Art in the City
MANILA, Philippines - Traced by an unruffled moat, and curtained by impenetrable stonewalls, Intramuros is the stuff of legends — an urban castle in a cluttered city. The walled fortress once bloomed as the cradle of the city’s culture, often frequented by writers and revolutionists alike. Multi-racial groups flourished and spread out along the city streets, marking the area as the hotbed of its time.
Monumental, yet scathed by time, Intramuros dwindled into a ghost of what it originally was.
Drawn to the city’s air of mystery, history and expanse of colonial architecture, seven artists from various corners of the globe have come together with the promise to transform the hidden space into a creative hub. From Nov. 10 until January 8, 2012, the often-quiet courtyard of Plaza San Luis will serve as the stage for a whimsical art show by a septet of artists called TBC (To Be Continued) Manila. The gallery pays homage to contemporary art, with pieces that range from iconographic motion videos projected onto the courtyard walls and experimental photographs, to found art installation pieces — all clasped together in this historical enclave of the city.
The seven art mavens include TBC Manila’s founding father Anton Lopez, who creates video and sound installations of his trips around the world; installation-based artist Julia Chiang, recently nominated for the Rema Hornn Mann Foundation Art Grant, and best known for her ring pop wall art; T-shirt and snowboard vandal Cody Hudson, best represented by his deconstructed sculptures and multidimensional graphics; Young Kim who has stamped his seal on more than 100 cities through his 20-year art series “Suitman”; photographer Dan Pak, a self-proclaimed visual storyteller whose “stories” have brandished the pages of Vogue and Elle; poster-maker extraordinaire Chris Rubino whose works have been added to Zurich Museum of Design’s permanent collection; multi-media disciple Jon Santos makes use of sculpture, collage, sound, and video, magnifying the fragmentation of cultural experience.
Together, these artists aspire to create, interact, and inspire a new breed of designers. Ultimately, they are set to launch a new era of culture within the walled metropolis, and breathe new life into it once more.
