5/16/2017 ArtAsiaPacific:PatrickDFlores

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FromIssue93
EDITORSLETTERTheWorldAccordingtoVenice

REPORTS (Art)spaceExploration

ESSAYS SingingWithoutMusic

ESSAYS BeyondSafe
SALVAGEOPERATION
PROFILES PatrickD.Flores PATRICK D. FLORES
FEATURES AnInterviewwithCharlesLimand PROFILES BYSYLVIATSAIFROMMAY/JUN2015
ShabbirHussainMustafa
PHILIPPINES MONGOLIA ITALY
REVIEWS DingYi

REVIEWS SusanTeKahurangiKing ALSOAVAILABLEIN:

WHEREIWORK FrogKingKwokMangho

TableofContents
ItsadrizzlyMarchafternooninHongKongsKwunTongindustrial
WebExclusives
district,locatedontheeasternsideoftheKowloonPeninsula.
Archive
PatrickD.Flores,curatorofthePhilippinesPavilionatthisyears
Subscribe
56thVeniceBiennale,isintownfortheopeningofhislatest
exhibition,atOsagegallery,SouthbySoutheast.Coorganized
withRomaniancuratorAncaVeronaMihulet,theshowforges
conceptuallinksbetweencontemporaryartofSoutheastAsiaand
SoutheastEurope,bywayofthegeopoliticalconditionsthatshaped
thetworegionshistoriesandcontentionsforpower.

BasedinManila,46yearoldFloresisconsideredoneofthe
Philippinesmostactivecuratorsandarthistorians.Since2009,he
hasbeencuratoroftheprestigiousJorgeB.VargasMuseumatthe
UniversityofthePhilippines,whereheisalsoaprofessorofart
studies.Atthesametime,heisanadjunctcuratorattheNational
GallerySingapore,openinglaterthisyear,whichwillfeatureoneof
thelargestpubliccollectionsofmodernandcontemporary
SoutheastAsianandSingaporeanart.

InSeptember2014,Floreswasannouncedasthecuratorforthe
PhilippinesreturntotheVeniceBiennalefollowinga51year
absence,whichFloresspeculateswasprimarilyduetothecountrys
economicconditionandthegovernmentsgenerallackofinterestin
thearts.Heattributesthecomebackthisyeartothesupportof
PhilippinessenatorLorenLegarda.FloressaysLegardawasableto
convincePresidentBenignoAquinotocarveoutabitofsubsidy
fromthenationalbudgetfortheBiennale,quiteadifficulttask
giventhatwehadjustexperiencedadevastatingtyphoona
referencetoTyphoonHaiyan,alsoknownasYolanda,whichin2013
affected16millionpeopleandcausedanestimatedUSD15billion
worthofdamage.

Reflectingontheshowspremise,Floresexplains,Thelasttimethe
PhilippinesexhibitedatVenicewasin1964,soIthoughtitwouldbe
fittingtoreturntoVenicewithsomethingthathasalreadybeen
thereandthatalsotalksaboutthechangingconfigurationsofthe
world.ThepavilionsframeworkisbasedaroundGenghisKhan,a
PortraitofPatrickD.Flores.PhotobyBillyKungforArtAsiaPacific.
1950filmbyManuelConde(19151985),whichwasthefirstFilipino
filmtobeshownattheVeniceFilmFestival,in1952.Twoofthe
PhilippinesofficiallyrecognizedNationalArtistswereinvolvedin
creatingthemovie:Condedirectedandactedintheproduction,and
CarlosModestoVillaluzFrancisco(19121969)cowrotethescript
anddesignedthecostumesandtheset.

The90minuteblackandwhitefilmfollowsTemjin,theyoung
GenghisKhan(playedbyConde),asheoutwitshisenemiesand
comestopower.Attheend,KhanandhisloverLeiHaistandona
hilloverlookingthelandbeforethemandhesaystoher,Itis
writteninthestarsthatthedaywillcomewhenIwilltieastring
aroundtheworldandleadittoyourfeetanexpressionoflove
andadesireforconquestthatwereadaptedbyFloresforthetitleof
thepavilion,TieaStringAroundtheWorld.

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5/16/2017 ArtAsiaPacific:PatrickDFlores

GenghisKhanencapsulateslayeredinterpretationsandtouchesuponcoreissuesofFloressproposal,onebeingtheformationof
nationhoodforthePhilippines:Thefilmtalksaboutworldmakinginthepastasanaccesstoworldmakinginthefutureitgroundsavery
robusthistoryofmodernityinthePhilippinesfromthe1950stothepresent.Iwantedtoimplicatethehistoryofmodernityasanentrypoint
intothecontemporaryotherwise,thepavilioninVenicebecomesasingularspectacle.

ThePhilippinesPavilionwilltakeoverthreeroomsinsidethePalazzoMora,onStradaNuova,awayfromthebusymainthoroughfaresof
theBiennalearoundtheGiardiniandArsenale.WeresharingthePalazzowiththeNationalPavilionofMongoliaandalsotheSeychelles.
Coincidentally,thesecountriesmakeinterestinglinkstothePhilippines,sinceSeychellesisanarchipelago,andMongolia,ofcourse,
connectsustoGenghisKhan,hesays.Themodestyofthespaceisokay.Ithinkthepavilionshouldbeinrelationtotheeconomyofthe
country.

OneroomofthepavilionwillpresenttherestoredversionofGenghisKhanalongsidedrawingsFranciscomadeforthefilm.Theothertwo
roomswillhouseprojectsbymultimediaartistJoseTenceRuizandfilmmakerandvideoartistMarianoMontelibano,whowilleachbe
takinguponeroom.Floresbelievesbothofthempossessanintellectualpreparednessthatallowsthemtorespondtothepavilions
concept.

RuizwillbecreatinganinstallationcalledShoal(2015)thatreferencestheBRPSierraMadre,adilapidatedPhilippineNavyshipthathas
beenstrandedontheAyunginShoaloftheSpratlyIslandssince1999.TheislandslieintheinternationallycontestedwatersoftheSouth
ChinaSeaofwhichChinawantstoclaimalmost80percent,explainsFlores.TheSierraMadreisnowoccupiedbyarotatingcrewof
Filipinomarines,whostayontheshiptomaintainthecountryspresenceinthedisputedwaters.

Drawingfromthesecurrentevents,RuizsmetalobjectfortheBiennaleevokestheformofashipandwillbewrappedinmarooncolored
velvet.WewanttheideaoftheSierraMadretobethere,saysFlores,butnottooverwhelmtheexperiencetotheextentthatitsmeaning
isreducedtoapoliticalstatementagainstChina.Iwanttobroadentheallegorythetowersortransmittersoftheshipcanmorphintospires
ofachurch,whichcanalsomakereferencetothePhilippinesBaroque.

ThefilmmakerMontelibanowilldisplayADashedState(2015),a25minutelong,threechannelvideoinstallationcenteredaroundsounds
fromtheseaandanearbyvillagecommunity.FlorestellsmethattheoriginalplanwastofilmintheopenseaneartheSierraMadre.We
hadahardtimeconvincingthegovernmenttoletusshootinthedisputedarea.Itsquitedifficulttogetthereandquitedangerous,butclose
byistheislandPalawanandonitssouthernmosttipisatown,Bataraza,thatisagatewaytotheWestPhilippineSea,whichispartofthe
SouthChinaSea,andalsotoBorneo.[Montelibano]filmedthereandwasdrawntotheKudamanepicanancientpoemoftheethnic
communityinthatarea.OverlayingimagesofthePalawantown,chantsoftheepicwillintersectwithradiofrequenciesfromChinesecoast
guardsthatpatrolnearbythesoundofChinathatencroaches,asFloresputsit.Together,thethreeprojectswillrepresentanoverarching
arthistoryofthePhilippinesFranciscoandCondeofthe1950s,Ruizfromthe1970sandMontelibanofromthe1990sshowcasingthe
diverserangeofartthatwasandisproducedthere.

GiventheVeniceBiennalesinternationalaudience,IaskFloreswhatheultimatelyhopestoconvey.Takingamomenttoconsider,he
responds,ImtryingtocompeltheglobalaudiencetoregardthelocalityofthePhilippinesassomethingthatisnotoutsideoftheglobal.Im
tryingtogetawayfromthelocalglobaldichotomy,whichdoesnthold,andtoinsistonanextensivelocalityorevenanequivalentlocality.
Itsnotlikeyouguysaretheglobalandwearejustalocalarticulationoftheglobal.No,wecoproducetheglobalthroughourlocality.

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5/16/2017 ArtAsiaPacific:PatrickDFlores

JOSETENCERUIZincollaborationwithDaniloIlagIlagandJeremyGuiabetal.,Shoal,2015,metalandvelvet,dimensionsvariable.CourtesyPhilippinesPavilion.

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