MANILA, Philippines - ReCollection 1081: Clear and Present Danger (Visual Dissent on Martial Rule)” is an exhibition that takes cognizance of that period when the phrase “clear and present danger” was used to justify an autocratic rule. Sept. 21, 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of Proclamation 1081.
It is unfortunate that the incidents from our past have not been accurately passed on. This being the case, how distorted will history be portrayed in the coming years? It is from this paradigm that the need to revisit experiences from this period arose. The idea is not so much to criticize or denounce martial law, but merely to recall. Memory being a fickle thing, can be easily influenced, commanded, or forgotten at worst. As a pivotal era of our fledgling nation, this must not be relegated as a mere historical footnote.
For those who witnessed the brutality, lived through the paranoia, and suffered grave injustices: we should remember. We must recall with clarity so that it will not happen again. We must reminisce with pride our part of something bigger than ourselves. We must retain the lessons from our history in order to learn from it.
According to Alice Guillermo, “Art has always reflected society and the conditions in which people live, at the same time that it has contributed to the process of social and historical change. During the Marcos regime, an observed cultural phenomenon was the emergence development of protest art in various forms.” This shapes the core of the collection. The assemblage of imagery and figurations from 1972 until the fall of the dictatorship, with diverse characteristics and media, propounds a discussion on what was and was not true.
Together with the artworks are material information and anecdotes. It is hoped that through the visual and textual narratives, more engagements will be generated and a substantiated dialogue will ensue. The collection is by no means a complete or thorough representation of the time. But it is a both an inception and a challenge to bring forth a more exhaustive effort of remembrance. We owe this not only to ourselves or to those who sacrificed, but also for the discernment of future Filipinos.
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“ReCollection 1081: Clear and Present Danger (Visual Dissent on Martial Rule)” — a project of Canvas and Liongoren Gallery, in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines — is on view at the Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery) and Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino, third floor Hallway Gallery, Main Theater Bldg., Cultural Center of the Philippines, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. For information, call 832-1125 to 39 loc. 1504 and 1505, or 832-3702, e-mail ccp.vamd@gmail.com, or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.