EXPOSING THE FACE IN THE AGE OF MEMES

EXPOSING THE FACE IN THE AGE OF MEMES

(or do you really need to use a photograph to drive a point)

17 April 2015

“As a visual artist, one cannot run away from storytelling.” That statement was part of the exhibition notes/curatorial statement I wrote for my seventh one-man exhibition titled Dramatis Personae held at the Baguio Museum in January 2014. In the said exhibition, I mounted a series of paintings which I assembled as a cast of characters as each character becomes the storyteller by themselves. I focused on the face as the main platform of the exhibition because I believe that the face is a dominant and influential instrument of interaction and communication.

So much faces were used as models by artists of the past and the present. The most prominent remains to be that of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Yet know ones know the real person behind the face of the Mona Lisa even until da Vinci’s death. It took centuries to learn that it was that of Lisa of Gioconda. Rembrandt, the Dutch master, became very notable with his portraiture. To trim down a list of masters who used faces as subjects would be hard but that would include Van Dyke, Sir Henry Raeburn, Ingres, J. L. Davis, William McGregor Paxton and William Adolpe Bouguereau. Carravagio painted the much-talked about Girl with the Pearl Earring. Who owns the face of the girl? It was Carravagio’s “housemaid.” So popular was the painting that a cinematic rendition with the same title was released and Scarlet Johansson played the part. Time and again artists would attempt to paint a rendition of the face of Jesus although his face was never really recorded.

THE SUBSTANCE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 1

THE SUBSTANCE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 1

15 April 2015

Statement of the Problem.

What is wrong with Executive Order No. 1?

Know the facts.

At the onset, three things must be clearly understood. First, the 2001 Revised Constitution of the University of the East Studentry is defective and is in urgent need of amending. It is the reason why Kapit-Bisig ng Mag-aaral sa Pamantasan ng Silangan (KAMPS), otherwise known as Kapit-Bisig, started to actively initiate the call to amend. Second, the current 2001 Constitution which superceded the 1987 Studentry Constitution was clearly patterned after the Kapit-Bisig ng Party Alliance Constitution (KBPA) of the late 80s. Nobody uses the phase “nationalist, scientific and mass-oriented system of education” during that time except those who have been branded as “activists and militants.” Third, the first student council constitution was approved in a plebiscite by the studentry in 10 August 1983, Wednesday, under the term of Kapit-Bisig standard bearer and now Congressman Ben Evardone (see DAWN, Vol. XVII No. 6). That success can only be claimed by the Alyansa ng Mag-aaral sa Pamantasan ng Silangan (AMPS) and the Kapit-Bisig ng Mag-aaral at Sambayanan which is the original name of Kapit-Bisig. Both organizations became the backbone of the present UE Kapit-Bisig Alumni Association Inc.

THE BASHING OF RINA LORRAINE CABUG

THE BASHING OF RINA LORRAINE CABUG

14 April 2015

In the past two weeks it has come to my attention that the Kapit-Bisig ng Mag-aaral sa Pamantasan ng Silangan, otherwise known as Kapit-Bisig, has started to actively initiate the call to amend the University of the East Student Council Constitution. This came after I said yes to their request for assistance to introduce officers and members of the organization to my personal network of contacts in the arts scene and business circle. It was in line with their plans of conducting a series of relevant seminars/trainings/workshops/fora which they intend to initiate within their organization and, hopefully, inside the Manila campus for the studentry to participate and benefit. During the past days, in my free time from working as a visual artist, I would meet with some officers and members of the organization and take them to meet personalities who have assured them of support in their prospective projects.

POSITIVE

POSITIVE
09 April 2015
Ballet Philippines, CCP

Members of the Kapit-Bisig ng Mag-aaral sa Pamantasan ng Silangan during the exploratory talks and planning session with Ms. Jenny Bonto, former Executive Director and now the Marketing Director of Ballet Philippines. The meeting was in line with the Ballet Philippines production of Positive, a proposed project collaboration with Kapit-Bisig. Present during the meeting last 09 April 2015 were Judessa Mai Yebra Lorente, Rojanie Mauricio, Rina Lorraine Zapanta Cabug, John Michael Timosa, and Chad Justin Lucido.