island in the sun

Feb 4, 2012, Coron, Palawan.

2012-02-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

Fruit of the Vine

2012-01-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

I gave away my dvd's ...all but one left
with nichols and charnoski - entitled random shorts.
cheers

In Disgust : England Hidalgo

2011-12-05T03:35:00.001-08:00

In Disgust
14 December - 22 January
Exhibition Opening: Wednesday, 14 December 2011, 7pm

Newsworthiness is defined as a subject having sufficient relevance to the public or a special audience to warrant attention or coverage. As much as the news nourishes our daily thirst for information, these facts mimic each day to the next carrying similar stories again and again as time passes.

In England Hidalgo’s residency and exhibition at Lost, he deals with the daily ritual of printing, buying and reading a broadsheet: drawing, painting and assembling society’s infantile fixation with current events attempting to reprint yesterdays headlines.

http://projectslost.wordpress.com/

LOST Projects
18A Major Dizon Street, Industrial Valley, Marikina City, Philippines.

wow libre meri christ mass

2011-10-29T21:13:00.001-07:00

Kinatay, Directed by Brillante Mendoza (2009)

FREE MOVIES!! LIBRE!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
8:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, HABEMUS PAPAM BY Nanni Moretti
8:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, SERBIS, Tribute to Billante Mendoza
10:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 4, DRACULA 3D, BY Dario Argento

Thursday, November 10, 2011
5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, MINE VAGANTI | LOOSE CANNONS, BY Ferzan Ozpetek
5:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, HABEMUS PAPAM, BY Nanni Moretti
9:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, PASSIONE | PASSION BY John Torturro
9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, IL CONFORMISTA | THE CONFORMIST, Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

Friday, November 11, 2011
4:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, SUSPIRIA, Tribute to Dario Argento
5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, PASSIONE | PASSION, BY John Torturro
6:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, UNA VITA TRANQUILLA | A QUIET LIFE BY Claudio Cupellini
7:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, MINE VAGANTI | LOOSE CANNONS BY Ferzan Ozpetek
8:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, VINCERE | VICTORY BY Marco Bellocchio
9:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, ULTIMO TANGO A PARIGI | LAST TANGO IN PARIS, Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

Saturday, November 12, 2011
2:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, UNA VITA TRANQUILLA | A QUIET LIFE, BY Claudio Cupellini
4:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, LOLA, Tribute to Billante Mendoza
5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, VINCERE | VICTORY, BY Marco Bellocchio
6:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, CORPO CELESTE, BY Alice Rohrwacher
7:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, CHE BELLA GIORNATA | WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY, BY Gennaro Nunziante
9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, L'ULTIMO IMPERATORE | THE LAST EMPEROR, Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

Sunday, November 13, 2011
3:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, CORPO CELESTE, BY Alice Rohrwacher
3:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, CHE BELLA GIORNATA | WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY, BY Gennaro Nunziante
5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5, PROFONDO ROSSO |DEEP RED, Tribute to Dario Argento
5:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, KINATAY, Tribute to Brillante Mendoza
9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3, THE DREAMERS, Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

http://www.italiancinemanow.com/

Renan Ortiz

2011-10-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you Karl Ramirez/Con Cabrera

E. Ivan Fructuoso R.I.P.

2011-10-01T21:54:00.001-07:00

San Francisco, CA
Photos takes from 2002-2009

Dear Mr. Vargas

2011-07-03T19:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Mr. Vargas,
You might be receiving thousands of e-mails by now. I guess, you could say here is one of the thousands who was really moved by your work.
I am a curator based in San Francisco and Manila and I am sending this letter not as a Filipino or American, but as someone who is inspired by your courage, words and intellect.
I also want to let you know that your place of geography will not define you completely. You are just in one country, and that is just a peak of what the world is about. What I am saying is there is hope even if you do not find it in New York.
However, I am confident that you have a strong case, putting it out right now is good timing politically speaking. However I am speaking as a writer here and an artist - and having that combination makes the world your home - you can live anywhere with your capabilities to articulate your thoughts provided your training, background and excellent references. You are an admirable human being, i wish you only the best - and to move forward in your fight - and to also think that there are other options out there as there are FAR better places in the United states - I commend you for living your life to the fullest by telling your story and inspiring people. That itself is an extreme success.

Yours Truly,
Lian Ladia

Reference: Article. My life as an undocumented immigrant, June 22, 2011. The New York Times. link

Axel Wieder and Joep Van Liefland ON FRANK PRATTLE

2011-06-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

COME on two excellent curators feeding the underground belly of Berlin having a conversation with NY-artist Zeffrey Throwell in Kreuzberg-

I just listen to his interviews via a search engine.. I would have never thought it can actually happen.. and it did over brunch - thanks to the node curators xoxoxo

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON THIS LINK: http://frankprattle.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/node-center-june-7th-2011/

FLATTBUSH : MANILA

2011-06-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

http://flattbush.com
http://koolarrow.com

Missprint Messiahs: Cordero and Ricafort

2011-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Louie Cordero and Carlo Ricafort
MISPRINT MESSIAHS
June 15 – July 30, 2011
Opening reception: Wednesday, June 15, 7pm

D.A.G.C. Gallery is pleased to present “Misprint Messiahs”, a two-man show by Louie Cordero and Carlo Ricafort.

For this exhibition the Artists aims to turn the gallery at DAGC into a laboratory for exploring the possibilities of the silkscreen process, with the artists printing on a variety of surfaces and producing both unique and editioned works. During the first two weeks of the exhibition period, the artists will be in active production mode at the gallery, expanding the space of the recently set-up DAGC silkscreen studio to encompass the entire exhibition area, and offering a glimpse into their working process. Artworks will be visible in various stages of completion. After these two weeks, the residue of the artists’ labor will be left on view, along with whatever pieces they manage to complete.

Louie Cordero was born in 1978 in Manila, Philippines, where he currently lives and works. He has had numerous local and international solo exhibitions, most recently at MoSpace (Taguig, Philippines), Jonathan Levine Gallery (New York, USA), Osage Gallery (Hong Kong), Osage Gallery (Singapore) and West Gallery (Quezon City, Philippines). In 2011, he was included in the Singapore Biennale. He was a recipient of the Thirteen Artists Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2006, and a recipient of the Ateneo Art Award in 2004.

Born in Quezon City, Philippines, San Francisco based artist Carlo Ricafort received his B.F.A. in Pictorial Arts from San José State University and has exhibited at numerous galleries and cultural spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Manila. In the past 3 years, Ricafort has been actively exhibiting and collaborating with artists from Manila including collaborations with Artist Formerly Known As Friend (AFKAF) based in the Bay Area and Kwatro-Kantos, A solo exhibition at Pablo Fort and a group show with Manuel Ocampo at Finale Art File. He currently resides and works in San Francisco, CA.

For more information, please contact the gallery at +632-8172042/+63916-2459221 or dagcgallery@gmail.com.

Department of Avant-Garde Clichés
2289 Pasong Tamo Extension, UPRC III Building,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1231
Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11am to 7pm
Contact: +632-8172042 / +63916-2459221
Email: dagcgallery@gmail.com
Website: www.dagcgallery.com
Facebook: dagcgallery manila
Twitter: @dagcgallery

Migrant Tales: Lizza May David

2011-06-15T16:23:00.001-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More lian ladia

Frank Prattle in Berlin

2011-06-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

WHAT: A Radio show/podcast: Frank Prattle in conversation with Joep van Liefland (Autocenter) and Axel Wieder (Pro qm)
WHEN: Join us over coffee on June 7, 2011, 11 am. The event will start at 12 pm
WHERE: Node Center for Curatorial Studies, Waldemarstr. 37A, Berlin-Kreuzberg
Limited seats available, please RSVP Jerlyn Jareunpoon, jerlynmj@gmail.com (+49) 017 27 69 30 22

Node Center for Curatorial Studies is pleased to present "Frank Prattle", an interview style radio show/podcast run by the artist Zefrey Throwell to have a conversation-over-coffee with two Berlin curators and participants of the coming exhibition “Based in Berlin”, Joep van Liefland (Autocenter) and Axel J. Wieder (Pro qm) at the Node Center of Curatorial Studies, Waldemarstr. 37A, Berlin-Kreuzberg on June 7, Tuesday at 12 pm. The Frank Prattle radio style/blog hosted by the artist Zefrey Throwell has been documenting a good representation of the local contemporary art community in San Francisco and New York for the past years. Throwell throws people together (curators, artists, gallerists, critics) and has them discuss current trends and issues in art practice. It is geared primarily towards community education. The aim is to help people understand and enjoy the art world through the words of the artists and professionals who live it everyday. Please join the Node Center for Curatorial Studies for a live session with Zefrey Throwell’s radio program as he moderates a lively discussion between Joep van Liefland (Autocenter) and Axel Wieder (Pro qm) in Berlin.

For further information please contact Jerlyn Jareunpoon, jerlynmj@gmail.com (+49) 017 27 69 30 22

Waldemarstr. 37A, Berlin-Kreuzberg web: www.nodecenter.org

Bios:

Joep van Liefland is a Dutch multimedia artist who works in painting, drawing, video, and guerilla art. He is also co-founder of renowned independent exhibition space AUTOCENTER, an alternative art space founded in 2001 for art beyond the hierarchies of the art market. AUTOCENTER is a fixture in the current Berlin art scene for producing the most insightful shows and presenting artists works (before their rise to the mainstream) since its inception.

Axel J. Wieder is the former artistic director or Künstlerhaus Stuttgart and Co-founder of beloved experimental Berlin book shop, Pro qm. He is a curator and art historian who has organized exhibitions for the Berlin Biennial and KW Institute for contemporary art. He has also held lecturing posts at various universities and art academies, including the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Jutland Art Academy in Aarhus, Denmark. He is frequently writing on architecture and exhibitions for Texte zur Kunst, 032c, Springerin, Frieze, Arch+ and other publications.

Zefrey Throwell is an artist living and working in New York City. Investigating honest communication, in all its varied plumage, is his aim. Working with video, radio, painting and people he is exploring the connecting points and underpinnings of social discourse. He runs Frank Prattle, an interview style radio show that has documented the current trends and art practices of artists, critics and curators in San Francisco and New York. http://frankprattle.wordpress.com/

SIGNAL

2011-05-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

SIGNAL
maria cruz | annika eriksson | claudia del fierro
Juni 3-17 | Vernissage: Freitag 3. Juni, 19 Uhr | curated by lian ladia
IAC Berlin, In Collaboration with GlogauAIR | http://www.iac-berlin.de/
Brunnenstr. 29, Berlin-Mitte 10119 | Di-Sa 14-19 Uhr

For more information contact: Lian Ladia, lian_ladia@yahoo.com, +49170.742.4071

Unfolding Process

2011-05-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

UNFOLDING: PROCESSES/SPACE/TIME-
An exhibition in three stages
organized by Node Center for Curatorial Studies – Berlin, in collaboration with Grimmuseum and Künstlerhaus Bethanien.

Unfolding: Processes
May 27th - June 11th, 2011
Vernissage: Friday May 27th, 19h
Finissage: Saturday June 11th, 19h

Stian Ådlandsvik (NO)- Curated by Victor Wang (CA), Mai Yamashita + Nayoto Kobayashi (JP), Futurefarmers (US), The First Collection by Atladóttir & d’Ors (NL)
- Curated by Lian Ladia (PH) + Jerlyn Jareunpoon (US)

Unfolding: Space
Vernissage: Friday May 27th, 19h
Finissage: Saturday June 11th, 19h
Julien Grossmann (FR) - Curated by Marlies Oud (NL), Isabel Simões (PT) - Curated by Sandra Kramer (DE)

Unfolding: Time
Vernissage: Saturday June 4th, 19h
Finissage: Saturday June 11th, 19h
Soda_Jerk (AU)- curated by Guia Cortassa (IT),Kajsa Dahlberg (SE) - curated by Caterina Benvegnù (IT)

Unfolding: Processes/Space/Time is a series of exhibitions organized by the curators at Node Center for Curatorial Studies at the end of their 3 month residency, in a working dynamic that creates a dialogue and encourages collaboration between artists and curators.

The seven curators were asked to show the work of an artist with different formal restrictions while working in close collaboration with the artist. This began with the challenge to show the work of the artist using only the curator's desk, in total absence of the artwork itself. At the second stage, the curators were asked to show the artist's work on a piece of DIN A3 paper.

Each time a piece of paper is folded, its thickness increases. If we fold a piece of paper 10 times, the thickness will be approximately the width of a hand; if one imagines a piece of paper that can be folded infinitely, then fold it 28 times and the thickness is about 8000 metres, the height of Mount Everest; fold it 10 more times and it exceeds 12000 kilometres, the diameter of Earth. The action of folding is an exponential multiplier of possibilities; conversely, the action of unfolding is the discovery of the fold, from crease to crease. Perhaps it is then the role of the curator to unfold with the artist the complexity of the artwork.

Unfolding: Processes/Space/Time at the Grimmuseum is the third and final stage of the curators' exercise, where the curators will present the actual artwork in a physical space. Node Center for Curatorial Studies offers a platform to investigate subjects related to curatorial studies and contemporary art practices. The Center's core activity stems from the Curatorial Studies Program that offers its participants the opportunity to develop projects in Berlin.

Ai Wei Wei

2011-05-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

http://www.change.org/petitions/call-for-the-release-of-ai-weiwei

Museum

2011-04-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

absolutely-NO-liability

2011-04-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

absolutely-NO-liability: a survey of videos from Manila, Philippines
When: April 1–13, from dusk through dawn
Where: the luggage store window front at 1007 Market Street

Featuring Artists: Roxlee, Jon Red, Jun Sabayton, Kaloy Olavides, Vic Balanon & Ferdz Valencia, Kiri Dalena, Lyra Garcellano, Ling Quisumbing, Kawayan & Kidlat De Guia

A video installation part of Projection Series, absolutely-NO-liability presents the Hellish history of tropical storms, neocolonial vices and an experimental verve, key ingredients to the survey of videos from Manila, Philippines. Videos are used as documentation to performances, surveillance, and installations. These proponents of the Philippine New Wave, representatives of the alternative art underbelly in Manila, include film, installations, photography, social sculpture, or concept based art projects. absolutely-NO-liability provides a charged background of narratives and poetic displays of emotional stress, cultural displacement or perception-related issues strange in their complications, yet synergetic in delivery.

For more info, click on this link

Bobby

2011-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ti Ricordi Joe Live! by Bobby Balingit from jl bugoy on Vimeo.

remedy

2011-02-13T05:54:00.000-08:00

i enjoy the remedies i have collected over the years. my dad always told me to drink warm milk, to help me go to bed. recently i discovered that an over the counter cough suppresant can really silence an infected lung. i can prevent a coming cold or flu by taking airborn. salabat or ginger tea gives the best relief when i have a sore throat. a bialetti espresso maker beats all the coffee ive ordered in my lifetime. the technique to a smooth and tasty soup is by using a sieve. take sundays and holidays seriously. doing something a little at a time will eventually lead you to what you need finished. basil and tomatoes with any savory dish are always tasty combinations. i am allergic to most alcohol but a glass of sweet white wine, i am not. and last but not the least, the cure for insomnia is by turning off the computer - and reading a good book.

i'm so excited to read the books in my shelf - i finally found my latest exciting remedy.... something to look forward to every night.

PEACE

Kakistocracy

2011-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Kakistocracy: Lirio Salvador + England Hidalgo

January 21 – 28, 2011

January 28, 2011, 8PM
Reception and performances featuring ELEMENTO and THE WUDS

Kakistocracy is literally defined as a society ruled by the worst form of citizens. The works of Lirio Salvador and England Hidalgo both cover a punk spectrum involved in a recognition towards the state of society as well as declaration which can either create apathy or provoke underground sensibilities. The combination of both artists will be received by a closing reception with performances by Elemento and old school 80’s punk band, The Wuds.

Lirio Salvador creates an assemblage of sculpture, sound and performance work in his practice. He creates instruments and arrangements by collecting discarded or recycled materials from his surrounding environment, such as bicycle parts, drain cleaning springs, exhaust pipes and stainless steel tubes. His works are drawn from the vernacular and molded into the form of modern industrial developments. Elements of his work reflect the contamination of genres and materials, his endemic culture, corruption/inspiration. He is a Fine Arts graduate in the Technological University of the Philippines. Salvador founded “Elemento”, a multi-dimensional group which specializes in sound art.

England Hidalgo uses materials such as a dry ballpoint pen, car keys, his fingers or any pointed tool to generate enough heat from the friction to produce marks, scribbles and images on thermal paper for his recent work. Fueled by old horror films, zombies, and gore, Hidalgo creates putrid images depicting his own critical view of social institutions using scrolls of thermal paper as representation of cause and effect in a social realm. Hidalgo studied a few semesters in Painting at the College of Architecture and Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, then moved to California in 1997. He got involved in the SF Bay Area Punk scene creating posters, flyers and album covers for underground record labels and played in San Francisco Punk bands Delubyo and Eskapo. He has currently returned to Manila to continue his studies in Painting at the University of the Philippines.

Kakistocracy is the fifth installment of The Ephemera of Disposable Goods, a program of Green Papaya Art Projects which aims to present a series of collaborations between two artists of similar or dissimilar genres investigating social sculptural projects based on context of time/place, relational works and encounters. Green Papaya’s space will become an open studio facility where artists and public can engage in discussions and debates as the artists go through their process of constructions and deconstructions every session.

landscape

2011-01-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

this give me nostalgia. i remember seeing this as a landscape when i was a kid.

Kentridge

2010-12-26T09:42:00.001-08:00

sleep

2010-12-23T08:07:00.001-08:00

most of the time im such a retard about not wanting to sleep. i dont want to miss a beat of anything. it feels like im missing out if i do fall into slumber. Just two days ago i had a terrible time sleeping. i dreamt i couldnt find the other half of my shoe...i got in the car and i was in traffic... in a public place, i sort of fucked up the food fountain or something... somebody has my resume... and im in the company of someone else??? life sucked in my dreams haha!
i also get the feeling of waking up not knowing where i am.. im like "wait a minute, who am i and (much worse) what am i?". I am so fearful to waking up to god know's what. like a primordial feeling of WTF??? what the hell is this?

whose great idea was it to give me a brain anyway? what is the purpose behind knowing a little, yet not completely? like a tease.

before i sleep i hold on to whatever it is i have, fearful that someone might rob me of my own little personal discoveries i've accumulated from hour to hour ... conversation to conversation ..

I think the only proper way to wake me up is with the smell of coffee...or breakfast, i swear, nothing can wake me up better than the scent of something brewing.

Carlos Villa

2010-12-10T23:46:00.001-08:00

Carlos Villa started painting during the reign of gestural painting and abstract expressionism at the California School of Fine Arts, now known as the San Francisco Art Institute. Villa started out as a disciplined artist using oil paint but later on brought older, traditional, non-European traditions into his art making process. Evidently amalgamating these traditions along with a modernist tradition and putting in a whole physiological experience in his art making. In the late 1960's he started consciously creating paintings with blood, bones, sperm, hair and beads - materials he dared use in his practice which was not typically used in the modern art canon. His contribution as an artist of his time is seminal in the formation the country's expanded awareness to the dynamics of ethnic identity in visual anthropology. Carlos Villa is currently an associate professor in the Painting department of the San Francisco Art Institute. He has exhibited his work internationally, including exhibitions at Syntex Gallery, Palo Alto, CA; INTAR Gallery, New York; and the American Academy in Rome, Italy. His work is in the collections of Casa de las Americas, Havana, Cuba; Columbia University, New York; the Oakland Museum of California; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Rockefeller Travel Grant, and the SFAI Adaline Kent Award.

Carlos Villa is collaborating with M.O.B/Mail Order Brides at green papaya art projects for the Ephemera of disposable goods program, from December 10-17. Closing reception is on December 17 6pm.

pixie

2010-12-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Louise Joséphine Bourgeois

I just cut all my hair off and I feel a sense of relief. No more burgeoning tresses, why do i have to bear the curls sticking to my neck in the middle of the god damn heat? No more shampoo and conditioner, how many added bucks is that in my grocery bill? I just realized that all the women in magazines and billboards have 90% long wavy hair, I'm so fucking relieved I no longer belong in the growing pathetic denomination.
It's funny, the first person (alpha male) who noticed all my hair gone said "Why'd you cut them off? I love long hair on women". Gosh, I'm so glad, i no longer qualify to satisfy your senses. i love the spikes, and the red lips, the stud earings and tall shoes. i feel so feminine and out-of-the-stereotype. i have never liked myself as much as i do now. i'm loving every minute of this.

Everything that's interesting is new

2010-12-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

Examples of Truisms

ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN GO A LONG WAY
A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS ARE CRACKPOTS
A MAN CAN'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A MOTHER
ACTION CAUSES MORE TROUBLE THAN THOUGHT
ALIENATION PROCUES ECCENTRICS OR REVOLUTIONARIES
AMBITION IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS COMPLACENCY
AMBIVALENCE CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE
AN ELITE IS INEVITABLE
ANGER OR HATE CAN BE A USEFUL MOTIVATIVING FORCE
ANIMALISM IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY
DECADENCE CAN BE AN END IN ITSELF
DECENY IS A RELATIVE THING
DEPENDENCE CAN BE A MEAL TICKET
ENSURE THAT YOUR LIFE STAYS IS FLUX
EVEN YOUR FAMILY CAN BETRAY YOU
EVERY ACHIEVMENT REQUIRES A SACRIFICE
EVERYONE'S WORK IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT
EVERYTHING THAT'S INTERESTING IS NEW

-Jenny Holzer

2010-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

THE ONLY RISK IS THAT OF OPENNESS
KIRI DALENA + CON CABRERA

November 25 – 30, 2010
STUDIO HOURS: 2pm – 6pm

November 30, 2010, Tuesday
CLOSING RECEPTION, 6pm – 10pm

Green Papaya Art Projects
41B T. Gener (corner Kamuning Rd.), Quezon City

“The only risk is that of openness” is the third on-site project of "Ephemera of Disposable Goods" an ongoing project based on temporal collaborations at green papaya art projects . Kiri Dalena and Con Cabrera instigates a dialogue with concepts and materials used on public uprisings. Both artists isolate these concepts from the street and brings them indoors to investigate.

Kiri Dalena is a visual artist and a filmmaker, she is a graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Banos and studied 16 mm filmmaking at the Mowelfund Film Institute. She has held solo exhibitions and participated in group shows in the last few years. She was born and raised in Quezon City. Kiri is a recepient of the 2009 Ateneo Art awards.

Con Cabrera, born and raised in Sasmuan, Pampanga is a graduate of Advertising Arts in University of Santo Tomas. She currently lives in Quezon City while working for a magazine publishing company and teaching part-time in Kalayaan College. She's a member of the artist alliance Artists' ARREST (Artists Response to the Call for Social Change and Transformation) since 2005. For the past five years, she has participated in a number of group exhibitions in the Manila and co-curated an exhibit of digital works in San Francisco and Oakland, CA.

The Ephemera of Disposable Goods, program of current curator-in-resident Lian Ladia, aims to present a series of collaborations between two artists of similar or dissimilar genres investigating social sculptural projects based on context of time/place, relational works and encounters. Green Papaya’s space will become an open studio facility where artists and public can engage in discussions and debates as the artists go through their process of constructions and deconstructions every session.

Pamalican Island, Pilipinas

2010-11-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

isa lang sa 7,107 islands sa Pilipinas.

Prithee my dear

2010-11-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

EH painting detail 2009

You have to understand that being critical does not necessarily mean I hate you. I just have my opinions, and I hope you don’t take offense in my honesty. I consider it healthy conversation –as we swap ideas back and forth. Do you realize though that my opinions are always open ended? It’s because I do not judge based on facts, I make room for possibilities.

When I get tired of people, at the end of a the day, I’m thankful that I get to share ideas with my partner, who day by day laughs with me, at just about everything,

England Hidalgo

2010-11-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

Writing

2010-11-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

It's funny, i have to drown myself in noise, to listen to myself. For instance, I just came from the long awaited trip from Benguet. My editors are waiting for that email... All i need to do is write about it, but its taking me so god damn long to start. It's only now, when I've isolated myself from home - listening to the pixies on my earphones full blast, that i get to relax. Loosen up ... away from tv commercials .. comfort food and random musings by the common observer, i become more and more myself.
I feel so chained to the realities that the media has set up for us to believe. I have to talk the language.. and think like them..dumb and consumer crazy.
once and a while, i get punctured to let all that blind air out, and finally see, the small things thats worthwhile.

anyway, benguet right?

todos los santos sa sagada - pinaghalong kultura ng mga kankanay at kristiano. madaming apoy at mga krus sa puntod ng patay. Usok na tumatawag sa mga espiritu, mga mabubuting espiritu na nagsisilbing gabay sa ating bawa't kilos at kurap. nagkalimutan na nga ba? sa mga lugar na malapit ang kalikasan sa katauhan - buhay na buhay.

the caldereta Sessions at green papaya art projects

2010-10-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

The caldereta sessions with jun sabayton and ra rivera, is a periodic live broadcast at ustream.tv which was performed at green papaya for their exhibition: Ang tao'y marupok (uhuh the rico j. puno song). Aside from the usual broadcast program wherein RA interviews people, comments at the live chatroom, and play music from the dusty vaults of his precious vinyl collection, Jun and RA started a photographic series of persona's having their photo's taken with a lip retractor. And it doesnt end there - After finishing maybe less than a hundred portraits, they feed us with caldereta. (and I think that's the best part). RA cooked up a sensual gastronomic feast. I swear to god, the best caldereta i've tasted in years.
To view the broadcast, click on this link

Rodolfo + Rodolfo = Papaya

2010-10-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ang Tao’y Marupok
A Art Exhibit
Rodolfo Amorsolo Rivera
Rodolfo Sabayton Jr.

October 7 – 31, 2010
Opening Reception and Public Intervention October 7, Thursday 6pm – 10 pm

Rodolfo Amorsolo Rivera (RA Rivera) and Rodolfo Sabayton Jr. (Jun Sabayton), collaborates at green papaya by doing a live, streaming and uncensored broadcast of the Caldereta Sessions at ustream.tv, a periodic streaming broadcast featuring familiar characters of Filipino underground tv produced by the people who also brought you cult tv classics such as Strange Brew and The Ramon Bautista Show. The audience both virtual and live is an essential part of the the program as they witness and participate when the duo takes photos, interview people, play their favorite LP’s, and even, cook caldereta.

RA Rivera is a video, film, music and tv director. He has directed music videos for Filipino bands like Radio Active Sago Project, Pedicab, Cambio, Sugarfree and more. Rivera is also involved in directing television shows and comedy skits with a cult status including Strangebrew from UNTV, The Ramon Bautista show of MTV Pilipinas, Dan Michael Master Magician, and more recently, Lupet at ABC 5. Rivera is also a member of the popular musical group Pedicab and has participated in exhibitions as a visual artist at alternative art spaces including The Dog is on the Mat at Big Sky Mind’s Canteen Plate Gallery (2002) and Kantutan sa Ulan in Saguijo Gallery and at the Blacksoup Project Artspace (2005).

Jun Sabayton is a visual artist, production designer, actor and one of the brainchilds of Furball Productions Inc. His short films have been featured at the Singapore International Film Festival. In 2005, he received a Gawad Urian award for Production Design in his work for the Lav Diaz film, “Ebolusyon”. Sabayton has exhibited and organized exhibitions in alternative artist spaces like Big Sky Mind, Green Papaya Art Projects, Canteen Plate Gallery and Future Prospects among others.

The Ephemera of Disposable Goods, a program of current curator-in-resident Lian Ladia, is a series of collaborations between two artists of similar or dissimilar genres investigating social sculptural projects based on context of time/place, relational works and encounters. This project aims to make available to featured artists Green Papaya’s space as an open studio facility where artists and public can engage in discussions as the artists go through their process of constructions and deconstructions every session. Remnants of the day’s work will remain on view at the shop window leading to a documentary installation at the end of each project.

spero

2010-09-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Thoughts for the day

2010-09-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

At this moment, generally - I feel very safe. I am equipped with books, with knowledge, and utility that keeps me warm at night. This week, I was able to accomplish the little things that really matter to me, little signs telling me that the big things are over and the little things in the side can be highlighted. Finishing my scrapbook about Paris, sewing my torn pajamas, having my shoes repaired, cleaning my desktop, saying happy birthday to a good friend (the day-of), going to the dentist to have the long-awaited tooth pulled, eating soups for dinner... This week, I was able to spend a lot of time with my nephews .. and also had dinner with my boyfriend's nephews .. that I feel more in tune with things that really matter to me.

I find it confusing how work can just make someones life disappear... years may vanish by being paid by the hour.. children become adults in a spurt .. money spent .. sleep hours -holy .. daytimes unlived .. weekends sacred. I wish the rest of society didnt design life to be lived this way. One thing I like about Spain is they kept their word about siesta .. I wonder why human beings strive to destroy themselves. Business is about getting the better deal -- there is no such thing as the employees getting the better deal - i wish it was designed that way - but it just isn't.
My dad always said, life can't be fair for everyone - even our own fingers have different sizes - "look at them!" then he mentions that I look at my fingers, palm down. He's right... as usual.

I feel like in this life you have to be predator or prey. Its man vs man - and I wonder why that was the general idea of living. Why didnt anyone listen to Descartes.. "Lead the mind away from the senses!" wasnt that warning enough? and when was that 1752 (Im making the year up) .. but yeah!
I cant really think about the human condition right now, its such a burden!
The only problems I can solve are my own - and i'll start with that. I'll stick to black coffee, dont take too much sugar, drink lots of water, cook more often, read more books, run sometimes, spend more time with my family, and not give in too easily.

i can be dylan thomas

2010-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

okay i admit its getting to me.. im getting the blues.. somebody said that the traffic in manila is like beating a snake then letting it loose on the road - thats actually a very good metaphor of the current state of events..... okay i admit its getting to me - its not the heat at all - its the rain, the humidity, the hot and cold, its like having a migraine or catching a cold on a dry cloudy day.
i admit, its getting to me - imagine falling in line for an hour and finding out you can just pay off some nice desperate hussler at window #7 to give you the form, unhesitantly, like its an everyday-thing, because it really is... i do admit, that sometimes, i feel its not worth it, of all the passion i put in.. and my strong beliefs.. because of the constant battle each minute, and everyday - of trying to make things right, of following the rules, of negating every bad deviant crap and telling your ideal self that - if "i dont make this right, who will"... I admit i feel that sometimes there is not point, and in frustration, i take it out on casual dinners, full meal courses, desert plates, chocolate bars, two cups of rice - anything just to bring it all out - take it on to something.... I agree, there is a sense of hopelessness, would i care to divulge the details?, for instance, the walk on the way to work and the smell of piss and vomit, and hepatitis and dengue - while children play with mudpies from the construction over the wall. how can i damage myself from running towards the train door - catching my breath to save a seat for myself, by myself - because if i wouldnt do it for MYSELF, who else would? oh the humility and kindness, and the extortion that pigs committed while pretending to mute their snorts. its all about money, it really is. oh hail mary full of grace, oh our father in heaven - is this really the way to go - look forward , dont look back - or youll turn into stone.. move forward, dont look back and just ride the fucking snake ....

music

2010-09-03T08:10:00.001-07:00

i miss my old records, i don't get to listen to my music anymore .. ive been so caught up with the everyday - its very rare for myself to find some quiet time to just go through things that are preciouse to me.. things ive collected over the years.
i remember going to that small cd shop at greenhills, i've always thought that i could collect a lot of portishead singles ... or the time i truly was fixated with skunk anansie. Although I also remember going to amoeba in my 20's, and all the times i spent at the tape sections... and how i dug upon pile after pile, only to buy a few cocteau twins and listened to them immensely. can't believe i held on to my tape player for as long as i can, and how much passion i put in my mixed tapes.
I do remember the time wherein i had the urge to throw out all my cd's because at that moment, all i wanted to own are sonic youth cd's. i also remember being really young, and owning a yellow recordable waterproof tape deck. i brought that near our swimming pool growing up. I would record music i liked from scenes of movies and listen to them all at once all together while im swimming. what a weird kid i was - i recorded santo and johnny's from the movie sleepwalkers, and another suicidal love song "ill be seing you in all familiar places..." from a war movie with melanie griffith (yeah, i think it was about the berlin wall... what the) - anyways, movies are also the same reason why i fell inlove with nina simone - there was this assasin, nikita who had an infatuation with nina - it made me lock myself in my bathroom and listen to nina simone while hiding to smoke cigarette after cigarette in high school. why the hell did i do that? i guess it seemed cool at the moment.

nowadays, i catch a glimpse of familiar sounds through other people - other peoples records, a passing sound of a blasting speaker from a car, snippets of lovely music in scenes from a film - they just sort of tickle my senses, reminding me that once, i had enough time in the world to actually memorize a song, or collect and buy music to listen to. nowadays, i feel empty even knowing that theres an ipod with 10,000 songs on it. i dont really find value in having access to so much with so less effort.

id really have to find the time to listen to my records, after all- their the only ones i make sure to carry with me whenever i travel, or decide to live elsewhere.
i still have those singles i got in greenhills in the 90's, or the 2nd hand tapes from amoeba. i just gotta find time to listen to them.

Happy 7th bday Joyce Gordon Gallery!

2010-08-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

I wish I was there to celebrate with you.. I hope you like the flyer :)
its a mix of chemical compounds, dodecahedrons, buttons and just random shapes xoxo

ha ha ha :)

2010-08-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Ephemera of disposable goods

2010-07-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

THE EPHEMERA OF DISPOSABLE GOODS

From July to December 2010, Green Papaya Art Projects will observe the Philippines’ typhoon month with a series of collaborations between two artists of similar or dissimilar genres investigating social sculptural projects based on context of time/place, relational works and encounters.
The Ephemera of Disposable Goods, a program of current curator-in-resident Lian Ladia, aims to make available to featured artists Green Papaya’s space and bar hours (Wednesday-Friday-Saturday from 6pm to 12 midnight) as an open studio facility where artists and public can engage in discussions and debates as the artist go through their process of constructions and deconstructions every session. Remnants of the day’s work will remain on view at the shop window (when the space is closed) leading to a documentary installation at the end of each project.

THE CROCOGATOR: FERDZ VALENCIA + VIC BALANON

July 28 to August 13
Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 4pm to 9pm (bar opens until 12 midnight), Ferdz Valencia and Vic Balanon will create a spatio-temporal imprint called The crocogator with paints, wood scraps and found objects.

August 14, Saturday, 9pm
Closing reception with video screening, public intervention and more!

About the artists and resident curator
Ferdz Valencia designs and builds sculptures and installations out of wood, metal and found objects which are inspired by street and urban landscapes, showing them to artspaces and galleries here and abroad. He also makes graphics for shirts, posters, zines, skateboards and skate shop walls. Recently he made artworks for a Japanese death metal label. He made an animated short film and has illustrated and self-published a 4 issue comic anthology. He currently lives in Quezon City with his wife and two adorable daughters.

Victor Balanon first studied Dental Medicine and left school choosing to pursue and develop his interest in art. A self-taught artist, he has worked as an illustrator for films, independent comics and underground punk labels. He later studied film and animation at the Mowelfund Film Institute. During this time, he created a self-published comic-book anthology and started working on his serialized pen and ink drawings. Since then, Vic has exhibited in several galleries both local and international. He currently lives and works in Quezon City with his wife and 2 kids.

Lian Ladia took Philosophy in DLSU Manila focusing on German Existentialism before studying Photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. She co-founded Filipino American Art Collective, Kwatro-Kantos and organized shows in San Francisco, Oakland and Manila. She was a curatorial intern at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a cutting edge contemporary art space in San Francisco, CA, then became Curatorial Associate at Joyce Gordon Gallery. Currently, she is the Assistant Art Director at Galleria Duemila and resident curator at Green Papaya Art Projects.

Malquias Montoya

2010-06-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

The forefather of political silk screening talks art, education and the Chicano identity
By: Lian Ladia :: EL TECOLOTE

Malaquias Montoya at his studio with his work, “El Picket Sign,” on display. Montoya has dedicated his life to informing and educating people to the art of protest, depicting the resistance and strength of humanity in the face of injustice and the necessity to unite behind the struggle.

There is a message behind every silk-screen, poster and sketch he has created over the past 40 years as an artist and educator. They all reflect themes of injustice, resistance, strength and international struggle.

“When someone paints the color red- someone might see blood, others, beautiful red roses, a pizza splash – In the work that I do, I want to be as clear as possible with no misunderstanding,” said Malaquias Montoya, a Professor Emeritus University of California, Davis.

His work has been showcased across the country, from universities to churches. He’s considered the forbearer of serigraphy in Chicano art, silk-screen poster-making born in the mid-sixties that quickly became a popular medium of expression among progressives for its depictions of themes of social justice and politics.

“As a Chicano artist I feel a responsibility that all my art should be a reflection of my political beliefs, ‘an art of protest,” he said.

The impact of Montoya’s work has reached thousands of activists involved in Filipino and Chicano grape strikes, the Third World Strike of 1969, and the seminal formation of the Mexican American Art Liberation Front (with members such as Galeria de la Raza Founder René Yáñez). These people are among the few that used Montoya’s body of work to grow their respective social justice movements.

“This was a very exciting time for me, because I could speak about injustices through art, and be very eloquent about it,” said Montoya, who later continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “The Filipino grape strike joining with the farm worker strike in Delano- that was really exciting because All of a sudden- it was about us, it was about my parents, and the people I know”.

Art on the Line

“All of my work is inspired by my background as a farm worker and identifies with the working people,” said Montoya. Born in Albuquerque, N.M., to a family of farm workers Montoya travelled between New Mexico and Fresno, Calif., depending on the seasons of harvest.

He prefers to exhibit his work at schools or places accessible to people on the margins of society, rather than restricting his work to galleries and museums. Montoya explains that his work doesn’t seek notoriety, but instead reflects the boundaries these people struggle to overcome; as well as his philosophy as an educator and his way of life – he considers this “studio time”.

“The biggest contradiction that artists have, is that they want to be known, famous artists within the (status quo). But the system is not going to let you talk (negatively) about them and make you famous. If your art is not selling, you have to make it palatable to the audience and pretty soon, you will be doing culture, exoticism and culture without politics –it is acceptable, because it doesn’t bother anyone – it doesn’t challenge anyone – and I think that’s one of the things we have to be aware of,” Montoya added.

According to Montoya, culture within any given society depends on the capacity of the members of that society to develop their potential. If the members of a society are not given the opportunity, democracy or culture is hard to establish.

He points out with fire in his eye that youth should work to understand the work around them, and strive to interpret its machinations. “The more you know about the world, the bigger your vocabulary will become, and the more you have to speak”.

“Our youth and so many of us are already in a prison, because of all the diversions we have. Yes, you can go to a rally – we live in society that allows you to be a revolutionary in the morning, and in the afternoon or evening, you can enjoy all the vices that all capitalism has to offer. Now that is a contradiction,” he said.

Shaping minds, a class at a time

After the Third World Strike of 1969, the UC Berkeley offered a position as a lecturer of Chicano Studies, an offer he accepted. He would later found Chicano Center—a place that taught students to critically examine the context of American society in relation to Mexican history, culture and the politics affecting the Chicano community. He taught them how art could mobilize a community.

Montoya would spend the next 40 years teaching at a number of institutions of higher learning such as the California College of Arts & Crafts, the University of Notre Dame, Stanford, and the UC Davis where he currently works as a professor of art.

“Everyday I’d have 30-to-40 students, and it was my job to make them aware of the injustices happening—and for someone who believes in social justice, it was a wonderful place to be,” he said.

The Fire Within

The drive behind Montoya’s work is not monetary. He refuses to sell his work for a profit, most of the time he just gives it away. He profits from what he considers triumphs of the human spirit: letters from his students, teachers or chance encounters with admirers of his work.

He tells a story of a man he met at an art exhibition at the Berkeley Art Center who was looking at a work he created for the San Quentin Prisoners Release in 1969, works of art dealing with the death penalty that occasionally tour in a show entitled “Premeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment, Recent Works by Malaquias Montoya.”

The man approached Montoya and told him what the piece meant to him, a story involving a stiff folded cardboard that was being passed around in prison. The cardboard being passed around turns out to be one of Montoya's prints.

“That was a very, very moving moment for me,” Montaya said.

“My work addresses issues that are affecting all of us, especially those living in the margins. I want my work to be empowering, to be accusatory art. Accuse whoever is responsible for the crimes being committed,” Montaya said of his work and what he wants it to convey. “(But I don’t just want to show) who is responsible, but how we can resolve the problem. You can’t get all those things at one time. But you hope your artwork can move people, that they could want to change, and that they (can be given) the opportunity for change.”

John Fortes and England Hidalgo at the SF Art Fair

2010-05-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the SFMOMA Artists Gallery is welcoming the SF Fine Art Fair with work by Don Ed Hardy, James Torlakson, Lewis Watts, Steve Allen, E.G. Crichton, Kirk Crippens, Laura Dufort, John Yoyogi Fortes, England Hidalgo, Terry Hoff, Misako Inaoka, Robert Ogata, and Adrienne Pao.

This weekend marks an exciting time in San Francisco, as from May 21-23 the SF Fine Art Fair shows off…fine art. Featuring so many artists we can’t name them all here, the event will also take over Fort mason Center’s SFMOMA’s Artist Gallery. They will kick things off with a preview this Thursday, May 20.

SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Building A, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

Congratulations John Fortes and England !

Time Travel

2010-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

i just had a chat with an old friend about how conversations about nothing seem to be the ones that really matter. so we reminisced on details of our lives and relived the past for about 3 hours.. remembering our endless talks at nights in college about....really, well.. nothing.

Tonight, with the heat and humidity here in manila, im really distracted and couldnt sleep. so i decided to look at old photos from the past year and recollect on some things...and while i do, i get seriously stricken by a kind of emotion that stirs - and, for who or what - i dont know.
mostly random thoughts and experiences.. the what if's and what haves -
..about the lessons and the wonder in taking risks.. and keeping some experiences to yourself... or about learning the sad stories of some friends who live their lives with prepared conclusions.

i am just thankful for the warmth of the feeling of "anticipation", an odd feeling that reminds me of the feeling of nostalgia .. or personnal experiences you never really expressed fully except with a camera.
there are things that i miss, others i haven't fully articulated, and some things that i sense hope in.. which i find in some photographs.
id like to share a couple-

not really talking about notre dame and its gothic ceilings

the confusion i feel about lavish wonder in this country

being able to witness the slight chance of risk when my brother in law jumped in the water

being envious of drivers, and the rustic decorations of jeepneys that are marked by long years of transit

missing the hours of preparation for each simple meal in my apartment and sharing it with friends and loved ones.

being amazed by sidewalk mini stores with random useless trinkets, that still somehow look like found treasures.

remembering how i found sacred some prayers. . and pews.. the silence in churches which i respected the house of god as i was told when i was little.

o my dear cafe trieste and cappucinos, talks with a good friend - reliving stories, and theories about what if's and nots, while old-time charmers-with-a-beatnik past amuses a passerby.

a gargoyle with dripping water, covered in rust -aged in time in barrio gotico barcelona.

and while im dripping in sweat and complaining of a broken fan - i reminisce about these fans in madrid spain, fans that i never bought thinking i'd find them again at the weekend market... saving my money for an emergency that never came.. thinking i'd bump into it again someday.. but i never did.
what was i thinking? it was just 3 euros.

looking on top of a ship in greece, i shouldve jumped at the red sea when i could've. but i didnt.

my dear high school friend who was always the driver in my adventures in quezon city - and at this moment, with my closest high school friends in santorini.

sculptures made of thin wires by a nameless guy in paris, a genius in the street creating delicate figures made by his hands.. some people cared - while most didnt.
to me, it was a spectacle i enjoyed to myself.

Singapura

2010-04-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

6 am breakfast. Coffee that reminded me of cafe con leche or tulan vietnamese coffe - and a pancake like no other - flour, eggs topped with sugar and peanuts. On the side is a delectable pastry - dry and flaky like hopia. Had a great experience with Singaporean cuisine.

Mix of hong kong, thai, malaysian, indian, vietnamese, pakistani cuisine. The hawker street food was delectable.

Realism in Asian Art, at the Singapore Art Museum

FX Harsono, Indonesia's new art movement of circa '75. Harsono had paintings, sculptures, & installations which seemed like a mixture of works taken from the past and present. I was so impressed with the New Art Movement of Indonesia of the 70' - reminded me of the fluxus' group.

possibly a comissioned graffiti at 'Old School' - compound where galleries live and grow, like Osage gallery

Public Art at 'Old School'. In reality though- had to climb a gazillion stairs to get to that place - quite appropriate.

New Art from South East Asia at Osage Gallery: Thai, Pinoy, Malay, Hong Kong, Indonesian and Singaporean conceptual artists.

Wouldnt mind living in Singapore - I could really relate to the art scene there. But the heat reminded England of the Philippines and he's like "It's so similar to Manila that I'd rather live in Manila". For myself - I loved the food, the conscience of a developing world, and a booming art scene which has a place for South East Asian school of thought and criticism.

Slide show at University of San Francisco

2010-03-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

above: Hieronymous Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503-1504

Painter Carlo Ricafort and myself were invited by Poet/Professor Barbara Jane Reyes to talk to her class about our Art Collective in the Bay Area, Kwatro-Kantos for her Filipino American Art Class at USF.

In turn, I've decided to create a slideshow for the class, called Subversive Semiotics and Post-Punk Aesthetics - just to give the kids a background of Subversive Semiotics (radical imagery) in Western Art History - and Visual Imagery of Punk Rock -
to serve as an intro (by showing the influences) of Kwatro-Kantos.
The composition of 4 painters and myself (art curator) based in the Bay Area (Carlo Ricafort, England Hidalgo, Mel Vera Cruz).

As you can see, Bosch was namedropped (but so are other fantastic works of art by artists like), Francis Bacon (portrait of Pope innocent x, below) , the gothic period (12th century), Dada cultural Movement (including Marcel Duchamp), the expressionists (edvard munch). I also defined Punk rock and gave examples of visual artists of that era like Raymond Pettibon and my Female idol Gee Voucher: image below.

It was a fantastic opportunity to share the influences of my collectives work . And create a line in history which says (Post Punk - Filipino and Filipino American).

(above: Juan Luna. Spoliarium, 1884).

(right side: Mel Vera Cruz, Ipis King, 2006)

A student asked why it was nihilistic - I obviously defined the artworks of England, Marcius, Carlo and Mel nihilistic. The student defines nihilistic as nonchalance-nothingness, and can't possibly comprehend how the moral issues painted on some of the convasses have nihilistic implications.
I explained that the aesthetic does not beg you to take it seriously... I mean, would you want to take an image of a modern day cockroach seriously?
The humor in post-punk is that the issues are so degrading, the citizens chaotic and unresponsive- that its' painstakingly funny - in a sadistic way - shitfaced and ugly, who needs a mirror? - apart from that there's existential consciousness - so I can't deny the fact that there's a pinhole of brilliance that's been poked by a Master from the Subversive Semiotic Past. Yeah, it's punk - undeniably..

Best,
Lian Ladia
March 2010

Amor Fati Reception

2010-01-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

My formula for what is great in humanity is amor fati: that one wants nothing otherwise, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely to bear what is necessary, still less to conceal it -- all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary -- but rather to love it. (Nietzche, Ecce Homo)

Amor Fati on January 8-February 8, 2010

2009-12-02T11:01:00.001-08:00

Amor Fati is latin for “love of fate”. The group exhibition at the Joyce Gordon Gallery represents artworks that have passion towards life. Parallel to turmoil, history and progress - is a creative process of color, narrative and subjectivity. This is when an artist comes in to deliberate, paint, and tell stories of justice, torment, truth or even chaos - to the devotion to "what is".

Participating Artists:
Malaquias Montoya, Carlos Villa,
Kwatro-Kantos (England Hidalgo, Marcius Noceda, Carlo Ricafort, Mel Vera Cruz,),MIJU (Michele Muennig & Juan Carlos Quintana), Favianna Rodriguez

nancy spero

2009-11-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

What an inspiriation. Somehow she found her way chronicling apocalyptical violence as well as representations of women from pre-history to present. Her painting tradition violated western tradition as well, her choice of valued medium and scale of framed paintings or her intervention pieces. She revealed work that was intense, intimate or sometimes shockingly political realities underlying in enduring myths.

Must be the post vietnam era - and the nuclear family of her time. She was born in 1926, and yet in an interview at the age revolving her 70's, she was so feminine, playful and just beaming - beaming with intensity and wonder.

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts

2009-10-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

Santiago Bose and Dia De Los Muertos

2009-10-11T20:25:00.001-07:00

Were installing an altar piece as a homage to Santiago Bose in the Dia De Los Muertos celebration at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.
I wonder if Santi and Frida will converse then -
I hope you can come and visit if you have the time. The gala reception is on November 2, Monday.

errr!

2009-10-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

Just feeling great over all. Loving my work, my boss, my life . . every tiny bit of it. I'm feeling so big, and endless and infinite, i could stretch far, wide and beyond.

Amor Fati

2009-09-14T17:02:00.001-07:00

My friend Hazel in the Louvre, Paris

I have been pondering lately on the death of all institutions. Like the name Philippines. It's fucking named after King Philip, someone who I have no affinity with. Within art, there is the rennaisance, the modernists, every fucking one that does not relate to me. The Louvre, Museo del prado, they are all housing relics. Relics that have no connection or meaning to my existence. Yet my senses are forced be "amazed" by them.
A guy came up to me and asked me if I was part of this society in his efforts to try to convince me to sign a petition, and i replied "no". he was quite puzzled and asked me how that is possible. I told him, "my own values deem it possible". I don't need to sign a piece of paper to validate my existence. Yes, all it takes is a direction. And all it takes is some silence to listen to yourself.
i have listened to myself and found out that the rest of the world live and die without knowing what they want or need for themselves. They follow the lead of the dictates of others. Buy this, do that, vote for this, go here, beware, attention.

I have a message: what could be good for them, may not work for you.

Death to references! I dont want to look back to other peoples HIS-STORY.
that's not my story. my story is more interesting than clamors of people clamoring at each other. My story includes names, ingredients to recipes, special trails, mixed tapes, paintings, photos, stories, travels, dreams, stories, real and fiction, angles, shadows, light, color - my stories include languages, music and blinks of madness, glimpses of my own awakening.

my story is my own and no one can take that from me.

Keukenhof

2009-07-02T23:55:00.001-07:00

My dad always mentioned stories about tulips and amsterdam and riding all over europe in an orange beatle with my mom. I finally saw the tulips early this year. Looking at the video, it hasn't changed a bit. and the memories and stories are more vibrant than seeing it live. but how satisfying to be able to walk into the stories of my father.
xoxo

vote for joyce gordon gallery

2009-07-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

theres just 2 of us working in the gallery and were both jumping for joy and making noise- but we cant do it alone!!
im so happy that we have been nominated at the eastbay express as the best art gallery together with johannson projects and proarts.
theres still time to vote! please support us ***
VOTE FOR US!!!

We'll be having an opening reception tomorrow! we dont have photography shows anymore, and this one shouldnt be missed.

The murder of Crows

2009-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

"The sleep of reason produces monsters", Plate 43 taken from Los Caprichos

"Le fantasia abandonada de la razon produces monstruos imposibles: unida con ella, es madre de las artes y origen de sus marabillas."
"Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels. " - Francisco Goya

Went to Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin where a sound installation was inspired by Goya's piece above (Janet Cardif and George Bures). The speakers where installed all over the room, and the echo of the birds and music reverberated throughout the room. It was overwhelming.
picture below:

More info on this link
See a video of the installation here

El Matador

2009-06-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sa Madrid- hindi ko masyado nagustuhan ang laro, nakaka depress, katayan pala ang magiging pangyayari - nagulat ako. Pero maganda ang arena. Ang daming matatandang nanunuod, Siguro dahil matandang tradisyon na ito. Sa labas ang daming ngtitinda ng mani,candy, posters, keychains, laruan.

Prague

2009-06-10T12:11:00.001-07:00

Sarah sa praha

Paraiso

2009-04-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Kapirasong Paraiso sa Puerto Princesa at Sabang.
Maligayang Kaarawan kuya, mahal na mahal ka namin.

Paputok

2009-03-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

(litrato ni Manuel Alvarez Bravo)

DULZURA
pumuputok at naglalarong umiikot ikot
ang nangu nguliglig na tunog ng poot,
karanasan, kaligayahan,
kapayapaan, at pag-ibig.
Dulot ng paglatag ng abo sa lupa
ang huni ng kalwalhatian.
Nanahimik ang buong baranggay
pagkatapos ng pinakamalakas na rebentador.
Ilang oras din ang nakalipas bago nadinig
sa wakas ang talumpati ng mga sikada.

doroteo jose

2009-03-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Pagkababa sa mrt, hinanap ko ang doroteo jose. Dito daw sasakay kung gusto kong makarating sa UN Ave. Papalakad, may nakita akong mga tabloid na BULGAR, sayang di ko nadala ang camera ko. Konting lakad pa, merong binebenta na mga pomkan, limang piso. Gusto ko sanang bumili, pero lakad parin. Pagkita ko sa ticket station, tinanong ko kung ano ang sasakyan papuntang UN ave., Sinabihan akong umakyat ng hagdanan papunta sa pinaka mataas na tawiran pa kabila.
Umakyat ako ng hagdanan. Pagdating ko sa tuktok, tumawid ako ng maliit na tulay.
Ang ganda sa gitna.
Bigla kong nakita ang tagpuan ng pagkakataon. "dun tayo magkita sa taas ng doroteo jose". habang nag aantay, makikita mo ang nalalabi na mga lansangan at mga daan. Mga tuktok ng building kung saan may basketbolan. Mga lalakeng tumatakbo sa magkabilang panig, mga tambay na saksi sa laro. Eto ako tumitingin sa malayo, pinagmamasdan ang paligid.
Sa baba, magkahiwalay ang mga babae at lalake sa LRT na parang may malisya. Baka mgkahipuan, mahirap na dahil siksikan. Gamit ko ang malaki kong bag pang hawi sa mga tao, pang harang sa naniniksik, hawak ko ang zipper, kupkop ko ang cellphone, inaalagaang walang aagaw.
Pagkababa sa UN, sa may bilihan ng mani, pwede ka din magpagawa ng cedula. sa bilihan ng bayabas, pwede ka ding magpa load ng text, 20-30-50-100, kahit gano kaliit o kalaki, ilista mo lang ang numero ng cellphone mo sa papel, i te text sayo ang load. ganon lang ka simple.
Ngpara ako ng pedicab, "Boss sa instituto cervantes", "AY alam ko po yon sa dulo pa yon!" sagot ng batang lalakeng may hawak-hawak pa ng supot ng buko juice habang pa gewang gewang na nilalapit ang pedicab. Pare pareho ang porma ng mga bisikleta, mukhang mga BMX, pero may ibang mga pedicab na may motor ng tricycle. Bisikleta na may motor ng tricycle. Pare pareho din ang porma ng mga batang driver, may kulay ang buhok, kumakain/ngumunguya, nakikipag sabayan sa gitna ng daan... mga batang driver ng pedicab sa ermita. Bumaba ako sa spanish cultural center, automatic na bumukas ang sliding door, binati ako ng receptionist ng "Holla, Buenos Tardes". Pinagbigayan ko ang Receptionist, sinuklian ko ng ngiti ang pagbati nya. Tinanong ko kung saan ang library.
Pagkuha ko ng mga libro tungkol sa Segovia, Andalucia, Toledo, iniisip ko padin ang tulay sa tuktok ng doroteo jose. Kung sakaling ako ang magaantay, kaya kong mag-antay. Ang daming pwedeng kwento sa mabagal na pagmamasid-masid ng buhay-buhay ng iba mula sa mataas na dungawan.

Sampaguita

2009-03-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Time flies

2009-03-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

I'm 30 and Diego's turning 13. time flies. Luis says he may not be a teen yet but he's a tween - he's insists that his age (10) is a double digit number. Yeah right Luis, youre still our baby.

swimming

2009-02-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

paroon

2009-02-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

Asimilasyon Radikal, post punk aesthetics!

2009-02-06T02:56:00.001-08:00

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Papa

2009-02-03T18:43:00.001-08:00

Nothing can describe the honor of having known you, nor the loss I have yet to settle within this prison of a flesh in this body. I love you so much I am willing to say : It's okay - that you have to go. Now, I can just imagine how healthy you are.. running like you did years ago. There is still the quiet rage I have yet to tame, but never anger, only the rage you lit from the inspiration you bestowed. I love you, and you know that, and everybody who knows me and knows all about me knows that too. Until we meet again my dear Papa. Heres to you and everyone you have inspired.. A span of 66 years, whose memory will last for more than one's lifetime. Salud!

Chronicle

2008-12-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Hey! vampira received an awesome review at the chronicle on christmas day!
Check it :
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/24/NSPV14SO31.DTL

Vampira

2008-12-18T17:26:00.001-08:00

Vampira
With works by: French & Diva
@ double punch gallery
December 27 – February 1 2009
Reception: December 27, Saturday, 6-10pm
1821 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
415.399.9785
http://www.doublepunch.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO – December 8, 2008 – double punch gallery enters the holiday season by offering Morbid romance. Curated by Lian Ladia, “Vampira” is about the works of UK based artist, French and Barcelona’s new phenomena, Diva.

Based on a scene at Italian Horror movie, “Phenomena” – French and Diva’s curated collaboration is loosely based on the romantic gore aesthetic of Dario Argento and the music of metal. Imagine the horrifying image of a Swedish school girl (played by Jennifer Connely) falling into a pool of decaying, maggot infested bodies while the metal band, Motorhead plays as the soundtrack.

French’s drawings clearly represents gore as he outlines rotting carcass with his work on paper. His work ha been featured on the cover of albums and posters of Metal bands as well as the back of skateboard decks.

Diva’s feminine and romantic morbid aesthetic completes the narrative of the show. Her work using lace transforms into the lewd textures of moss, spider web and snakeskin. Her photographs and female figures haunts and climaxes into sweet delirium.

double punch gallery is at the heart of northbeach. It is a space where art, collectibles and designer toys collide .

http://www.doublepunch.com
http://www.tapedcopies.com
http://elmundodediva.blogspot.com/

my drinking bud

2008-12-11T02:02:00.000-08:00

for the longest time i had with me a recycled glass jar which i picked up, cleaned, scraped, sparkly used- and carried with me on my backpack wherever i went.
it is with great demise that i share with you the loss of having it break this morning.
it slipped in my hands while i was in a hurry.
i had a flat tire , had a long morning going to work and once i got there- just needed to get that bottle out of my bag.. fast - and slip it went, right through my hands. the bottle went straight for the cold hard floor and then break... spilled my cold refrigerated water in the floor.
we had great times, that jar and I.
even if he/she/it was came from god knows where - $1.50 bottle of juice from berkeley bowl or a liquor store -
i still scraped him/her/it up - in hot water, for a good 10-15min. steamed it with a tea kettle too so the corporate paper label would peel off quite easily.
my companion wherever i went - on lunch breaks, had a tea bag and would get hot water at a cafe- i carried it with dignity - at work, in a cafe ( i dare not order drinks.. duh i had my own!), or in a friends apartment ( i dare not take the offer for drinks...duh i got my own)... or at work...(i dare not take the offer of fresh brewed coffee...i have OJ on my bag duhh).. but now - o well. my heart aches remembering the pieces of glass i scraped off with a broom to clean up the mess it left... .. off it went to the trash can.. yup all broken down into tiny bits of glass that could seriously hurt anyone who would dare step on it.

here's a pic of me and my drinking bud - it carried hot steaming green tea at the james turrel installation at the de young.
yeah thanks again alvin for this pic, sell it to me for a couple dollars- i might actually buy it from you no kiddin'.

dejavu

2008-12-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

whenever i listen to this, i remember times when i thought i was discovering things i shouldnt have.

Asimilasyon Radikal

2008-11-30T01:44:00.000-08:00

PROLOGUE
Hello Manuel
Our bbq looked very promising.
i felt like a hypocite, i'm the worst when it comes
to blah blah's
i was very shy and did not talk much. the food was
awful
however, the energy was good.
everyone looked very excited and thirsty.

We are compelled to follow through - and we won't
stop.

Our next show will be on May 3, here in Oakland. It
will be called TRAIDOR -
The show will be about the struggle in trying to
present artwork about a sabotaged history while still
being attached to a comodified world. There is
something so ironic and unreal when it comes to art
exhibition (art and commodity). It is quite a process
that every artist has to go through. The struggle and
shame in being an exhibitionist of "the art world",
and the compulsion to swallow your pride. It's quite
hilarious actually.
we will be showing in a gallery with a bad reputation,
it will be dandy.

We will be having small shows and gatherings now and
then to prepare us for our trip to the Philippines.
Like I said, we will be exhibiting in CCP. Hopefully
by that time, our works have progressed. This will be
either on June or October of 2008.
The show in CCP will go beyond the group on the
website, it will integrate other artists that have
influenced us, or have influenced each other. These
artists are part of a wave in history that have
undergone a period of nihilism. The catharsis was
your time actually -
A time of cultural exorcism.
A friend of mine just had a conversation about
"exorcism" while riding the muni. I read that word in
one of your books and he mentioned that this
particular time (in relation to what we have going in
in Oakland) - the horror is being resurrected because
the spirit of the terror in our history will not be
tamed. It is like a ghost that will not be silenced.

however, I do believe that we have plateaud. As a
matter of fact - the graph has gone to another
direction as I speak (paintings of mutation, figures
and shapes of hybrids and the fragrance of the
grotesque) -
we are definitely moving forward and getting
somewhere.

BUT LET ME tell you something about CCP -

The show in CCP is an exploration of a period were
there was a different approach to aesthetics.
If Doestoyevsky or Turgenev provided Characters as a
drape to Russian morality
in post-identity period of
their history. Comparatively speaking, I would say
the group of painters in CCP would mark a specific
approach to aesthetic, criticism and ethics in visual
arts in the Philippines.
A response to a sabotaged history, calloused hedonism
and a desire to annihilate all forms of value systems
through philosophical trends of deconstruction and
existentialism.

The result would be what we are now, comitted
individuals who are bridging theory and practice.

However, I do believe that period in time was very
valuable and needs to be brought to the Philippines,
and who knows there may be some exchange that can take
place while these painters go back to the motherland
to further develop their work. I'm still trying to
develop the concept and do more research.. If you have
any thoughts, ideas please don't hesitate to blurt
them
out! We are not here to be polite!

So glad to hear from you ...

Lian

EPILOGUE:FastFORWARD>>>>
Jan 22-Feb 22 2009
2nd Floor hallway, Pasilyo Vicente Manansala and 3rd Floor hallway, Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino, CCP, Roxas Boulveard, Manila, Philippines.

Asimilasyon Radikal, post-punk aesthetics presents the work of Filipino painters whose work emerged from 1980’s to the late 1990’s. This exhibition represents a unique complex aesthetic amongst artists from this period who started to experiment with more challenging structures, nihilisitic themes or self-conscious art-based image - Retaining punk’s initial iconoclastic stance of having a tumultuous relationship in popular culture, a struggle to resist commercialization and appropriation in History.

Andres Barrioquinto, Santioago Bose, Alfred Esquillo, Romeo Lee, Robert Langenegger, Kwatro-Kantos (Mel Vera Cruz, England Hidalgo, Marcius Noceda and Carlo Ricafort).

better than mtv, yr. 1944

2008-11-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've probably watched this video forty times no kidding, i've forwarded this to everyone... including those who I havent spoken to in years. I just cant help but share the joy! Imagine circa 1944... there were no special effects in editing so they used photography.
the best cinematography in any jazz on film. It maintained the fact that it's raw, live PLUS it's Lester young ladies and gents... jamming the blues.

hello!

2008-10-27T19:28:00.001-07:00

hey its my family, so glad to see you! the two doctors, dr. ladia, and dr. ladia-macabulos. xoxo

stoked

2008-10-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

i have the most fondest memories, wearing my green hat..
riding a finely tuned bike, and crossing oakland to berkeley.
its a great feeling to ride the bus lines less and less and ride my bike more and more.
hey i found the easiest route to the gourmet ghetto from 4th st.
Take virginia st! conveniently called, Bike boulevard, don't be fooled by the slight uphill going to martin luther king.
and did you know.. DID you kNoOW THAT theres a farmers market there on thursdays??
yup yellow watermelons, white peaches, cherry tomatoes, long stemmed strawberries.
as nina simone would say : MissiSipi godDamn! (and i mean every word of it).
photo by alvin daluyaya

Diva & French

2008-10-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

December proves to be a Morbid christmas for double punch as we're preparing a show to have Diva and French together. This will be inspired by Dario Argento's Phenomena and some kind of Metal.
I'm thinking if I should stick to the title.... The working title is Vampira... hmmm..huh> pwede na pwede nadin...

Diego and his poem

2008-10-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

My nephew Diego had to create a haiku for class, love it to pieces -
missing my two nephews, diego and luis xoxo

i love my bike

2008-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

January 22, 2009 Cultural Center of the Philippines

2008-09-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

2 to 3 years of hard work.

Oakland

2008-08-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Photo by Kat Nyberg

ive been spending most of my time here and really liking it.
i have been helping this one woman run her gallery and all ive seen is pure wonder.
she's a beautiful lady with pure taste and style.
Her gallery has been running for 5 years... 5 years hanging on a thread, holding her head high, batting her lashes, wowing other people, inspiring her block, having her name known in town, having writers, sculptors and photographers create something for her space.
she is just pure wonder and i'm learning so much.
this culture, this time, this place, this woman, is all embodied in downtown oakland.

Ginibang Diwa

2008-08-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

john fortes

mel vera cruz

21 grand install

so excited for the show.... grrr...
stole these photos from jyf's awesome blog

pops

2008-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

miss you so much, can't wait to go home.

SF

2008-07-28T11:22:00.001-07:00

photos by Ryan McGinley

balik nanaman dito.. dito na yata ako tumanda.

sarap buhay

2008-07-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

salamat lui sa pic-props to nel too for telling me about it.
xoxo

Sta. Mesa

2008-07-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sa jeep papuntang SM/Sta. Mesa, lumiko ang driver..
Lian: Bossing, sa sta. mesa to' diba?
Driver: Oo, pero kakain muna ako e..
Lian: ha?
Driver: kain tayo!
Lian: ha? hehe sige boss, tenk you nalang!

21 Grand

2008-07-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

presents

Kwatro-Kantos
August 15-Sept 13
Reception: Sept 5
416 25th St. (at Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-7263

Filipino Collective Kwatro-Kantos (England Hidalgo, Lian Ladia, Marcius Noceda, Carlo Ricafort, Mel Vera Cruz) will squat on the grounds of the physical space of 21 grand in Oakland and explore it as a structure of relations both as a social environment and as a field of action. By use of paintings, sculpture, installation and video, the collective will also invite guest artist John Fortes to integrate his work with the environment that they have created.
Kwatro-Kantos will be creating a morning-after- destruction, and exploration of rectitude and composition.
Breaking institutions yet working collaboratively, Kwatro-Kantos utilizes collective effort to break didactic thought and cut chains loose.

21 Grand is at the heart of the Oakland art murmur. It is an interdisciplinary arts space championing innovative visual and performing arts since 2000.

Mr. Romeo Lee

2008-07-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

ROMEO LEE with MANUEL OCAMPO It's a Man's World Part II, 2006, Oil on Canvas, 76.2 cm x 61.6 cm

I'm going to get that painting someday.

Bohol

2008-06-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

nagpupumiglas at sumisilip-silip ang buong katotohanan. paano pipigilan ang buka ng bibig, ang buhos ng ulan, ang ulap sa bundok, ang nangangalawang na kasangkapan, ang mga alala ng pagkabata, ang buntong-hininga?

Mangingisda

2008-06-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Mabangis ang pananghalian ng mga mababangis.

Toma

2008-06-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

He said he was the kind of guy who'd work hard and feel that he deserved all that alcohol at the end of the week.

Astig

2008-05-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

portraits amidst quiapo, May 2008

Tres Amigos

2008-04-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

My dad and his two grandsons.
Isang araw, inilabas ni Rodrigo ang mga apo nya, si Diego at Luis.

Lolo took his grandsons to the aquarium.
Ang daming isda!

Pa, where will you take them to eat?
"Sa turo-turo, para matikman naman nila."

muzak

2008-04-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

revisted my infatuation for the pixies, sugarcubes, sonic youth and the breeders.
bizarre, violent and melodic, saccharine!

boom!

2008-04-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

a firecracker factory exploded itself to oblivion and Hazel and myself were witnesses while driving at NLEX. its not everyday that i see an explosion happen, it was quite breathtaking.

marie claire

2008-04-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

doing some art directing for marie claire.. great team of ladies... humble, talented, funny and very smart women in da house!

market market

2008-04-15T04:58:00.001-07:00

Fort Bonifacio..

Ricci

2008-04-09T08:12:00.001-07:00

Nerissa Del Carmen Guevara at blanc gallery, 2008

Of course I remember malate..
walking barefoot, bubbles in the
air, swirling cigarette smokes,
breathing hi hello again.

Lucky

2008-04-09T08:07:00.001-07:00

I feel so lucky to have worked with Isabel Roces. talk about beautiful,

Sid Gomez Hildawa

2008-03-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sid Gomez Hildawa, Dream Houses of People Who Live with Their Parents, Installation, 7th Havana Bienialle, 2000

Mr. Hildawa, of last year, Mr. Hildawa of our phone conversation. Mr. Hildawa of the kind invitation. Mr. Hildawa of 45 years, I will celebrate your life and your works. Thank you for the book, your words, your empathy.. for the inspiration.
For poets, painters and architects - for the rare combination -

Set Design for Act Three
I will stage the remainder of my life
this way: black iron stairs spiraling
to upper floor, leaving behind all
clutter at ground. Upstairs, white.
White plastered walls and cathedral
ceiling; floor of tongue-and-groove
planks, six inches wide, bleached.
Large frosted windows at both ends,
north and south, draped with sheets
of canvas like thin slices of sunrise.
By the brighter end, a potted cactus
to soak in the filtered light. Slightly
off center, a weathered boat for a bed,
with bamboo outrigger to the floor's
wooden lake. And a bare bulb hanging
low from the ceiling to lure by next dawn
the errant fish. In case it comes.
-Sid Gomez Hildawa

up los banos

2008-03-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

mga araw na ginto.

prosisyon

2008-03-23T08:37:00.001-07:00