Ground Zero

Three’s a crowd. Not so when it comes to Philippine art, and specially when it concerns the Lopez Museum, Ayala Museum and the Ateneo Art Gallery.

This coming August, these prestigious art institutions will mount a major collective exhibit, titled Zero In: Private Art, Public Lives.

A first of sorts in the local art scene, the mega art event will differ from other exhibitions of the same magnitude as it will not gather the works from each institution in one exhibition space. Rather, each selection will be showcased in its own home, thereby allowing viewers the chance to experience the uniqueness of each venue and hopefully turn them into regular museum and gallery goers.

Zero In: Private Art, Public Lives will present the breadth of Philippine history as mirrored by the visual arts.

The series opens on Aug. 14 at the Lopez Museum, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City.

By zeroing in on specific aspects of the Lopez Museum collection – in this case the Luna Paris paintings and Hidalgo’s Bustamante drawings – the exhibit will attempt to re-examine the historical context and the prevailing ethos of the period in which these were created. According to Lopez Museum director Mariles Ebro-Matias, the over 50 works to be shown will look at the intersection of art and history and seek to make apparent the idea of nationhood among Filipinos.

A week later on Aug. 21, the Ayala Museum will present historical paintings of Fernando Amorsolo. According to Ayala Museum director Dr. Florina Capistrano-Baker, this exhibit will re-evaluate and re-investigate how the National Artist’s romanticized renderings of historical events. "His works have subjects that are clad in costumes that did not conform to those of the period or the region," says Dr. Baker. "But all these," she adds, "are part of the artist’s attempts at working on the idea of nationhood."

It will be recalled that the period in Philippine history when Amorsolo lived in was a period of nation-building. By engaging in his own style of myth-making, in this case grand though not necessarily accurate images, he was able to reach out and instill the idea of nationalism to a great segment of the populace.

Topping the exhibit series is that of The Ateneo Art Gallery, which opens on Aug. 28. Highlighted in this exhibit are works from post-war art from the late ’50s to the early ’60s or what it refers to as the Philippine Art Gallery years. According to Ateneo Art Gallery curator Ramon E.S. Lerma, the show’s guest curator Dr. Leo Garcia will re-interpret the oft-mentioned assertion that the modern Philippine art movement was a conscious break from conservatism that used to prevail in the local art scene. Using philosophy and contemporary literary theory, Dr. Garcia argues that "the creative dynamic activity of composition" –as in painting–"leads to a new connection with reality and human action." Dr. Garcia proposes to cast new light on the collection and hopes his work will serve as a reference for future studies of the complex relationships which influenced the progress of Philippine modern art.

Clearly, the forthcoming exhibitions segue into each other in one seamless whole. The idea of nationhood, first espoused in the Lopez Museum exhibit, will be carried onto the succeeding exhibits, giving audiences an idea of the various nuances it has taken throughout the years.

No doubt the spirit of cooperation plays a big part in this undertaking.

For the first time, three art institutions are showing the way that Philippine art and culture will be better served if each helps one another rather than engage in unhealthy competition. "We may not have a one-stop venue, such as a national gallery, but through collective exhibition, like the one we are about to mount, a vast panorama of Philippine art will be accessible to the public," says Dr. Baker.

Each of the three institutions has its own strengths and these will be maximized. Through Zero In, the collections will complement each other, putting more sense to these and allowing Philippine art to be seen in one continuum rather than a fraction at a time.

The Lopez Museum, Ayala Museum and Ateneo Art Gallery deserves kudos for their current undertaking. Already, it is envisioned that the event will grow bigger in scope and include institutions dealing with the various branches of art.

The vision of a united art front dovetails well with the dream of being a nation in unity. Who knows, the dream may yet be within reach, made possible through the spirit of the arts.