ChancesofContact:ArtCriticismasInterpretiveStorytellingintheMuseum Context
ByMatthewMolinaandZacharyMagat
Onthethird ooroftheMetropolitanMuseumofManila(aka “TheM”) inthebustlingheartof BonifacioGlobalCity,anordinarygalleryspacetransformsintoaportal Visitorsexitingtheelevatorsforthe ChancesofContact:ContemporaryPrintsfromthePhilippinesandSingaporeexhibitarenotjustspectators;they become time travelers, voyagingacrossdecadesofculturalexchangebetweenthePhilippinesandSingapore. CuratedbyPatrickFlores,theexhibitionspinsanarrativeofartanddialogue,whereprintswhisperstoriesof shared historyandindividuality.Fromthedi erentlanguagesdecoratingtheminiaturecardboardhousesof AlfredoandIsabelAquilizan'sHOME:ProjectAnotherCountryII(2017)displayedinfrontoftheelevator,the toneissetforthecross-culturalexchangeofprintandprint-derivedworksfromSTPIinSingaporeandTheM inthePhilippines Thisisnotjustanexhibition it’sajourney,atapestrywovenwithink,paper,andthehands of16visionaryartists,whosenamesarecreditedontheoutermostwallnexttotheexhibitname.
Threesectionscomprisetheexhibit:BetweenGenerations,AcrossMediums,andTowardsFutureForms. In the middle and right in front of the entrance to the spacearetheyellowdividingwallsoftheBetween Generationssection.TotherightistheAcrossMediumssectioninblue,accompaniedbyatelevisionsetinthe vastspacededicatedtothesection,loopingdocumentariesthatcontextualizethevaryingprocessesthatwent intodevelopingthedi erentworks Finally,whenonecirclesaroundtheexhibitinacounter-clockwisefashion, one enters the section in red entitled Towards FutureForms,whereanothertelevisionsetaccompaniesthis sectionoftheexhibit,withvarioussculpturesonstands llingoutthecornersofthesection.
Why choose printmaking when digital tools dominate? Prints possess a unique soul.Theycanbe touched,held,andrevisitedinwaysdigitalartcannotreplicate.InChancesofContact,theprintschallengethe notion that this art form is outdated. Instead,theyassertitsrelevance,blendingtraditionwithinnovation. Printmakingdemocratizesart it’saccessible,shareable,andinherentlytactile It’samediumthatthriveson interaction, making it a perfect t for today’s interconnected world It is also worth notingthatboththe PhilippinesandSingaporehadprintintroducedintotheirrespectivecountriesbyreligiousmissionaries
OntheentrancetotheBetweenGenerationssectionisanoverviewofthesectionandtheideaofthe cross-culturalcomparisoninregionalartthatcanbeobservedfromthesectionandtheexhibitasawhole.Inthis section,theemphasisisplacedonartistsinprintwho“indexthemodernperiodinSoutheastAsiaandpre gure thecontemporarymoment.”FromAnitaMagsaysay-Hoasatimekeeper.Withherprintschroniclingthelivesof Filipinawomen.RonaldVenturaastheprovocateur,challengingperceptionswithhauntingtexturesinShadow ofForest2 WhileSingapore’sGenevieveChuabecomesapoetofnatureacrossthesection;herabstractions speakingoffragileecosystems
Each print is a voice in an epic dialogue, exchangingre ectionsonidentity,environment,andthe humanexperience Together,theseartisticvoices FilipinoandSingaporean mergetocreateasymphony Lyra Garcellano's commentary on cultural dissonance and Han Sai Por's meditations on nature draw stark yet complementarycontrasts Theseworkschallengeustoreconsiderthestoriesweinheritandtheoneswecreate
Bythebluesection,AcrossMediums,theemphasisisontheevolvinguseofprintinartandtheriseof mixed media to give rise to a materiality unique to it. According to the description of this section, this materialityis“onethatcannotbereducedtothemediumsthathadearlierinformedit,”andit“anticipatesa mediumyettobenamedor[a]revisit[of]thenatureofawell-recognizedmediumitself.”Asawhole,thissection takes the foundation in print established by the Between Generations section and builds on it with its presentationofmoreconceptual,postcolonial,andexperimentalworksinvolvingprint
Thisismademoreevidentwhenartistscombinetheancientandtheavant-garde TakeClosetoYou, Enki’s Whirl: adizzyingfusionof30-colorstenciledpaperpulpandsilkscreenthatfeelslikeakaleidoscope capturedmid-spin.Eachlayer,eachstroke,isanalchemicalprocess,transformingrawmaterialsintomeaning. Foryoungexplorersofart,thinkofprintmakingasbuildingworldsinlayers.Themagicliesinexperimentation, asartistslikeAlfredoandIsabelAquilizanpushtheboundariesoftraditionaltechniques,provingthatevenina digitalage,printmakingremainsamediumofendlesspossibility.
Finally,bythelastandredsectionoftheexhibit,leadingintothemerchandisestall,istheTowards FutureFormssection Thesculpturespresentedintheexhibitareondisplayaspartofthissection,wherethe central thesis revolves around the developing plasticity of print as a medium in increasing dimensionality Beyondpapersculpturesto“three-dimensionalprinting,”thewrittendescriptioninthissectionexplains,“the futureheredoesnotonlyrefertofreshformalisms,butalsototheintimatepoliticscenteringaroundgender…”; which is to say that print's malleability and e cacy have thepotentialtoaddressincreasinglymodernand 21st-centuryconcerns,andperhapsevenbeyond.
Ifthegallerywereastage,theartists,printers,andcuratorswouldbeanensemblecast.STPI’sCreative WorkshopinSingaporeservesastheirrehearsalspace,wherecollaborationbreatheslifeintotheprints Flores,as thedirectorofthisproduction,orchestratesthesee orts,ensuringeachvoiceisheard Collaboration,asseenin Chances of Contact, reminds us that art is rarely a solitary pursuit Itisaconversation,ahandshakeacross borders.Theresult?Artworksthatresonatenotjustasindividualcreationsbutascollectivetriumphs,echoing thedeeptiesbetweenFilipinoandSingaporeanartists.
WhatdoesChancesofContactsaytoayoungdreamer?Maybeit’sinthelayeredcomplexityofasingle print areminderthatourstoriesarenotlinearbutmultifaceted.Perhapsit’sinthethemesofcollaboration, urgingustoseekconnectionsinanincreasinglydividedworld Asyouwanderthegallery,considerthis:How mightyouleaveyourmark?Ifaprintcouldcaptureyourstory,whatwoulditlooklike?Inthespiritofthese artists,daretoexperiment,tocollaborate,andtotellyourstory layerbycolorfullayer
Astheexhibitionclosesitsdoors,itsmessageendures:artknowsnoborders.Likeaprintpressedonto freshpaper,theimpressionsleftbyChancesofContactwilllinger,urgingyoungadventurerstoexplore,create, andconnect Art,likestorytelling,isachancetomakecontact Whatstorieswillyoutell?