As part of PEAK, a contemporary art initiative in the Black Mountains, Wales, Rebecca Spooner reports on a weekend exchange visit from studio artists based at Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire.
Christodoulos Panayiotou’s exhibition title Two Days After Forever puts me happily in mind of Bob Dylan’s 1966 lyric Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial. Indeed, this constellation of objects in the oldest rooms of the Cyprus Pavilion has […]
Y is for Yolanda, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports Post November 2013, the world reached out to the Philippines, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, more widely known as Typhoon Haiyan. The media spotlight shone on the devastation that the tropical […]
X is for Xyza Cruz Bacani, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B: 1987 / ‘Photography takes Filipino maid from Hong Kong to New York’ – reads a CNN headline (February 20, 2015). Reporting from Hong Kong (CNN) – A domestic worker from the […]
A ramshackle and intuitive approach can often seem like the only way at times, when things are hectic and there’s not much time to prepare. That was my approach to Venice this year. It was part of a whirlwind of […]
W is for Weng Weng, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports 1957 – 1992 / ‘The Search for Weng Weng’ (2013) is a 90 minute documentary produced by Philippine Cult Film enthusiast Andrew Leavold. The film is an accumulation of 3 visits and […]
Video and words from Venice Biennale 2015
V is for Ramon Valera, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports 1908 – 1997/ ‘The contribution of Ramon Valera, whose family hails from Abra, lies in the tradition of excellence of his works, and his commitment to his profession, performing his magical seminal […]
U is for Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports 1929 – 1999 / ‘Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and researcher, spent almost four decades in the discovery and study of Philippine folk and ethnic dances. She applied her findings to […]
K is for Kidlat Tahimik, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B: 1942 / Dubbed by fellow filmmakers and critics as the “Father of Philippine Independent Cinema”, the films of Kidlat Tahimik are a critique on neocolonialism, primarily influenced by the 1960’s […]
S is for Nicole Scherzinger, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B. 1978 / Perhaps an unlikely candidate for my final cut…but despite appearances I think Nicole Scherzinger is a true artist. With a career spanning over 16 years, time alone has proven Scherzinger’s […]
R is for Jose Rizal, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports Journalist, Poet, Activist, Doctor (1861–1896) Born into a wealthy and affluent family, Jose Rizal was a gifted scholar, excelling in various subjects and fields of discipline – from the arts, to the languages and sciences. A proud […]
Q is for DJ Qbert (Invisibl Skratch Piklz), A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B. 1969 / DJ QBert was officially awarded the title America’s Best DJ in 2010. With a well-documented and successful DJ career, he is considered as one, if […]
P is for Pac Man (Manny Pacquiao), A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B. 1978 /Manny Pacquiao is more than a boxer. For the Filipino people, Pacquiao is the unofficial patron saint of the Philippines. Fondly referred to as Pac Man by […]
O is for Alfonso Ossorio, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports Alfonso Ossorio / 1916-1990, Manila, Philippines The artistic relationships among Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), Alfonso Ossorio (1916–1990), and Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985) strongly influenced the development of postwar art. Ossorio, the central figure in […]
N is for No Permanent Address (Mark Boulos), A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B. 1975 / Mark Boulos is an American filmmaker, based in Holland & Switzerland. Straddling the space between artist moving image and documentary film, his practice investigates the relationship […]
The preview days of the biennale from a personal perspective
M is for David Medalla, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports B. 1942 / Can someone please give David Medalla a museum worthy retrospective in London? Arts Council Collection Tate Collection Iniva Tate Shots Mousse Magazine Publications Enough said. #OFW more than a country […]
Collateral Event at Venice Biennale.
Venice: a series of observations noted on a mobile phone….
Initial observations from a 4 day trip to the Venice Biennale 2015
L is for Leslie De Chavez, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports ‘Manila-born Filipino artist Leslie de Chavez is a young artist who cautiously deals with sensitive topics including cultural imperialism, colonial history, contemporary life, politics and religion in his country. He […]
K is for Kali Martial-Arts, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports ‘Arnis/Eskrima/Kali – The three are roughly interchangable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines. These arts emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades, improvised weapons and hand-to-hand fighting which […]
J is for Jailhouse Rock, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports ‘I have put the true meaning in the real sense of the term jailhouse rock’ The letter J is dedicated to Filipino Prison Governor Bryan F Garcia, for his curatorial vision, […]
I is for Imelda Marcos, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports Forty years have passed since the 20 year Marcos regime, yet Imelda Marcos, first lady to President Ferdinand Marcos (1965 – 1986) continues her cultural legacy inadvertently through pop culture, in the smash […]
H is for Rose Hancock, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports Rose Hancock (b. 1948) is the Australian definition of Filipino Gold Digger. ‘The House of Hancock’ launched on Aussie TV network, Channel 9, in early 2015 as a two part true-drama. […]
