was basically the struggle was not merely a political one, but more importantly, the struggle for human dignity and respect for the Filipino.

An excerpt from the book , In Excelsis, written by ” Felice Prudente Sta. Maria in 1996, describes the way the Filipino was generally viewed by the Western world at the time of the Spanish colonial period:

“In 1887 The Colony was aghast at the plans for the Philippine Exposition in Madrid that spring. About 50 indigenous peoples were expected to demonstrate crafts, music, and cuisine of the colony. Rizal was then in Germany, but Spanish-based colleagues reported that one woman participant had died of pneumonia. They were incensed that the Filipinos were exhibited like animals in the Zoological Gardens…Had the participants in the exposition been left in the hall overnight, he wrote Rizal, they would have surely suffered the abuses of curiosity and prejudice.”

The experience of 300 years of Spanish colonialism practically destroyed all sense of our national self-esteem. Spain’s might was beyond the native Filipinos who were intimidated by the sheer human size of their oppressors who were armed with bullets and the strength of an organized force that could easily wipe them out. The Filipino spirit was defeated and their conscience held hostage by the powerful friars who stole their land and treated them as slaves while evoking the powers of a mighty god.

At that time, the civilized world only knew of the accounts on the colony based on written reports by the Spaniards themselves. In a letter Rizal once wrote to his Austrian friend, Blumetritt,: “You know our country through books written by the friars, the Spaniards the foreigners…If you had been like me, born and brought up in our villages, then you would have heard what our farmers believe, say, think, and suffer and thus you would surely think differently…”

However, such as the case with lies, the truth always seem to reveal itself. In his book, “The Philippines in the 6th to 16th Centuries”, author E.P. Patanne wrote about his discovery: “This book was born out of a frustration with a Philippine history that seems to have stopped in 1521 beyond which the reader was faced with a blank. Yet archeology and anthropology have provided ample evidence of a pre-Spanish culture stretching back to the Neolithic. The absence of any written record before 1521 was an obvious limiting factor, although snatches of pre-Spanish Philippine life could be gleaned from Chinese dynastic sources. ”

“… what has always itched at the back of our mind is the tantalizing thought that a much older culture had existed in the mountain region of Northern Luzon, where our Austronesian forebears had moved in as far back as 3,000 B.C. But the total absence of any record about the rice terrace culture has made any historical reconstruction daunting. Archeology and ethnography only indicate that here, was nurtured, an ancient Filipino civilization”, Patanne claims.

However, such is the fate of the Filipino then and such is how it had fiercely affected our sense of national self esteem today…

The Spanish colonial experience had imprinted a great impact on our collective psyche as a people. It had seeped into our value systems and colored our prejudices. Most importantly, the experience had left us without a strong sense of nationhood or national identity which in turn, developed within ourselves the ability to lie, cheat and mimic, to take short cuts, to fool others for our own personal benefits… such are the negative values we find in Filipinos, the reasons behind false pretenses that eventually prove nothing in the long run.

Spanish culture is one of the most beautiful cultures in the world. If Rizal had his way, he wanted Spain to treat her colony with respect and if that had happened, we would have enjoyed the Spanish influence and adapted these with gracefulness akin to the Filipino temperament. We would have led a life that would have been richly Spanish, Christian and Islamic in a land of fertility and rich natural resources.

Yet such was the fate of the Filipino. Rizal was put to death and blood was shed and the 300 years of Spanish presence could never be denied nor erased from the collective memory of a people that have been humbled and broken within. The pride of the datu – now gone and intimidated, pushed away into the mountains where we find the indigenous tribes of today still seeking for recognition.

A series of other foreign experiences further humbled the Filipino until the time in 1898 when she finally declared independence. The Filipino spirit by then had learned all about endurance, patience and basically gained internal strength born out of struggle and constant exploitation --- why we are able to withstand dirty politics and poverty, why we could endure how the world views us…why also sparks of genius provide us with a sense pride that offers us hope.

Like a true mother, Spain instilled in her colonial daughter, the Philippines all the positive and negative influences. But like a daughter who has inherited the beauty of her mother but could never forget the dark childhood experiences --- we find the Philippines today, aware of its wonderful potentials yet afraid due to its lack of self esteem born from deep and painful experiences of our past.

Artistically we find how the Filipino seeks to conform to western paradigms in the manner of expression and judgement. The approval of the western civilized world, its material power, continue to have a strong hold on our psyche. Our art making processes and the way we regard art continue to seek acceptance and recognition from the Western civilized world of which we dub as “international standards”.

Indeed art was born and made fine in the West – its rules of aesthetics and philosophy has been firmly established and learned through our education and exposure to the world. However, the need for acceptance is strongly based on our low self-esteem. We have found the Filipino artist mimicking the artistic expression of another culture, usually a Western one --- where experiences are foreign and alien to the Filipino soul --- why indeed our art seem soulless most of the time…

Why do we oftentimes feel that we have a long way to go in terms of excellence and integrity? Why do we often seek the approval of the western world before we say to ourselves we are good? Why do we find it sometimes necessary to be dishonest so that we could gain some form of respect and acceptance?

Corruption was never a part of our native values in the olden days, yet today we are known to be on top of the list of the world’s most corrupt countries. Corruption in our psyche was in fact imbibed in us as we witnessed our superior colonizers rape and corrupt our lands and our people. Corruption is an easy way to get what you want quickly. It can be achieved by various psychological techniques such as intimidation, blackmail or the abuse of utag na loob.

Today, a hundred eight years since our independence from our colonizers, the Filipino is still under the reigns of prejudice, social injustice and corruption that recall the oppressions of our past.

Sometimes it is not easy to see oneself especially if one tries to find himself through the eyes of the external world. But if we look within ourselves, find the deepest, darkest secrets of our souls, we may find that in its core, we often seek the Divine. ”Bahala na ang Diyos” is what Filipinos intone whenever things get out of hand. It is the essence of our beings that we are able to traverse through the trials and pitfalls of our existence.

The Filipino is known to love the joys of laughter, to sway in the tunes of a love song, to feel romantic and hopeful in all the troubles we find. Despite the sorrows of our hearts we find the strength to endure pain and suffering and always we seem to find the inner strength and resiliency needed to get by. We seem to always seek out to others (we are the text messaging capital of the world). Our sensitivity loves human drama and feel great pride in our modern heroes. Most importantly, our belief in the power of an almighty God--- is transfixed within our souls.

The truth of the matter is, the modern years saw the Philippines as having made great contributions to the world through science and technology such as the fluorescent bulb, the karaoke, erythromycin, the moon buggy, etc. Our world-class talents are also legendary such as Lea Salonga, Manny Pacquiao and other personalities in other fields.

Yet, we cannot seem to escape our insecurities and the general way the world judges us today. The traumatic effects of our past continue to thrive in our collective unconscious --- the reason why as a nation we seem unable to get out of our perennial problems of poverty, corruption, disunity and various instances where the need for personal power comes first before country.

Today, whenever the word “Filipino” comes up in the context of the world view, we are often associated by immediate connotations: domestic helper, overseas construction workers, Third World debt, colonized country, coconut trees and carabaos, ethnic race, brown and small nose, beautiful, talented and hungry women, English-speaking and cheap human and natural resources.

Such is how we are viewed, such has been Rizal’s struggle for the dignity of our nation which we ourselves continue to deny for ourselves. We have been made to look out not for our countrymen, but in order to survive, learned to think of our individual selves instead. We compete against each other wherever we are. Often feel the need to feel superior not against the rest of the world, but against each other.

How then can we break from this self-destructive pattern? The solutions are within ourselves and as a nation, we view the Filipino nation as someone greatly in need of a strong guiding force that can spiritually transform the Filipino in what it could be. A deeper look at our educational system, not as a potential labor force to be sold abroad and further serve foreign masters, but more to instill strong, solid values that no matter what we experience as a country, shall never break us as a nation. We need a strong sense of pride, dignity and self-knowledge that must be instilled throughout the land, in the hearts of our children, in the minds of our leaders….

We need to know who we are so that we could overcome our weaknesses and find the beauty of our collective soul and remind ourselves that in this world, the Filipino’s potential for excellence had already been bestowed upon us then…. in the days even before the Spanish conquest….what Rizal knew of us in his heart, what Rizal saw and died for.

For if the Filipino is able to express its full unadulterated potential with great confidence and skill --- this world will benefit much, much more than it realizes. For to know ourselves, we could know and realize the fulfillment of our being.

* * *

2006-07-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

The 20th Asian International Art Exhibition
Celebrity vs. Substance
or
“I have been cheated!”

“The keen awareness of the narcissistic dangers that abound for artists who attempt to shape an identity while living in a culture that values celebrity over authenticity, and surface over substance…..”

How much does it cost to mount an international exhibition? What kind of benefits do people get if they are included in such prestigious exhibitions? Who or how do they decide who to include in such exhibitions? What are the parameters for the selection? Is it a good reading of the resume or a name that will ring a bell?

They publish a catalogue to go with the show. It is indeed a catalogue… not so much unlike a catalogue for home or beauty products… we simply see here, the art, the artist and his lifetime achievements… the more foreign-sounding institutions attached to one’s career, the better….

Then we have an attempt at a theme and an attempt at writing the theme into the show… Being Asian, Being Asia…

Are we implying geography then? What is Asian? Are we implying the blood that courses through the veins of the one who wields the brush?

How Asian do we want to call a post-modern composition? How Asian can we go digitally? How Asian can we take non-objective abstraction where colors and forms make up the whole idea of the work?

If we take out the concept of “Asian” from the theme, take out the idea that some of the works are actually made by Filipinos…. Can we see it? Can we feel the Asian-ness of it all? Can we identify Juan de la Cruz at all?

What is the purpose then of identifying or using the label “Asian” in the show if it cannot show why it is “Asian” in the first place. Are we talking of art or artists?

Are we saying then that being Asian no longer constitute an image that is identifiable in itself… but rather, a claim that being Asian is capable of being “global” or “international” and that we can be proud of it because then our white contemporaries would think that Asia’s best is also the best for the West?

Ramon Orlina, the Chairperson of FAA Philippine Committee, Asia Artists Inc., writes in the catalogue:
“We took this opportunity to invite Philippine artists who have joined us in the past exhibits, as well as new participants to make this landmark event a reunion of sorts --- a way of harvesting what we have planted a long time ago, while sowing the seeds for succeeding generations.”

May I?

“Landmark event” means 20 years, right? Because that is the only thing I see that makes this show a “landmark event”.

“….Sowing the seeds for succeeding generations…” the future generation must be the one to sow the seeds of what this generation has planted… 20 years ago. Or is it the presence of some unknown names that is currently “sowing”?

“…many of our artists have moved on to reap successes in their careers, and we are specially honored to count Jose Joya and Arturo Luz as among our previous participants who later became revered National Artists”

Did the FAA ever at all contribute to the fact that the above artists became National Artists due to the FAA or that the FAA included them in one or two of their exhibitions at one time… Does being included with the FAA ensure the award of National Artist? …. Hehehe… maybe.

“…Being Asian, Being Asia” invites us to look beyond nationalistic boundaries onto the greater challenges of international cooperation poised by the digital age of rapid changes…”

The title therefore is a nihilistic stance of what constitutes its essence. So why not just put there, “Digital Asia” or something… because a tour of the show would merely break your heart if you are trying to see how Asia can be Asia….except for as few Koreans and Indonesians… where we can find a good combination of culture and modernism in it sincerity….

This year, among the current list of 46 “celebrity artists” , the works of Wire Tuazon, Manny Garibay, Antipas Delotavo, Jeho Bitancor and Ed Castrillo--- come strong and refreshing.

Their works reveal artistic integrity that do not resort to “shortcut” measures just to be included in this “prestigious” exhibition…

They did not cheat on their God-given talents.

Did not short change the viewer and the organizers by churning out works from a storehouse.

Did not play old and tired tunes and pretend it is their best.

Did not exhibit strange and impersonal styles simply for the novelty of it.

They are not limited by personal style or image, but whose art evolve and ring true and honest.

Their art is not at all self-conscious or pressured to maintain the status of “celebrity”….

So what do we get for visiting the show? How does one feel after viewing 117 art works from all over Asia?
Have we seen something we have not seen before?

Or is this merely a gathering of celebrity-artists whose claim to fame is the right people at the right time and whose intentions are made clear by the production of a catalogue that shall ensure future contracts, sales and opportunities abroad…

What is the essence of art doing in a corporate, global scenario, whose best achievement is gauged by the amount of money one earns through his art? Or the question, who is your collector?

What is art anyhow?

What has it been reduced to? Is it the number of exhibitions, the number of years, the number of clients? Is it the ridiculous price tag that an artist decides for himself?

This show is not new. This show is merely a reflection of what is going on around us….repeated may times in many different places…

It is simply saying that art is indeed dead and we see its cold and lifeless body, pretending to be alive in a postmodern era where banking, economic trading and political influence become the main preoccupation of human endeavor… where art and its makers are reduced to being puppets of compromise…who find it difficult to become real in the face of powerful worldly matters…who has become spiritless and defeated, resorting merely on gimmickry that can continue to promote their celebrity status…and earn well.

Tell me, how do we address the issue of identity if our artists fail to even view themselves honestly through their works?

Tell me, what is art? Is it merely a visual, aesthetic experience devoid of meaning and spirit?

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THE SHADOWS OF PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY ART

2006-07-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

Two things bothered me at a recent show at a Manila gallery: the current works of an old favorite painter whose works today can be described as “blah”, and the new image of this particular gallery whose reputation at one time deemed the place as “respectable” and “prestigious”.

This particular gallery had been known for a long time as a good source of “Filipino Art” ---- aesthetic quality, strong social, historical and cultural sensitivity and a good roster of serious artists.

This gallery reached a reputation for high quality Filipino art and gained a certain level of integrity. It is a source for Philippine representation in internationally organized artistic events such as biennials and showcases, second only to CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines a.k.a. coordinating center for Filipino art).

However, things do change… What was once a showcase of rather strong original Filipino artistic creativity is now a place for “holistic healing”. Today it is a center for New Age fashion – a trend in spiritual pursuits and human balancing involving higher gratification of the senses (scents, meditative music, natural beauty products, yoga, etc) --- all in the hope of bringing about a sense of internal peace and external harmony where art becomes merely part and parcel of the whole process…

It is a response to the growing complexities of contemporary life, an extension of postmodern necessities. Despite the high technology that allows greater comfort and convenience, life on earth has become increasing difficult and poverty in all its forms continue to be a force to reckon with…the poverty of the spirit, moral poverty, emotional poverty….including artistic poverty.

One particular and essentially basic problem that touches human beings on a more immediate and incisive level is economic poverty and the Philippines as a Third World country is a clear example of how such a poverty could destroy the soul and spirit of individuals vis a vis, its collective society.

Such is the essence of this particular gallery’s new direction where art has merely been relegated as just one of its wares, but an art that is spiritless and uninspired.

Why economic poverty can destroy the very essence of art making turning artists into compromising and helpless individuals and why the dark powers of galleries and the media have eventually sucked out the spirit that feeds art.. …?

These days, for an artist to survive, he must contend with a scene of what has become a marketplace for shysters. Artists complain these days that the going rate for some newspaper features is P15,000 or a small painting.

Everyone continues with the charade that art continues to thrive along with a caravan of “art critics” to complete the circus. So we have here, an artist who paints colorful flowers or geometric shapes that would easily go with the young and moneyed client’s sofa, the gallery that promotes paintings along with other products, the “art critic” who has a truckload of adjectives --- and everyone is happy for a seemingly functional machinery is in place and there will be food on the table for the day’s work.

Money is indeed the cause of all evil. It’s power can influence though it never has in any way been acknowledged openly in the arts. The need for money can influence and dictate action and produce. Somehow, money has the power to polarize and identify weaknesses. It enables the observer to detect the corrupt, the weak, and the false. No fool will admit that the reason for his art nor his cause is dictated by money.

It is so easy to defend a cause, make up a PR image of something esoteric that will explain a weak position -- so easy to come up with complex theories and agendas to hide the truth from the gullible or indifferent public.

Indeed it is easy to influence public perception. A sociologist, Harold D. Lasswell described media or its allied PR business as “techniques of influencing human action by the manipulation of representations”. Any “artist” for that matter can be made to be “renowned” and “respectable” and the gullible, whose mere knowledge of art depends on name-dropping will easily agree.

Yes, the gullible is the target of these well-oiled machinery that eventually benefits the pockets of the psuedo art business we find today, where art no longer seeks to address the soul but rather seeks to gain power in the marketplace that tests the soul of art and its makers.

They call it survival. I call it the shadows that corrupt the spirit of art.

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