Filipino Art Exhibition Captures the Country’s Dynamic Diversity
It may be a short exhibition, but the upcoming
art exhibition put on by the Hansae Yes24 Foundation is a must-visit for art
lovers who would like to learn about the essence of contemporary art from the
Philippines.
“The Hybridity and Dynamism of the Contemporary Art of the Philippines” will be
held from Sept. 4 to Sept. 9 at the Insa Art Center in Insa-dong, central
Seoul, featuring 33 paintings and installations by 11 artists that are making
their mark in the Filipino art world. The exhibition is the foundation’s fifth,
and it is a part of their ongoing international culture exchange project.
“Philippine art is unfamiliar to the Korean art world because it has never been
properly introduced here,” said curator Choi Eun-ju. “The Philippines
experienced western colonization much earlier than we did, and their people
live in cities all around the world. They went through political turmoil, like
the civil revolution, which is the reason why their modern and contemporary art
is embedded with anti-colonialism and every other idea of the modern
world.”
Diversity and dynamism, as suggested through the title of the exhibition, are
the two core elements that make up Filipino art and also the core values that
penetrate the exhibition’s works, according to curator Choi. “It’s a mixture of
all ideas, but you can still see what it means to be ‘Filipino’ in the works,”
she said.
Such dynamism is readily visible through the paintings of the 10 artists – Zean
Cabangis, Lui Medina, Victor Balanon, Kitty Kaburo, Alvin Gregorio, England
Hidalgo, John Frank Sabado, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Chati Coronel and
Norberto Roldan – especially in their use of bright colors and ideas in their
works. For instance, Gregorio’s “Lionization” (2008), is made with warm and
bright colors added with images of famous children’s cartoon characters to talk
about multiculturalism and cultural monopolization, while Kaburo’s paintings
express her confusion through the strong hues, like in the piece “Chemical
Eden” (2018).
“Being Filipino comes from being mixed,” explained Choi.
For the exhibition, artist Ged Merino traveled to Seoul and held a public
workshop on Saturday, where participants got to wrap their books or shoes and
talked about the memories embedded within the objects. The wrapped results will
be on display at the exhibition as Merino’s works.
“It’s hard to understand the Philippines at a single glance,” said Cho
Young-soo, the chairperson of the board at Hansae Yes24 Foundation.
“But we hope that this exhibition becomes an opportunity for the people to come
closer to the lifestyle and culture of the Philippines. It will be a chance for
the people to compare the cultural and artistic differences and similarities of
the two countries, and consequently, become closer to each other.”
BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]
Source: http://mengnews.joins.com