A new generation in the Philippine Art - Mondejar Gallery

Pressemappe - A new generation in the Philippine Art – 11. bis 14. Januar 2008

Invitation for the Swiss Press Friday, January 11. – Monday, January 14.

A new generation in the Philippine Art Güterbahnhof Zürich, Hohlstrasse 150, 8004 Zürich Mention Philippine art immediately evokes reflections of tropical scenery: palms, beaches and rainforests. While these tried and tested art subjects continue to be the staple in the local art shops in Manila, a growing community of young and talented artists are dedicating themselves to mastering the aesthetic and portraying the realities of Philippine life. These artists are bold and intrepid, daring and fearless in how they interpret the nuances of existence. Minerva Mondejar presents some of the most talented artists of the Philippine art scene: Mideo M. Cruz, Elmer Roslin, Jerson Samson and Rene Robles. These artists will be present during the exhibition. Mideo M. Cruz is a cross-disciplinary artist. He seeks to expand and explore art as a communicative language to stimulate interaction and critical perspectives, equally competent in using new media as well as street actions, resourcefully working collectively or individually. Elmer Roslin and Jerson Samson are protégées of the venerable Filipino master Solano Cruz, yet each artist has found his own niche, perfecting a style that has traces of European and Filipino influences and flavours of their own personal technique and subject preferences. Elmer Roslin paints the dark and moody world of Manila game halls. In his works, emotions and atmosphere are perfectly captured with each figurative stroke. Jerson Samson specializes in panoramic oversized villages and urban scenes, detailing each painting with a touch of erotic, a subject matter strictly taboo in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. Rene Robles is from “the older generation” and a true contrast to his younger colleagues. His abstract art transforms very basic elements into beautiful achievements. Like many Filipinos, Rene Robles stayed most of his time outside the country, mainly in the U.S.A, where he developed his art integrating his own and other cultures. Furthermore, we give a glimpse into selected works from young and promising artists. Some surprises for the art-loving audience in this section are guaranteed. All the artists have been successfully promoted in Southeast Asia. Swiss art connoisseurs will be able to enjoy the works, which will be available for display and for sale. During the Opening on Friday evening, a buffet with Philippine cuisine will give the flavour of this colourful country. An offer you might have already encountered in tourist resorts on the countless islands: Eat all you can! I would be very pleased to welcome you on my first event in Zürich. Minerva Mondejar

Contact: Tel.: +41 (0) 76 577 0854 Email: [email protected] 1


Der interessanteste Schüttelbecher Asiens Von Michael Steiner Als ich zum ersten Mal eine philippinische Galerie betrat, führte man mich in ein Hinterzimmer, um mir „verbotene“ Bilder zu zeigen. Umso grösser die Enttäuschung, als ich einige Akte und zweifelsohne blasphemisch geprägte Werke zu sehen bekam. Bilder also, die bei uns in jeder Galerie im Schaufenster hängen. Ein Werk hatte es mir trotzdem besonders angetan: Eine Motel-Szenerie mit Einblick in Zimmer über Garageneinfahrten, deren Tore die Einsicht verwehren. Während die Autos und deren Nummernschilder nicht sichtbar sind, gehts im Obergeschoss zu und her wie in einem Freudenhaus. Augenscheinlich ein Bordell. Umso erstaunter war ich, als ich erfuhr, dass es sich dabei um ein „Liebesmotel“ handle, die es sogar als Firmenkette gäbe, so ähnlich wie McDonalds, verstreut über das ganze Land. In den Philippinen sei der Einfluss der katholischen Kirche immer noch so stark, dass sich junge Liebende in solche Motels flüchten müssen, um ihren Gefühlen nachzugehen. Auch die ältere Generation in Affären treffe sich dort, denn Scheidung in unserem Sinne ist gesetzlich gar nicht möglich. Alimente für die Früchte des Zusammenkommens gibt’s ebenso wenig wie eine nur annähernd funktionierende Demokratie. Mit diesen für uns Schweizer erschreckenden Informationen ausgestattet, war es mir dann auch möglich zu verstehen, warum das Bild in Manila nicht öffentlich ausgestellt werden kann. Natürlich kam ich nur ins Hinterzimmer, weil mir der Künstler im vorderen Teil der Galerie schon ins Auge sprang. Meine Freundin Minerva war sich nämlich sicher einen Maler entdeckt zu haben, der mir als Filmemacher speziell gefallen würde: Figurativ, opulent und versehen mit vielen Rahmen, die die Gemälde auffächern wie eine Videowall. Ich war im ersten Moment erschlagen von der Wucht und der Kraft der Farben. Auch wenn ich die Bilder und deren Botschaft noch nicht verstand, eines war sofort klar: Da war einer wütend. Zugleich aber auch leidenschaftlich verliebt in die Kultur und die Menschen seiner Umgebung. Als wir Jerson Samson dann trafen, lernten wir einen jungen Maler kennen, dessen Vater noch Jäger war und dessen Familie erst seit einer Generation in einer städtischen Umgebung aufwuchs. So erstaunte es mich auch nicht, dass viel seiner Kritik subtil versteckt in den Bildern zu finden ist und er den Begriff „gesellschaftliche Revolution“ nie in den Mund nehmen würde. Nach der Entmachtung von Ferdinand Marcos sind Samson und die im Güterbahnhof anzutreffenden Künstler Vertreter der ersten Generation, die unter dem Begriff „Demokratie“ aufwuchsen. Mit dem Ideal der freien Meinungsäusserung vor Augen, gelernt durch eine der modernsten Verfassungen der Welt, fiel diese Generation nach dem Schulabschluss in eine Welt voller Korruption und traditionellen Regeln. Die Kunst ist traditionellerweise ein guter Indikator für gesellschaftliche Veränderung. Wenn sie zudem auch als solche interessiert und neue Wege geht, wie das Mideo M. Cruz mit seinen Performances macht, kann eine solche Kunst befreiend sein. Wir aus der reichen Schweiz sagen immer, dass die Demokratisierung halt so seine Zeit brauche. Leider hilft dieses Rotweingerede den in der „Demokratisierungsphase“ lebenden Menschen nicht viel. Einige der im Güterbahnhof ausgestellten Künstler versuchen durch ihre Kunst, ihren Glauben an den versprochenen Traum nicht zu verlieren. Als ich Mideo M. Cruz fragte, was er denn unter Begriff „Demokratie“ verstehe, antwortete er nach langem Überlegen: „Democracy is something“. Treffender konnte er sein Land und seine Generation nicht beschreiben. In seinen Performances attackiert er unablässig die alten Zöpfe, die geschichtlich betrachtet gar nicht philippinischen Ursprungs sind.

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Da suchen junge Menschen durch die Kunst ihre Identität und tasten die Grenzen der Gesellschaft ab. Und das sind wichtige Schritte in der „Demokratisierung“. Deshalb unterstütze ich diese Künstler, weil ihre Anliegen auch die meinen sind, für die ich glücklicherweise nicht zu kämpfen brauchte. Diese Künstler aber exponieren sich im eigenen Land, jede moralische Unterstützung aus dem Ausland verleiht ihren Anliegen mehr Gewicht. Nehmen sie einen Augenschein davon, lassen sie sich entführen von Kräften, die nicht Abu Saief oder NPA heissen. Wenn das alles zu kopflastig und von mir aus auch naiv war, kann ich Ihnen versichern, dass sich der Ausflug zum Güterbahnhof auch rein kulinarisch lohnt. Die philippinische Küche ist wie das Land ein Mix verschiedenster Kulturen. So durchmischt in den Topf geworfen, stehen dem Gaumen neuartige Erfahrungen bevor. Schlucken sie’s runter oder lassen sie es sich auf der Zunge zergehen. Mit freundlichen Grüssen Michael Steiner

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Mideo M. Cruz More of the artist’s works can be seen during the exhibition.

The Banquet paintings, installation, action, ambient sound: stefan russow' para-noise-terminal di-oden-wald

Mideo M. Cruz is an active cross-disciplinary artist based in Manila. His work shows strong allegorical images of the social order. Presently, he is preoccupied with the international artists' network “new world disorder” and has frequently been invited for his ingenious actions around the globe. He is actively involved with tutok Karapatan, an artists’ initiative that focuses on the rampant extra judicial killings in the Philippines. Around 850 activists have been killed in six years since the beginning of the Arroyo Regime. He is a recipient of three most prestigious awards for young artists in the Philippines: the 2003 Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award, the 2003 Sungdu-an Grant and the 2006 Ateneo Art Award. Press Reviews: Mideo's Message Contrasts play an important part in the performance-installation of Mideo Cruz: antiseptic white against bloody red, asperity against chaos, bourgeois authority against squalid effusion, human against animal, one against many. These striking contradictions make for a powerful performance governed by rhythms and a driving audio score. The performance-installation centres around a person - acted out by Cruz - dressed in a white formal suit and wearing a white mask with pig's snout. He sits at a table set for one and faces a mountainous pile of raw meat and bones, a bloody mess. The porcine greed transforms him into a repulsive beast, as he digs into the victuals, while many people come in to watch along the walls of the room. In

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the performance at CCP, the raw flesh is replaced by a mountain of bones and animal debris, which likewise engages his greed. On the wall above is a plaster model of the Last Supper. The work gives a striking performance of the unbridled greed of the wealthy, which grab the lion's share of the world's resources in wasteful consumption. The pillage of the natural world occurs daily for the profit and satisfaction of the few. Violence to humans is also central to this rapacity, as knives seem to guard the wasteful frenzy. -Alice Guillermo Mideo Cruz has several segments to his project, the most prominent of which is Anghel de la Guardia, a 9 and a half foot ethereal figure that is part angel, part icon and part doorkeeper to a hallucinatory yet gated wonderland. He seems to ask: Is Disneyland the virtual surrogate for Paradise Fading? He converts an in-house phone station into a dense collage of connectivity with the complex political landscape with its deities, lords and coerced idolatries in Politeismo 3. And his nearly cute but also subversive viriña named Altar nudges us pixie like not to forget how the nexus between materialism and proof of faith might, on occasion, reify into conceit and fetish. -Jose Tence Ruiz Blood, body parts, sex, violence, blasphemy! What's not to love? The art of Mideo Cruz is quite a heady mix for the uninitiated: so many symbols, meanings within meanings, one can easily get lost amid the traffic, and that's exactly what draws me to this piece. It's a Frankesteinian appeal as Pinoy (Filipino) as halohalo (local delicacy, mixed preserve sweets, milk and crushed ice) and jeepneys (vehicle adopted from World War 2 vintage jeep). Everything that fascinates me is here: religious imagery, pop iconography, found items, Divisoria (wholesale/retail marketplace with varieties of goods) chic! It's irreverent but serious, a little naughty, a little scary. Most of all, it tells me stories with different endings. - Norman Crisologo Mideo Cruz constructs Superpower, a figure fashioned out of odds and ends that is also clearly a reference to robots depicted in cartoons as "saviors of the universe". Cruz delivers a jab not only at the economic influx of imported items (such as the cheap plastic toys used as components of the piece), but also the importation of mentalities and frameworks that the foreign machine facilitates. -Lisa Ito Notions of self as nation are currently besieged, their inner gut work sucked out by a voracious globalist zeitgeist funded by large late capital. To cite a potential contribution to one's national culture would have to be determinedly conceited on mine or Mideo's part, but, if one might be able to determine such a lofty yet necessarily foundational category, then one would have to support those who have been consistent, bold and willing to sustain its thankless uphill climb, for all that takes. Mideo Cruz has so far shown himself to be equal to this. The nationalist project of Social Realism in the Philippines, which began in 1975, has found, after the co-opted faltering of Salingpusa and untimely implosion of Sanggawa, an appropriate bridge into the 21st century's vast, bewildering and fractured terrain in Mideo Cruz and his collective, the new world disorder. - Jose Tence Ruiz

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Elmer Roslin More of the artist’s works can be seen during the exhibition.

"Lukay" 2007, 59.84 x 72 in / 152 x 182.88 cm, Acrylic / Oil on Canvas

Elmer Roslin's recent oeuvre consists of large and medium scale oil paintings capturing an intimate affinity with his subject, the complexity and sharpness of his observational skills, his proficient handling of medium and eloquent technique alongside forceful ideological and conceptual visions recurring in the realm of his creative mind. In years of prolific artistic output, after he bagged the Grand Prize in the Oil Painting Category of the Metrobank Young Painter's Annual National Painting Competition Year 2000, Roslin's art has matured into an early apotheosis worthy of critical acclaim. His show entitled “TAuMBAYAN” – a tagalog word play literally and metaphorically concocting ‘tao' (human), ‘tambay' (bystander), ‘tambayan' (a place for hanging-out) and ‘bayan' (town/country) to signify an inherent relativity between the four concepts. The conceptual proximity linked with the socio-cultural interactions between ‘tao', “tambay', ‘tambayan' and ‘bayan' becomes his underlying theoretical framework for the distinctive interplay of elements, ideas and forms in his works. The tambayan, like the chancy games of nine-ball, terembe, mah-jong or videogames, with its therapeutic powers to shut down reality, provides a common social venue for the throngs of the apathetic, bored, hopeless, and unemployed a temporarily elevated existence secluded by optimism and depression, by tranquil escapism and an intoxicated melancholy. His artistic development is one that is not anchored merely on germinating technical and stylistic mastery, for his art emanates from ideas, issues and experiences that

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enrapture him as a human being. In his numerous visual exercises of the ‘tambayan' theme, the images reveal an incessant passion with the ephemerality of earthly existence in the transitory snapshot quality of his compositions, the dynamic interchange of light and shadow, and the captured stillness of ironically fleeting moments. Meanwhile, his efficient articulation of drawing encapsulates a wide visual lexicon of intimate, albeit public human spaces and physical body rhetoric, with lines and brushstrokes so highly crisp, novel and confident yet graceful and flowing. Roslin's paintings are never without a slightest allusion of tongue-in-cheek humour, embodying the flux and flow of rapidly modifying lifestyles, culture and fashion. He ingeniously uses space to incorporate details that effectively captures not only his temperament and idiosyncrasies but also his whimsical interpretation of contemporary Filipino existence: cigarettes, cell phones, posters, playing cards, jewelry, bottles of beer, calendars, anime characters, etc. – mundane minutiae and images of pop culture that he chose to monumentalize and valorize in his quest for meaning and ironies present in such public spaces created for leisure time. He consciously engages his viewers in an active and animated dialogue with his works. By utilizing compositional devices such as arms or legs cropped by the lower margin, he signifies the presence of the viewer's gaze within the painting's pictorial field. He places a premium on the idea that a painting moves beyond the illusionistic aesthetic of being a window to another world. For him, the operative presence of the viewer's gaze completes the sum and substance of the work. In his native hometown in Antipolo, Elmer is a direct participant of the representation that he sees through. He is constantly engaged with the banal reality of his images: jampacked billiard halls, crowded computer arcades, and the visual culture of his immediate social environment. And this makes his art all the more incisive and substantial. Roslin's works become transmogrified into a looking glass where one ultimately sees and recognizes oneself. In his works, he shares with his viewers an authentic experience of a world filtered through the eyes of a pervasive spectator. His vision is an honest poetic sight trapping in solitary confinement realities deep and profound. He painted images of the masses molded in quiet exaltation. And this imposing stillness commands meditation and contemplation in the minds and hearts of those who are to encounter them in the future. THE PERVASIVE SPECTATOR by Sherwin Coronado

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Jerson Samson More of the artist’s works can be seen during the exhibition.

“The Motel”, 2007, 72 x 108 in / 182.88 x 274.32 cm, Oil on Canvas

Jerson Samson was lucky to be situated in Antipolo, specifically at the Juan Sumulong Elementary and High school. Here, children were early exposed to art, thanks to art instructors like Solano Cruz, who became a mentor. When he grew up, Jerson was so good at this medium that he was invited to assist other talented young artists slightly older than he was, such as Ferdinand Montemayor and Gemo Tapales of the Antipolo art group Salingpusa (meaning understudy) whenever they had large commissions to do. Jerson would become one of the pillars of the junior group that Salingpusa birthed, Kuting (meaning kitten), Jerson went on to finish a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at University of the Philippines, graduating there as a painting major in 1998. Jerson specializes in detailed renditions of people at community activities such as moving house. He also paints crowds fleeing from a neighbourhood fire, or families inside crowded tenements - making public the private lives that go on behind the closed doors. Favouring warm shades of yellow and orange; by 1997 his figures acquired alizarinred outlines for emphasis. From the time he was nine up to the age of fourteen, Jerson has kept winning all of seven first prizes in art, mostly at on-the-spot competitions in Manila. He has 33 other awards to his name.

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At 20, Jerson's works were already getting into the finals of major national contests such as the Shell competition and the Metrobank Foundation National competition. His works were selected as Jurors Choice at the Art Association of the Philippines Annual of 1997. With the money he got as one of five Philippine winners at the Asian Art Awards, Jerson finished building the family's four-door apartment.

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Rene Robles More of the artist’s works can be seen during the exhibition.

"Studio", 2006, 60 x 36 in. / 152.4 x 91.4 cm., Acrylic on Canvas

Rene Robles pursues his art with challenge and passion, transforming even the most ordinary subject into modern, exciting creations that stimulate the mind. He is admired for his consummate talent and imagination. His new assertions at which penetrated various juried shows with awards and critical acclaim, is also the basis of the advance art training he has developed for professional artists-techniques and innovations approach to painting, it has spun off as a new art movement - quite ahead of its time - representing a more developed aesthetic, a bold style and strong, unique composition. The underlying principle is that "art that has power asserts, transforms and transcends". It is an expression of maturity and independence. The artist challenges the viewer with both simple and complex images rendered from difficult unusual angles to reveal a spectrum of possibilities.

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A new generation in the Philippine Art A Review by The Art Newspaper

Filipino art is about being urban, not Asian Southeast Asia’s most active art scene is difficult to navigate with venues scattered around Manila

Gina Fairley | Issue 182 The Philippines is a country of contrasts. It is shackled by religion and government corruption, its mega-city Manila squeezed between shanty towns and skyscrapers. Historically, this clash has produced art with oppositional tendencies which caught the eye of international curators in the 1980s and early 90s.In recent years though, the Philippines has slipped off the art world's radar, viewed as less "Asian" than its neighbours. This oversight is partly due to over-zealous travel warnings, but even more to the physical impenetrability of Manila's art scene, which is something of a labyrinth traversing the city, from Pasay's galleries to Makati's private museums, the art shops in Mandaluyong's mega-mall to the artist-run spaces around the university belt of Cubao and Quezon City-not to mention the 7,000 islands. How does one get around the obstacle of geography to discover what is new in Filipino art? Perhaps the most accurate barometer of current trends is provided by the country's many competitions and awards: the Cultural Center of the Philippines' (CCP) triennial Thirteen Artists Award, the Art Association Annual Competition and the Ateneo Art Award, now in its fourth edition and given to the best solo exhibition by a Filipino artist under 35. Last year's winners for the latter prize were: Maya Muñoz's psychological portraits in "Closer" at Hiraya Gallery in Manila; the compelling performance/installation Banquet by Mideo M. Cruz at the CCP; and Poklong Anading's "Anonymity" at Finale gallery in Makati City, combining high and low technology in a comment on Filipino identity. Filipino art is about being urban, not Asian. The current art scene has evolved out of a succession of alternative spaces opened in the 1990s and run by artists educated in the post-Marcos era at the University of the Philippines and on large doses of Art in America. These include venues such as Third Space Art Laboratory, Water and Big Sky Mind. Now, a second generation of galleries have joined together over the last three years to form a group of venues loosely referred to as Cubao X, fusing graphic design, indie music and art. With the closure in February of the key space Future Prospects, due to a major rent increase, these artist-run spaces have started to decentralise. Some say the scene has burnt-out. Another interpretation is that, as property developers swallow up alternative areas like Cubao, art centres are becoming more polished, globally focused ventures. In 2002, Ramon Lerma took over as director and chief curator of the Ateneo Art Gallery and organised the benchmark exhibition "Whitewash".

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That same year, the independent artist-run space Green Papaya Art Project moved to a new venue in Quezon City and redefined itself as a savvy, professional art centre encouraging collaboration across all fields of the arts, with an in-house graphic design studio and an artist residency and exchange programme. Norberto Roldan of Green Papaya explains: "We are interested in how we can work as partners with the few professionally run galleries to create a new kind of arts management in this country."Who are those commercial partners? The serious contenders are Hiraya, Galleria Duemila in Pasay City, West Gallery in Quezon City, the Drawing Room and Finale both in Makati. They have survived despite a stifling local economy reliant on a small group of collectors and designers working with developers. For these galleries to grow, international exposure is vital. Fortunately, the commercial sector is starting to expand: Galleria Duemila recently moved to a custom-built space; the Drawing Room has broadened its activities in the Region, opening a branch in Singapore and attending regional fairs; and galleries Finale and West continue to collaborate with Roberto Chabet, an artist and educator who has been influential in developing conceptual art in the Philippines, curating salon-style surveys of young artists. Other Asian cities are also taking notice. Singapore's Taksu and Hong Kong's Osage galleries held shows in 2005 focusing on contemporary Filipino art, "Emerging Fires" and "Metropolitan Mapping" respectively, which could be viewed as an update on Valentine Willie Fine Arts' (Malaysia) landmark show in 2000, "Faith & the City".

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A new generation in the Philippine Art - Mondejar Gallery

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