LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California (USC) Fisher Museum of Art recently launched an art exhibit that showcases Filipino art in all its glory.
Entitled The Triumph of Philippine Art, the exhibit features artworks that depict the Philippines’ political story during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
The showcased artworks are inspired by the country’s socioeconomic and political struggles, exploring and searching for a unique identity for a nation colonized by both Spain and the United States.
The exhibit is divided into two sections — one which covers the Martial Law period from 1972 to 1986, and transitions into the next section which covers the nonviolent EDSA revolution in 1986.
Triumph of Philippine Art includes Figurative Expressionism and Social Realism, Feminism, A New Generation in the 21st Century, and Conceptual Art. In general, the imagery of the exhibit features reflects the distinct Filipino contemporary art style.
It features various Contemporary Filipino-American artists, including: Leo Abaya, Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Buen Calubayan, Ernest Concepcion, Mideo Cruz, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Brenda Fajardo, Karen Ocampo Flores, Michael Rodriguez Gomez, Gregory Raymond Halili, Mark Orozco Justiniani, Julie Lluch, Athena Santos Magcase-Lopez, Racquel De Loyola, Renan Ortiz, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Mark Salvatus, and Pablo Baen Santos.
It is curated by M. Teresa Lapid Rodriguez, a Philippine-born artist and art historian who experienced first-hand the revolution during the Marcos regime.
Rodriguez is currently the director of the George Segal Gallery at Montclair State University, where the exhibit originated.
Following the exhibition in USC, Triumph of Philippine Art will be traveling to the Ayala Museum in Makati.
For Filipino-American Alhambra Source journalist Alred Dicioco, it was a definite thrill for him to see the exhibit.
“It was incredible feeling to see elements of my childhood pop up on these works of art and share that experience with my friends,” Dicioco said to Asian Journal via text message.
“I hope more galleries can recognize the value of featuring contemporary Filipino art.
In her remarks during the exhibit’s opening night, Philippine Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega described the exhibit as a preliminary offering to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the People Power Revolution.
“Through these artworks, we discover or rediscover not only the socioeconomic and political struggles of the Filipino nation and people. Woven underneath these works is the story of a resilient people, who have never given up hope to live in a homeland thriving in full democracy and development,” De La Vega said.
According to De La Vega, her favorite artworks from the exhibit were Untitled and Mukhang Pera.
Untitled depicts the plight of farmers without land titles, De La Vega said. Meanwhile, Mukhang Pera is a unique take on the age-old adage about greed for money.
“There is a mirror where you can view yourself!” De La Vega said of the piece.
“It’s a very creative way of mirroring the socioeconomic challenges of the country, not only during the Martial Law days, but even until the present times,” she added.
De La Vega encouraged Filipinos to come and bring friends to see the exhibit before it travels to Manila.
Triumph of Philippine Art is open from February 6 to April 13, 2014.
The USC Fisher Museum of Art is on 823 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089. For more information you can call the Museum at (213) 740-4561, or you can send an email to [email protected]. The Museums website is http://fisher.usc.edu/.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend February 8-11, 2014 Sec A pg.5)
