Top 25 ‘OO’ art triumphs of 2005

(Conclusion)

10. Back From the Dredd, Karen Kunawicz and Hank Palenzuela, Big Sky Mind

I doubt the manufactured "indie" bands today would survive the onslaught of hardcore Dredd fans. Seems unlikely that club managers Robbie Sunico and Patrick Reidenbach would even book them back then, except maybe for once-a-year "pogi pop" night. That’s why it’s always a dread/joy to re-learn the lessons of rock and roll, this time Timog and Cubao-style, courtesy of Karen Kunawicz and Hank Palenzuela. From fliers, napkins and monthly skeds to menu cards, band posters and scribblings, both expert and novice alike were mesmerized by the various club memorabilia. And the pictures! Gone are the days when mean rockers looked beautifully nasty and hot in makeup and long tresses.

11. Cinema Purgatorio, indie filmmakers and video artists, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Gallery

It’s unfortunate that only a few people got to see this at the NCCA Gallery: a multi-media exhibit which attempted to bridge the gap between cinema and video art practice by showcasing independent filmmakers like Roxlee, Tad Ermitaño and RA Rivera together with visual artists such as Louie Cordero, Lena Cobangbang and Poklong Anading. My favorite piece was Tado Jimenez’s Fernando Poe look-a-like, both in print (via giant portraits) and in person (the doppelganger made a public appearance at the exhibit opening – imagine the shock of the crowd when they saw "Da King" back from the dead). It’s also sad that the exhibition catalogue still hasn’t been published. I wonder where the NCCA grant money went?

12. Ang Ebolusyon ng Pamilyang Pilipino, Lav Diaz, NCCA Auditorium

When his five-hour film Batang West Side screened at the Other Cinema in London, I quickly rang my neighbor who worked there and asked for complimentary tickets to give out to friends and classmates. The Filipinos came and so did a lot of foreigners. His recent opus, however, clocks in at 10 hours – narrowly trailing Peter Brooks’ Mahabharata – making Ang Ebolusyon ng Pamilyang Pilipino the longest Pinoy film ever. Shot over a nine-year period and the narrative encompassing Martial Law up until the first EDSA revolt, the film revolves around a poor farming family wedged in political turmoil. With many of the audience members at the NCCA screening barely in their 20s, the film may be a good indication that there is still yet a fertile (r)evolution to come.

13. Ars Poetica, Myra Beltran, Dance Forum + i like this side, Donna Miranda and Nina Habulan, Green Papaya Projects

Contemporary dance is alive thanks to the efforts of Myra Beltran and her Dance Forum. In their latest production Ars Poetica, the choreographers paid tribute to women poets in celebration of the Centennial of the Feminist Movement in the Philippines. The dance concert featured Virgie Moreno’s poem Order for Masks, set in the pre-war Carnival era during which a woman orders three masks for the three tasks her in life. Myra has donned several masks herself, for the tasks in contemporary dance are as multifarious as they are mutable. Two of her protégés have also taken charge via an experimental dance piece at Green Papaya Projects entitled i like this side. On that shared evening of solo dances, Nina Hayuma Habulan and Donna Miranda presented their current choreographic investigations surrounding their individual bodies and experiences. The result was unnerving: Donna hitting her head on the wall (voluntarily or not) was grace and horror pirouetting into one – then silence.

14. Komiks Konvention, UP Bahay ng Alumni + Neil Gaiman, Fully Booked

So much has been written about Gaiman’s "visitations" here, but none so far on the highly successful First Komiks Konvention held last October. It was one of those rare occasions if not the only moment where both professors and students alike hung out and discussed "unofficial" classroom literature, namely comic books. Even as I was happy with a discounted purchase of that hard-to-find Collected X-Men Volume 6, my heart really belonged to the old Halimaw and Dracula comics. All 10 issues of them sucked my blood and wallet dry. Other booths were set up by UP Grail, Fully Booked, Kestrel Studios, Mango Comics and all other major publishers in the Philippine comics scene. Spotted too are auteurs Francis Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Zsa Zsa Zaturnah creator Carlo Vergara. And yes, there’s more good news on the wild writing front: Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked have teamed up for the 1st Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards. All winning entries will be compiled and published by Fully Booked, with a foreword by Gaiman himself.

15. Artist Talks, various venues

The year 2005 was when artists actually talked without the aid of alcohol nor nicotine. Mag:net Gallery in Katipunan, ABS-CBN and Paseo de Roxas became the hub of discussions with topics ranging from artistic collaborations and alternative practices to the sad state of art education in the Philippines. Artists like Sandra Palomar, Gerry Tan and Judy Sibayan moderated the bickering and made sure no one got drunk. Other spirited conversations include Goldsmiths alumnus Sonja Laban with Carlos Celdran at Silver Lens Gallery, entitled It’s a Crazy Planets: Starlets, Dementia and Pop Deathsthetics; recent Harvard graduate Bea Camacho at Green Papaya, and Fulbright grantee Ramon Zamora Linmark with poet Marjorie Evasco at A Different Bookstore.

16. Mystery Meat + Paul Pfeiffer, Future Prospects

Eighty-six artists from the American underground art scene exhibited their works last October at Future Prospects Art Space in Cubao, with works by Dalek, Doze Green, Matt Leines, Jordin Isip,Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, Neckface, Clayton Brothers, Rich Jacobs, Eric White, Simone Shubuck, among others. Their unique visual style is culled from a mix of subcultures of music, skateboarding, graffiti, illustration, and comics. Often identified as the language of street and DIY aesthetics, they have been increasingly gaining acceptance in mainstream galleries and art publications beyond Juxtapoz. Another event worthy of note was Paul Pfeiffer’s video screening and talk. Gary Pastrana, one of FP’s founding members, had met Paul Pfeiffer in a CCP group show whom they were both included. Gary asked Paul if he wanted to do a talk in FP and Paul agreed. He was about to leave for New York the following week so it was all very impromptu. Yet, surprisingly, many came and had the chance not only to see Paul’s works on video but to hear anecdotes, revelations, methods and other musings straight from the artist himself, who have done shows in MOMA, Venice and Whitney Biennials.

Here’s to more boisterous blah-blahs coupled with more daring do’s (and dodos) in 2006.