Mark Salvatus finds common ground in multiple cities

MANILA, Philippines - A display table by the entrance to Mark Salvatus’ exhibition “Territories” holds evidence of a year of travel — a stuffed kangaroo, a description of Bendigo, Victoria, an invitation to his show in La Trobe University Visual Art Centre — souvenirs from a month long stay in Australia; metro cards, tickets to the Whitney and MOMA and a list of visiting curators, writers and artists — from the stay in Art Omi, New York, a Wayang Kulit style puppet, a Bintang beer coaster and CDs of Indonesian bands from the fortnight spent in Bandung Indonesia’s Common Room Networks Foundation.

They are part of an exhibition at the Ateneo Art Gallery, Mark’s return show — a show and tell of the artist residencies he was given as one of the winners of the 2010 Ateneo Art Awards.

In a video installation entitled “Wannabes”, the artist has created a montage of YouTube videos featuring people from different countries lipsynching to the tune of the Spice Girls song “Wannabe.” “The idea of found videos as found objects/images that is represented in today’s youth culture of social network, instant fame, idolatry, fandom, communication and technology — making their own mark in the comfort of their rooms as their own territory,” says the artist. 

Another work called “Haiku” reinforces the idea of commonalities across borders. It mimics the motion and sound of the slot machine, using images of tags (the signature of a graffiti artist) from Japan, Australia, Bandung and New York. The most striking work, “Model City,” is a floor to ceiling projection of an urban landscape full of skyscrapers – familiar to anyone who has been to any of the megacities of Southeast Asia. From the room beside a woman’s voice beckons with promises of the better life usually found in condo advertising. Enter the room and you find what the projected image is, a construction made using buildings cut out from developers brochures.  Aspirations, urbanism, globalization and identity – all these issues figure in Salvatus’ practice and it seems that his residencies gave him an opportunity to chew on these ideas some more. 

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“Territories” runs through April 30. ArtSpeak with Mark Salvatus is on April 12 at 4:30 p.m.  For more info, call 4266488 or 42664001 local 4161.