Culture in design does not always announce itself through a recognizable motif, material, or symbol. It can also be embedded in the relationships designers build, the knowledge they listen to, the materials they choose, and the decisions they make in response to communities and their environments. This distinction emerged throughout the 2026 International Design Conference […]
‘Softcore War’ Reimagines Propaganda in the Context of Modernity
Propaganda has been, and continues to be, part of our daily lives. It constantly evolves, meeting our culture where it is today and finding its most effective attack point. Softcore War by Ernest Concepcion, however, works with homages of the past, visualizing the propaganda of today using yesterday’s methodology.
The exhibit, showing in Altro Mondo Creative Space until October 5, immerses one with different paintings referencing the art of the past. Concepcion plays around with these archaic styles, with their exaggerated facial features for Asians and painted landscapes, to discuss the world’s current situation.
“Drawing inspiration from vintage Philippine propaganda posters and century-old tourism advertisements, he reimagines these historical visuals with a fresh perspective,” the exhibit write-up said. “[…] where figures once used to sway voters appear in leisure, dressed for a different kind of battle—one against the relentless tide of modernity.”
A Homage of Past Works
Concepcion appears to relish the opportunity to make a semi-faithful recreation of propaganda posters. He used tarpaulin for many of the paintings to better align himself with the medium of the past. The works have a lot of color and detail that make the period details pop while allowing the more modern parts of the work to feel at home in the medium.
Aspects of the design seek to immerse the viewer further into the world he’s creating. For example, Concepcion added colored LED lights to four different works as a way of mimicking “Manila’s neon-lit urban landscape.”
At times, the mimickry in Softcore War feels too uncomfortably close to the propaganda of the past. “You’re A Junkie For Life” appears to recreate the cartoony caricature of Japanese people in World War II. The recreation borders on racist, but Ernest Concepcion adds details like a hat and a flower necktie to remove it from the stereotype and closer to the know-it-all politician type he appears to be going for.
But by and large, the works look amazing as every element comes together to showcase a studied homage to the past. “Chimera,” the giant central work in the exhibit, will catch the attention of visitors to the gallery. Concepcion creates a battlefield that incorporates his past established style into a series of buildings sketched in tarpaulin. It’s large and overwhelming, and it contains a lot of fun details that visitors can enjoy dissecting, like a tank shooting a rocket at the face of the Moon, or a giant flaming eyeball sailing through the city.
How ‘Softcore War’ Questions Propaganda
Beyond vintage propaganda, the works for Softcore War skew closer to a post-colonial perspective of our past. Whether portraying the idyllic scenery of the country or crafting a homage to racist caricatures, it feels as if there’s a veneer of anti-colonial thinking behind them.
Works like “Perfect Daze” or “Queso Beso” exemplify these thoughts perfectly. “Perfect Daze” depicts a woman lounging on a yellow-sand beach as armored Spaniards arrive at the shore by boat. “Queso Beso,” meanwhile, has the main figure posing in a revolutionary stance while holding or carrying different consumer goods.
In the exhibit write-up, they explain some of the concepts of the work. “Concepcion subtly introduces elements of invasion and dystopia, transforming serene beach scenes and post-apocalyptic cityscapes into arenas of cultural critique.”
We Are All Susceptible to Propaganda
Ernest Concepcion uses the aesthetic to create a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the values of modern society today. Even as we attempt to reclaim our own culture, we still utilize the language of the conquerors of the past, even visually. A certain sense of irony exists within the works, as Concepcion establishes our own ideals and asks us to critique them through this lens.
Softcore War invites people to view their beliefs and ideologies through an old style that’s been dissected and outmoded. New styles of propaganda allow ideas to ease through minds unnoticed; but by filtering them through the old, Ernest Concepcion finds a new way of cutting through the style and showing the root, to analyze and see if it fits with who we are.
Photos by Elle Yap.
Related reading: ‘GABRIELA @ 40: Sovereignty and Peace’ Historicizes the Fight for Human Rights
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