To complete our tour of museums and art spaces, Zoe and I headed to the Vargas Museum in UP Diliman. Currently on display that week were art works by various artists on lines and human rights. It is the later exhibit that hooked us, line and sinker.
The Karapatan Art Exhibit gave us many things to think about. I was deeply disturbed by the images and graphic metaphors on human rights as conveyed by the artists. I was particularly struck by the woven rug in the image of a young boy. It was even positioned at the entrance door of the exhibit hall. In this day and age, children's lives are dispensed as easily as a piece of old, unused clothing. I dared not step on the rug at all.
Zoe took everything in and gravitated towards Liza Flores' art work. She was inspired to create. She wondered how visual artists come up with ideas and what are at stake to make art. A lot of time, tons of effort and patience so I told her.
As for me, I was disturbed until we got home.
I think it didn't help me at all to have seen Uplift first of all. There was nothing uplifting about it. At least for me. The sculpture was well made however, it did not speak to me of affirmation and oblation. There was nothing spiritual about it. Whose god and what kind of god is the woman, in prone position, being offered to?
There is this story of St. Francis of Assisi. He took of his clothes and ran naked because he had been awakened. Enlightened to a truth, a revelation. And so, he did an oblation and offered everything of himself in service to God. Sadly, I did not get this revelation of truth in Ferdinand Cacnio's opus. Sayang.
Gulliermo Tolentino's masterpiece is still the One!
So. That's art. There are artists and there are artists. Some relay a message using the best medium possible. A few use art to push a personal agenda. Artist or participant, both are witnesses to the dynamic process of creation.
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