Story and photos by Vic Sevilla
IS art created merely to charm and indulge the senses? Or is it a representation of a larger concern besetting society? The Vexed Contemporary, the latest exhibit mounted by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) of the College of Saint Benilde, neither presents art as the outcome of a purely aesthetic process, nor as a means to echo larger sentiments. In this, art is presented as a stimulus to inspire the imagination and conjure endless possibilities.
The first all-Filipino group exhibit since MCAD opened seven years ago, The Vexed Contemporary draws from the illuminating essay by Marian Pastor-Roces, titled Luna and Hidalgo: Vexed Modernity. In her dissertation, Pastor-Roces discusses how the modern movement in art and philosophy defined a tense overlapping between fervent nationalism and the overwhelming influences of colonialism.
Gathering 16 of the most prolific contemporary Filipino artists at work today, The Vexed Contemporary is much more open-ended than the writer’s lament. The exhibit presents a wide array of disciplines, creative inspirations and artistic voices that challenge long-held beliefs about art and issues of significant urgency by presenting fresh insights and newer possibilities no matter how seemingly peculiar and uncommon.
The artists in the show examine history or offer versions of the future in works that carry bold and stirring statements.
“Through The Vexed Contemporary, we wanted to present an alternative way of viewing things, not necessarily to prescribe solutions, but to inspire the mind to go beyond the typical.
What we hope to achieve is to step beyond the boundaries of what is perceived as art. By doing so, we believe that we can inspire a different perspective on issues facing us right now,” says Bro. Dennis Magbanua, president of the College of Saint Benilde.
Indeed, the artworks can be menacing. At the entrance, museum visitors are threatened by numerous “bombs” dropping from the ceiling. Shaped like the dreaded bombs, yet covered in cut glass like gaudy phallic disco balls, Bomba (Fall Out) is Kawayan de Guia’s cheeky play on war, as well as the soft-core films of the 1970s. Bomba is included in the Singapore Art Museum Collection.
Patricia Perez Eustaquio’s The Quarried occupies a sizable area as a series of tiles spread on the museum floor. The fluid, marbled renderings bring to mind a gothic seascape in varying shades of blacks and grays. The swirling patterns are, in reality, renderings of decomposed objects printed directly on aluminum. Eustaquio’s bold statements have earned her the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s Thirteen Artists Award, as well as the Ateneo Art Award.
Renewal is the primary statement of The Weather Bureau’s twin works, The Nearest of This Side and The Farthest of That Side. Founded in 2010 by Lena Cobangbang and Mike Crisostomo, The Weather Bureau makes use of an extensive knowledge in production design and advertising to create altered environments in the process of rebirth after destruction. These landscapes are imagined as rehabilitations in the purest settings.
Covering entire walls, Pio Abad’s 105 Degrees and Rising is art disguised as wallpaper. In it, Abad mines alternative or repressed historical narratives to illustrate the complicity between incidents, moments or people. He does this using a plethora of seemingly divergent images and patterns held by a single flowing background. The London-based artist studied art at the University of the Philippines and Glasgow School of Art, and received his Master of Fine Arts from the Royal Academy of Art in London. He is currently a resident artist for Gasworks, London.
In Erased Slogans, Kiri Dalena culled the archives of the Lopez Museum and gathered a handful of newspaper photographs depicting political protests from the late 1960s to the 1970s.
The artist then deftly manipulated the images in hopes of encouraging viewers to look for the lost messages embedded in the images.
Superimposed on a bed of soil is a seemingly random arrangement of letters rendered in lime (apog). Titled Apog, the art installation looks innocuous enough and even playful at first glance. Later, the viewer realizes that he is facing an oversized Word Search Puzzle. Only, the grim rule is to search for the names of the dead victims of the Mendiola and Hacienda Luisita massacres. This is Leslie de Chavez’s visually stark remembrance and homage to those who died fighting for their rights.
Other artists included in the exhibit are Poklong Anading, Yason Banal, Victor Balanon, Louie Cordero, Cocoy Lumbao, Ikoy Ricio, Gary-Ross Pastrana, Maria Taniguchi and Gina Osterloh.
Since it was established in 2007, the MCAD has always pursued the vision of presenting art in a provocative manner. Bro. Robin Serrano, the College of Saint Benilde vice chancellor for advancement, says that the museum’s revolutionary direction is part of the school’s thrust to open the minds of its art students.
He explains: “Because it is embedded in a school, MCAD is a laboratory for the students. The college offers 13 different programs in design and arts—ranging from Theater Arts and Arts Management to Production Design for Film and Theater to Animation and Filmmaking. MCAD offers them a venue where they can learn and experience the production of art. Here, they can interact with other artists, learn from them, and have a hand in creating art. They also exhibit here through the degree shows, which are an integral part of their course. But more than that, we want the public to gain a broader perspective on what art is and, hopefully, open their minds to greater possibilities.”
The Vexed Contemporary, which opened on August 26, will run until November 21. The MCAD is at the ground floor of the Benilde School of Design and Arts Campus, Dominga Street, Pasay City.