It is interesting to observe how the conceptual in Philippine contemporary art is developing. The first wave of conceptual artists were directly influenced with historical Western paradigm and 30 years or so since its inception, this first wave is trapped within itself. Its like reliving the 70s every time you see their work. The second wave, belongs to my generation -younger, well traveled, well informed and aware of the current trends, intellectual acuteness, the need for legitimization and global recognition. The later is often, as I see it, no different from its global counterparts, injected by discourse (especially politicized or research-based). The formalization is too familiar. The difference is, in Asia, I think, the concept takes root in the metaphor, after all, in Asian cultures, an object, an action is always characterized by symbolic gesture. I think there is nothing radical about conceptual art or concept-driven art anymore, but I have to admit, in the Philippines where traditional media is a staple, the younger, second wave finds it liberating to belong to a global trend of artistic formalization instead of challenging a dominant incumbent.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:15:52 +0000
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