Excerpt from ART SG. Read more here. The Drawing Room recently opened two solo exhibitions reflecting on aspects of Filipino existence: Mark Salvatus’s ‘Crackling for a Piece of the Moon’ and Christina Lopez’s ‘Pro Forma’. Salvatus uses a topographical point of view to survey land and space, from his early life in the province to... Continue Reading →
Kidlat Tahimik: History Through the Bamboo Camera (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 127. Read more here. Conversing with Kidlat Tahimik was as surreal as watching his movies. His narratives unfold in different layers, steadily unraveling stories and perspectives, giving insight into his practice and the world he examines. He described his film practice and aversion to scripts, shared his life story and how... Continue Reading →
Manila: Cast But One Shadow (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 127. Read more here. “Cast But One Shadow: Afro-Southeast Asian Affinities” was a densely researched exhibition. It was the Manila iteration of curators Carlos Quijon Jr. and Kathleen Ditzig’s ongoing project reviewing global solidarities from a Southeast Asian positionality, which began in Singapore with the show “In Our Best Interests: Afro-Southeast... Continue Reading →
Leslie de Chavez: Legacies of Dissent (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 126. Read more here. “Considering the long history of these seemingly chronic conditions that we are in, it is of utmost importance that we create art that exemplifies sensitivity to the struggles, heartaches, aspiration, and dreams of our fellowmen.” Conversations like these with Leslie de Chavez are often enlightening. He navigates... Continue Reading →
Art Conversations: Ideas and Aesthetics of Modernism
Modern ideas are often applied within the aesthetic imagination of the Filipinos. F. Sionil Jose’s obsession with the significant form and the greatness of the art of the masters echoes Clive Bell in his The Aesthetic Hypothesis, “It is the mark of great art that its appeal is universal and eternal. Significant form stands charged... Continue Reading →
Art Conversations: The Concept and Question of “Beauty” and “Sublime”
As revealed in the discussions on Poleteismo, Filipino people are still looking for beauty in art. Numerous articles are looking, not just for beauty but also for the ennoblement of the soul. It almost appears that the Filipino aesthetic valuation and theory remain still with the “great masters” echoed by F. Sionil Jose. In another... Continue Reading →
Art Conversations: What is Art? Problems of Defining Art
The earliest cries on the aesthetic value of Poleteismo is its position as art. It is the root cause of the controversy and debate when the issue of religious offense was set aside. Various definition of art was propositioned from various sectors, including two of the most popular and opposing editorials--F. Sionil Jose’s Hindsight: The... Continue Reading →
Art Conversations: Critical Art Practices in the Philippines
A hundred and fifty years after Jose Rizal’s death, about a hundred years after Marcel Duchamp’s The Fountain, where do we actually find ourselves? We are still stuck in the conventions of the great masters of the great museums all over the world. At least, it appears that we are. How did we get here?... Continue Reading →
Jose Rizal, Mideo Cruz, Kulo and Censorship
150 years. Did the world really change? Most times, I feel like life is spearing ahead too fast. But if you examine our history, our legacy, you may ask, did it really change? 150 years after. We celebrate Rizal’s 150th birthday with exhibits, shows, parades and many other commemorative exercises. We celebrate the hero. Yet,... Continue Reading →
Portia Placino 