The creative encounter between Philippines,
Slovenia, Croatia, Thailand and Malaysia is at work during the 3day symposium
at the Black Box Theatre at the St. Benilde School of Arts and Design organized
by Planting Rice. It brought together curators from Europe and Asia, During the
first day an exchange about non-linear history took place. Far from being
conventional, the first of three parts did not appear as being ahistorical.
That is to say, the culture bearers and gatekeepers are not as authoritative as
before. There is not one absolute voice to historicize art, especially in
Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall and dissolution of USSR. Probably the
same is also valid Asia amidst the economic, security-political and
socio-cultural integration. The conceptual presentations of Renan is an
experience in itself and challenged the participants to engage in the
truth-creation rather than myth-making project. What the remainder after being
subtracted from is the intertextual reading of symptoms of a weak state unable
to get rid of contradictions. The polyphony of narratives, confrontation of
local creation myths and national othering is evident. Likewise, the
anachronism of modernity in the works of a 19th century Indonesian
painter. Lian cites the re-emergence of Anarchism a historical text instead of
a straight-up polemics of traditional and linear art historiography. The
impossibility of a linear history is becoming apparent with the drastic changes
of the art market. Artists and auctioneers need a different kind of legitimacy
to staty relevant. Common art consumers are given false hopes and choices if
they just follow the speculative nature of the market. As Lian postulates, the
fragile umbilical chord is being cut off. One is more and more becoming
autonomous from the homogenization, xenophilic and being the “other.” What is
left of Art is an on-going attempt by Simon to salvage fromprogressive art ,
the radical content and critical reception. Through re-reading of particular
political and social realist art in Malaysia, a key to understanding protest
and resistance in Asia. The short but dense exposition of Kulturepunkt curator
from Croatia provides a glimpse of the future of art and it could become
through an interactive platform like the net.
From a more cerebral
discussion of the contemporary based on a rehistorization of the past and
future of art, a more tactical and tactie topic was brought-up on the second
day. Angel, a woman of many hats and labels provided a helicopter view of art
practice through the recently concluded Markets of Resistance in Baguio and MOR
Redux in PWU. She gave the context of both mainstream and alternative
infrastructures in the Philippines today. Artists and curators from World of
Art in Slovenia shared their art practice through specific video and sound
works. Simona gave a run through of the Center for Contemporary Culture and Art
School for Curators. The said program brings together student-curators from
various backgrounds for two years to organize art events. Finally, a flurry of
art and political activities are taking lace in the Reading Room in the heart
of creative city, Bangkok. The place hosted by Kyo, served as a venue for
numerous situationist projects which attracted foreign and local participants. The
idea of a small community and the use of local language is keeping itself
sustainable. With the support and patronage from diverse groups and indviduals
is what keeps the reading room relevant. It makes perfect sense, as a creative
response to the longstanding monarchy’s censorshop, authoritarian contraints
and religious tolerance. Alternative platforms thrive in places where the
situation and condition don't meet half-way. There is a go-between and
traversal line which provide new spaces
of resistance.
The center for Contemporary Culture and Arts in Slovenia is
an offshoot of the disintegration of USSR and former communist countries like
Yugoslavia. The insfrastructures of support is quite different compared to that
of the ex-colony like the Philippines. Being
part of Asia which is in the state of transition, CCCA Llubjana is an interface
for curatorial and archival practices. It is comprised of different components
like the world of art school of curators. It also has a gallery and studio for
video/ sound works which host artists who create contemporary arts and culture.
Then there is the CCCA film and video archives. The last day of the Curating
in-depth 2 symposium featured some key works from the Mowellfund film archives
and CCCA film archives. Barbara showed a variety of short video art works from
the 1970s up to the 2000s. Apart from the diversity and brevity of the featured
cross-section, Barbara pointed out particular context and background.
Meanwhile, Ricky lamented the sorry state of archiving in the Philippines from
the formation of the Movie Workers Welfare Program. While Mowellfund has a
pretty straightforward objectives: to provide educational support and archibing
capacity for the film and video works in the country. Barbara brought up the
application for freelance artists which the artists welfare project welcomed.
Ricky also pointed-out the partnership with the national fim and video
development council to provide more secure storage for the country’s film and
video works.
0 comments:
Post a Comment