September in the Philippines can be politically contentious largely due to former President Ferdinand Marcos’s declaration of Martial law on September 21. And this turmoil was reflected in many of the art exhibits BluPrint covered for the month. But for this round-up of art exhibits in September, BluPrint highlights artworks that explore the artists’ inner […]
Political Art in 2024: How Artists Discuss Our Sociopolitical Climate
Political art remains a risky endeavor even in the democratic institutions of the Philippines today. Activism and provocation in art, raising a fist against the status quo, tends to get an outsized reaction from the government.
History of Censorship
We saw this recently in the attempted censorship of Alipato at Muog, a documentary about the forced disappearance of Jonas Burgos in 2007. We see this censorship in our own history, no matter who is in power.
From Imelda Marcos banning Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night from being shown abroad to Cory Aquino’s own ban of Lino Brocka’s Orapronobis, these authoritarian impulses of guiding public opinions against any criticism of the government powers itself even through our modern times.
This especially intensified in the age of social media, where armies of trolls can swarm on artists deigning to criticize the government’s response. Regardless of the consequences, however, artists still continue to make political art today. Whether it’s fearlessness or a sense of obligation to discuss these problems, they create and compile to critique the society we are in today.
With that in mind, we created this collection of recent art exhibits which tackles political topics. It hopes to show the continued willingness of our local artists to put questionable ideals and practices up to task. But more importantly, this list shows artists willing to use their creativity to provoke action and empathy in their viewers on the topics they have in mind.
Using History as a Mirror
For some art exhibits, political themes emerge through the analysis of the past. These give us an idea of the cyclical nature of our history, and encourage viewers to break out of the established patterns in our modern times.
An example of this is Silverlens Manila’s recent exhibition, Inherent Vice. It portrays the tumultuous period of our history before Martial Law was declared. Stephanie Syjuco uses archival pictures to showcase how the media works in reinforcing the power structures of the government.
Another recent example is Land, Labor, Life, Lyra Garcellano’s recent exhibition at Finale Art File. This exhibit exposes the way colonization affects our government structures in modern day.
More than that, it reminds us of how deeply embedded colonial attitudes are in our systemic problems. Our government’s composition and problems reflect the choices of the elites in the past to put their own status and wealth over the people’s.
Commemoration of Past Struggles
Some political art exhibited recently takes on a more celebratory tone, as it addresses some of the progress our society made in the past decades to reduce harm and continue the fight for a more equal society for all.
Gabriela @ 40, an exhibit at Amina Art Space, allows us to see an organization that fights for the rights of the masses. The posters and protest signs shown here indicate the long history of misogyny and mistreatment of women and the masses in the country. The picture it paints reveals institutions that don’t seem to care for the needs of the people
Yet, it also gives viewers hope in the ability to change society for the better. Many of the posters there protested the military bases of the United States, which were successfully eliminated from our country in 1991. Stronger laws protecting women like The Violence Against Women and Children Act were enacted through years of activism and lobbying.
It illustrates the effectiveness of protests in the long-term to force the government to bend to the needs of the masses. In many ways, it inspires viewers to keep fighting for a better world for every Filipino, even in the face of censorship.
Presenting a Portrait of the Present
Political art need not be explicit in how it tackles political topics. Sometimes, providing a truthful portrait of our society’s failures works better to energize viewers to look into our perceptions and beliefs.
NO Community-run Space’s Lungsod ng Walang Liwanag offers audiences a portrait of poverty in the city. At a time where the government attempts to rig poverty numbers with broad definitions of employment and food poverty, Reymark Umpacan’s photographs offer a stark representation of life in the Philippines below the poverty line.
For many Filipinos, life is trash piled up on the street and clinging to religion for hope. Despite the government’s portrait of the country as an upwardly mobile middle-class country, many remain stuck in poverty, unable to make ends meet in meager jobs.
Exhibits like these force viewers to reconcile the active mainstream narrative with the reality on the streets. It’s political art because it pierces through the bubble, giving us an outlook that many won’t really see addressed in other ways.
Abstraction as Critique
Finally, political art can come in the form of abstract critiques that help us see issues in a new light. Sometimes, issues don’t appear to be issues until artists reframe them to show their problematic nature.
Jose Olarte’s Gyre Dominion, for example, offers a critique of the government practice of building industrial infrastructures like dams due to the way it affects different marginalized communities negatively.
Ghost Painting: Pagkalalake by Kristoffer Ardeña at Finale Art File does a similar thing to the patriarchal attitudes of our society. The artist created this giant collage of signs containing different slogans that reinforce patriarchy in the country. It shows just how systemic these ideas are, and how it is reinforced in our world today.
Upholding Our Freedom of Speech in Art
Our freedom of speech is one of the most important rights a citizen can have in our country. Criticizing the government ensures a healthy democracy that addresses the needs of the masses and keeps those in power accountable to the people.
Political art, at the bare minimum, ensures the relevance of these issues in today’s discourse. It helps keep audiences informed, and it keeps politicians accountable for their actions. In a world where democratic decline is a real thing, it becomes essential to ensure the safety of our rights and freedoms as people of this nation.
Related reading: The politics and problems of placemaking in the Philippines
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