Figure 5.3.

Detail of Crucifixion, Stations of the Cross mural by Vicente Manansala

Inaugurated in 1955, the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman is credited

as the first Catholic Church in the country to employ a circular architecture with
a thin shell dome. Complex mathematical computations along with the rising
popularity of concrete as building material enabled the sleek rounded church
construction. It departed from the rectangular configuration of most churches
consisting of structures with a transept and nave. Leandro Locsin’s (awarded 1990)
architectural vision that drew inspiration from the spirit of the times. Reminiscent
of a flying saucer, the spherical structure indicated a keen interest in space travel;
and the advancements in science and technology in the 1950s.
The Church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark as well as a Cultural
Treasure by the National Historical Institute (now known as the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines) and by the National Museum, respectively. It
consolidates the works of five National Artists: Locsin for architecture and four
other modernists in the visual arts, whose works are found inside the chapel.
Hanging above the circular altar positioned at the center is a double-sided crucifix
carved in hardwood by Abueva. One side of the crucifix depicts Christ crucified,
while an image of the resurrected Christ is on the other vantage point. Another
work done in the modernist style is a terrazzo floor work by Arturo Luz (awarded
1997) suggesting flowing rivers that terminate in the altar as a whirling pattern of
planar forms. Stylistically, the use of flat and angular shapes finds resonance in the
15 Stations of the Cross, which are murals painted by Vicente Manansala (awarded
1981) with the assistance of Ang Kiukok (awarded 2001). Christ and characters
surrounding his passion are represented with mildly distorted figures—limbs are
elongated, and volume is suggested through solid, hard-edged shapes, lending
the compositions a cubist quality. This cutting-edge structure of the period housed
a performance in 1968 led by the equally avant-garde composer, musician, and
ethnomusicologist Jose Maceda (awarded 1997) who was eventually proclaimed
National Artist for Music. Maceda’s Pagsamba involved a hundred mixed voices,

68 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

indigenous musical instruments such as bamboo buzzers, clappers, and whistle
flutes; while incorporating a prayer sung in Tagalog. He also founded the UP
Center for Ethnomusicology, where he donated his precious collections of sound
recordings, field notes, and other materials on ethnomusicology in the Philippines
and Southeast Asia. For its significance, the Maceda Archives received recognition
from the UNESCO Memory of the World.

B. Translations and Collaborative Works of National Artists

Figure 5.4. Film Still from Genghis Khan played and directed by Manuel Conde, set and costume
design by Carlos Francisco

While artists may create work independently, artistic collaborations help

develop projects involving elaborate production work, as in the case of film or
theater. The actor, filmmaker, and producer Manuel Conde (awarded 2009) worked
with Carlos V. Francisco (awarded 1973) in many of his films. One of these films was
the acclaimed Genghis Khan,1950, which told the epic adventure of a Mongolian
conqueror. This was filmed in Francisco’s native Angono. Although more known
for his magisterial murals, Francisco’s imaginative production design likewise
enriched Conde’s cinematic vision. The film was screened in many film festivals
abroad and translated into 16 languages for international distribution, the most
recent of which was at the 2015 Venice Biennale. On the other hand, the pop-rock
opera Tales of the Manuvu performed at the CCP in 1985 also benefitted from the
efforts of several National Artists. Recounting the origins of the Manobo people,
the scholar, poet, and teacher Bienvenido Lumbera, National Artist for Literature
(awarded 2006) wrote the libretto, while National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes
(awarded 2014), founder of Ballet Philippines, choreographed the performance.

UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING

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 National Artist for Theater Salvador Bernal (awarded 2003) took charge of the
costume and set design. It reflected a confluence of genres normally perceived as
belonging to different realms: ballet and opera on the one hand, popular music
and folk culture, on the other. One of the songs popularized by this production is
Noong Unang Panahon, a melancholic reminiscence of ecological transformation,
still compelling in today’s context. You may view the lyrics of the song through
this website: http://www.opmtunes.com/songs/l/leah-navarro-noong-unang-
panahon.html.
Narratives in existing literary works sometimes become the basis of moving
images and the performing arts. The combined drawings and stories popularized
by the prolific Francisco V. Coching (awarded 2014) in comics, have inspired
filmmakers to create adaptations on the big screen. Before the emergence of the
so-called fantaserye (fantasy series) on national television in the late nineties for
example, the young superhero Pedro Penduko first appeared in Coching’s work in
Liwayway comics, and animated into film by Gerardo de Leon, National Artist for
Film (awarded 1982) in 1954. In the same decade, the poet, novelist, and playwright
National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin (awarded 1976) wrote A Portrait of the
Artist as Filipino, 1950. The story revolves around a painting of the same title,
dedicated by a crippled artist to his two unmarried daughters, Candida and Paula.
The said painting calls the attention of characters that take interest in the work of
the once famous artist, and who give their varied appraisals of the work. Set in pre-
war Intramuros, the play forwards concerns about the value of art and the plight
of artists and the nostalgia for “peace” and glory days in Manila. This was adapted
for film in 1965 by Lamberto Avellana, National Artist for Film (awarded 1976). His
wife and collaborator, the actress, director, and writer Daisy Hontiveros Avellana,
National Artist for Theater (awarded 1999) played the lead character (Candida
Marasigan) in both film and theater.

FAQ What are some issues surrounding the NAA?

The works of National Artists are explorations about Filipino culture and
identity, as expressed creatively through varied styles and artistic mediums.
The artists’ technical excellence and outstanding vision are forged through
a strong commitment to their respective practices. They turn out to be profound
thinkers who may well be innovative, open to experiment, and inclined toward
engaging with people. The latter may pertain to fellow practitioners or to
members of the public beyond the “art world.” As we have seen in some of the
examples, several artists take on multiple roles as teachers, founders of collectives,
or community organizers.
The institutionalization of the NAA spans roughly four decades. Perhaps it is
an opportune moment to reevaluate what the award means to us today. We could,
for instance, think about how the term “national” is interpreted and exemplified
by the works of artists. We could return to the history of the award back to the
Modern period in Philippine Art History discussed in Lesson 2 and ask about the
kind of values and forms an idea of nation privileges. In the same vein, we could
also think about what it excludes. The NAA the GAMABA are channels of validation
that contribute to the creation of art history.

70 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

 Look at the roster of National Artists closely. What category has the highest number of
women and what category does not have a single woman artist? How many artists are
from Manila, and how many from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao? How many are Muslim
artists?

In 2009, we might recall from news reports that artists marched on the streets
to protest the insertion of four additional names and removal of one name from
the roster of National Artists conveyed to Malacañang by the Cultural Center of
the Philippines. National Artist Ramon P. Santos (awarded in 2014) was initially
removed from the 2009 list despite having gone through the proper selection
process. The Palace exercised its controversial “presidential prerogative” over the
final list of awardees. That the adding of names exempted from the supposedly
rigid selection process caused such furor suggests the presence of an engaged or
critical public. Even though the NAA rests on the elite authority of the award-giving
bodies, we note how the public questioned and demanded a judicious selection
process in order to uphold dignity in the award. The case went all the way up to
the Supreme Court and the cooperative effort between past awardees and cultural
workers in an act of resistance to the 2009 proclamation demonstrates how the
public can wield power as stakeholders of culture and the arts. In 2013, the SC
issued its decision to invalidate the questionable conferment of the NAA to Carlo J.
Caparas and three other awardees. Moreover, the SC has ruled against any further
exercise of presidential prerogative in relation to awardees who did not undergo
the appropriate vetting process.
For a complete list of National Artists (until 2014), you may visit
http://www.gov.ph/lists/national-artists-of-the-philippines/.

Since its establishment in 1972, the NAA has institutionalized awards in the
areas of architecture, design, and allied arts, film and broadcast arts, visual arts,
literature, dance, music, and theater. We learned about artists whose practice
peaked during the so-called Modern period and we looked at their works that
have a greater public dimension, such as those produced collaboratively or in
TMLSS the context of a campus. While the government and institutions retain the power
to “validate” or name an individual as a “National Artist”, we have also seen how
power can be negotiated, as exemplified in the series of movements by the public
that approached the issue of the award system in 2009.

Much like in the last lesson, imagine yourself collaborating on your Creation
Story with a National Artist or National Artists in the various mediums—film, visual
arts, music, theater, dance, etc. What artworks or projects of the artist do you have
in mind? What are your reasons for selecting the artist? What do you like the most
about his/her works? How do you incorporate this artwork into your developing
D-I-Y version? Are you going to modify the work? Create another version of the art piece

UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING

71
 you have selected? Animate it? If it is ballet, do you mix it or turn it into hip-hop?
Expand or modify the comic strips that you started in Lesson 2, as you see fit. That
is your developing storyboard.

i. How do works of National Artists alter one’s impression of place? How does
a location that features the works of one or several national artists affect the
way we value that place?
ii. What other disciplines or forms do you think should be addressed by the
PIN IT NAA? List them down and explain why you think these should be added.
iii. With your group, think about a National Artist who you would like to work
with on an art project on. Research about the life and works of the artist that
the group selected. Discuss the following:
a. What does it take to be a National Artist?
b. What qualities should he or she possess?
v. With a partner, think about how you can represent an “ideal” artist. You may:
a. create a drawing/painting/soft sculpture (using commercial clay,
textiles, and cotton, paper, etc.);
b. make an avatar using a computer program or application (app); or
c. perform a monologue/skit in class.

Watch Kuwadro, (2002) a CCP-produced documentary on National Artists

Francisco Arcellana, Daisy Avellana, Leonor Goquingco, Jose Maceda, and Lucio
San Pedro. Ask the students how the artists were portrayed in the video. What
were their important contributions to the Philippine art and culture?
Go on a field trip to UP Diliman campus to see the works of artists being
LEVEL UP discussed above. Another option is to visit Far Eastern University campus to view
the works of National Artists Pablo Antonio (awarded 1976) for the Art Deco
buildings, Vicente Manansala for the sculpture-tableau in the main grounds and
mosaic work at the façade of the university chapel, and Carlos Francisco for the
chapel murals. In Baguio, the BenCab Museum is also a very good place to visit.
Apart from presenting sample work of several National Artists, the museum has
a massive collection of bulul sculptures and works by his fellow National Artists.
The Museum also has a temporary exhibition space where you can view works by
artists from Baguio and other provinces within and beyond the Cordilleras.

72 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

 Cañete, Reuben. 2004. Pasyal: Walking Around UP Diliman. Patrick D. Flores, ed,
UP OICA.
Flores, Patrick D. 2008. Telling Modern Time: Botong Francisco Coching, Vibal
Foundation.
TL; DR Lico, Gerard. 2008. Arkitekturang Filipino, UP Press.
Tiongson, Nicanor. 2007. Salvador F. Bernal: Designing the Stage, NCCA.

UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING

73
 LESSON 6: SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INSTITUTIONS, AND INITIATIVES
ACROSS THE REGIONS

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

• identify your local support systems in art production, distribution, and
reception through a cultural mapping research project;
• elaborate on how support systems imbue value upon art through a creative
output based on the cultural mapping research project; and
QUEST
• recognize the efforts of art collectives and organizations through the
abovementioned cultural mapping project .

FLAG

patronage
CHAT ROOM
art market
media
schools and universities
state-sponsored institutions and platforms
artist collectives
artist-initiated residencies
museums
alternative spaces
curation
festival

In the previous lessons, we scanned the historical, cultural, and political

contexts of contemporary art. We learned that the making of art does not take
place in a vacuum, but is shaped by its various contexts. In this lesson, we zero in
on the institutions that make up the support systems that shape the forms and
meanings of art. This lesson will also take us outside the classroom through a
THREAD cultural mapping project that will make us realize there is often a wide range of
cultural assets and resources in the community. Cultural mapping visualizes these
assets. A student’s contemporary art production based on cultural assets of the
community helps promote creativity as well as pride of place.

74 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

FAQ What do we mean by Support System of the Arts?
Support systems of the arts include (a) institutions (b) organizations and
collectives (c) media and (d) alternative platforms. These support systems provide
the environment for facilitating production and the circulation or distribution
of art. Historically, as we have seen in the historical overview and the lesson on
contexts, support systems are often linked to patronage. In Lesson 2 we learned
about how the patronage of the Church and the Colonial State provided the
impetus for the production of religious images especially from the 16th to early
nineteenth centuries, for example.
Today, as artists and cultural workers exercise their agency or self-will in their
respective practices, much has changed in today’s landscape of support systems.
The latter creates a public for art by initiating events and activities that are not
necessarily about money exchange. These newer type of support systems ensure
that artworks become more accessible to the so-called art world and the broader
public. We may again recall from previous lessons how artists’ organizations such
as the Art Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Art Gallery helped form
a public for Modern Art in the 1950s. They held exhibitions and competitions in
support of works that the viewers were not very much acquainted with at that
time. Today, as will be discussed below, there are many other organizations and
initiatives run by artists, with little – if at all – support or patronage from the State,
or collectors.

FAQ What are the different types of institutions, organizations, and platforms?
Support systems can be government-initiated, community or municipality-
based, privately supported, university oriented, artist-run, or Internet-based.
They can also be combinations of these. Collectives and artist organizations are
composed of individuals who share similar or related practices. They are committed
to experiment and develop their particular forms. The Anino Shadowplay
Collective and the Sipat Lawin Ensemble are groups that challenge our concepts
of theatre productions by mixing up performative media and even trying out new
modes of public engagement. Organizations can also emphasize their regional
affiliation, as in the Black Artists of Asia which, at its height were made up of artists
from Negros. Groups like the Southern Tagalog Exposure find a common thread in
the members’shared ideology. Pursuing progressive as well as digital media, their
material is configured toward promoting the rights of “marginalized sectors and
their struggle for social justice,” according to the statement from their website.

UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING

75
 Figure 6.1. Sipat Lawin Collective in action (Strange Pilgrims: Rizal +150 Reverse Cosplay
Parade Edition, in collaboration with Leeroy New)

Educational institutions such as schools and universities offer formal artistic

training and grant degrees upon completion of an academic program at the
tertiary or post-graduate level. The academe is an extensive training ground for
artists, curators, scholar-critics, and other practitioners in the arts, thereby imbuing
individuals who pursue academic activities the status of experts. These activities
include teaching, writing for various publications like academic journals, books,
and encyclopedias, engaging in creative work, to name only a few. The academe
as a platform for producing and disseminating knowledge in art also makes it a
validating institution.
Several universities and colleges offer courses on Fine Arts, Design,
Multimedia Arts, Art Management, Curatorial Studies, and similar courses
related to artistic and cultural production. Aspiring artists enroll in the various
art programs of the school to gain in-depth training, receive mentorship from
artist-teachers, and camaraderie from peers. Several artist collectives and
organizations trace their roots to affinities formed during college days. On the
other hand, an exemplary case of an institution offering focused artistic training
as early as the secondary level is the nationally mandated Philippine High
School for the Arts (PHSA) in Los Baños, Laguna. It provides holistic training
to selected high school students who study various fields on a scholarship
with free board and lodging within the campus carved out of Mt. Makiling.
They major in the Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Theater Arts, Dance, and Music.
Artistic exposure and training can be enhanced beyond the art school through
residencies. Artist Residencies are based on a program supported by foundations,
cultural organizations, or private entities. Here, the artist spends a period of time in

76 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

a studio or community where he/she will develop an art project, like an exhibition
or a performance. It may be collaborative, involving fellow local, national and
foreign artists or people from the community. Casa San Miguel, located in the
Pundaquit fishing village in San Antonio, Zambales offers training in music and the
visual arts at the grassroots level. It has also opened residency opportunities for
artists outside of the said village. In some cases, Artist Residencies provide a less
structured program by allowing artists to engage in exposure or other exploratory
activities that do not necessarily require a final project.
Non-government and academic sectors have also actively taken part in the
staging of contemporary theatrical performances in the country foremost of which
are the PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) Kalinangan Ensemble
which stages original works and translations for community theater performances;
the Tanghalang Ateneo that stages both Filipino plays and adaptations of the
classics; Teatro Tomasino of the University of Santo Tomas which stages original
plays written by students; and, Dulaang UP which stages the classics in both English
and Filipino, original plays written by Filipinos, and even traditional sarswelas and
musical theater.
In the 1970s, dance choreographers such as National Artist Leonor Orosa
Goquingco (awarded 1976) thought of creating a fusion between classical ballet
(a western art form) and Philippine folk dances. She created the Filipinescas Dance
Troupe which toured many cities around the world. With the coming of Martial Law,
the then first lady’s cultural programs to promote the country’s fashion industry
also brought along the Bayanihan Dance Company which showcased Philippine
Dances in modified form to key cities in Europe and the United States. A former
member of this said company, Ramon Obusan, National Artist for Dance (awarded
2006), decided to travel the entire country to study and document traditional folk
dances in their native milieu not only for the sake of authenticity, but to provide a
social context to various tribal and ethnic dances and how these interfaced with
culture, tradition, and ritual. In the mid 1970s, a thespian from Manila, Frank Rivera,
traveled to Marawi in Mindanao and with the help of the Marawi State Univesity,
formed the Sining Kambayoka Theater Group which made use of traditional
Maranao folktales and more current issues that concerned the Muslim communities
of Mindanao. They used these to form the story lines for theater, pantomime, and
dance. Artist-researchers like Obusan and Rivera have engaged more freely and
extensively in cultural research on ethnolinguistic groups during their time. In
other words, the research climate prior to 1997 may have been more liberal or
permissive in the absence of a law protecting the community’s “intellectual rights.”
Under the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997, manifestations of the IP’s culture
(like songs, dances, and rituals) shall not be documented without their free, prior,
and informed consent.
There are several provincial dance companies which still perform traditional
folk dances and compete regularly in folk dancing competitions. They are the
Kalilayan (old name of Tayabas, Quezon) Folkloric dance group, the University of
San Carlos Dance Troupe, the Hiyas ng Maynilad Dance Troupe, the Leyte Dance
Theater, the University of the Philippines Filipiniana Dance Group, and the Lyceum
of Batangas Folk Dance Company.

UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING

77
 One of the more contemporary dance groups that has made use not only of
folkloric dance forms but also contemporized ethnic folk music is the UP Kontra
Gapi group which is currently under the direction of UP Art Studies Prof. Edru
Abraham.
Today, Philippine dance has taken on a chameleon-like identity in the sense
that it straddles seamlessly between hiphop, ballet, local folk dancing and even
contemporary jazz. It is as though we had not only appropriated these dance
forms from various local and foreign sources but also owned them to the point
whereby we win dance competitions such as Asia’s Got Talent and World Hip Hop
Dance Championship with ease.
In the visual arts, museums are traditionally based on a collection of
objects. Tasked to preserve heritage for the enjoyment and education of present
and future generations, museums are often linked to ideas of permanence and
authority. The Neoclassical architecture of the National Museum of the Philippines
in Manila exudes an aura of grandeur, leaving beholders with the impression that
the objects inside it are treasures worthy of historical remembrance. A museum
may be as large-scale as the National Museum, which houses an art gallery and
ethnographic collection in its main branch. Or it may also operate at a small-scale
like community museums that privilege memory and the local people’s pride
of place. An example is the Museo San Ysidro de Pulilan in Bulacan, founded by
the town’s historical society comprising of young artists and cultural workers.
The functions of the museum often revolve around education. Such institutions
have the power to impart concepts about what makes up a “community” or
“nation” or notions of “contemporary art” as it presents curated exhibitions.

Figure 6.2. National Art Gallery façade

Think about the exhibition you last visited. What do you think it was trying to tell you?

78 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

 Figure 6.3. Kiri Dalena’s Found Figures with Stones

The state-body National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) provides
the infrastructure for either wholly or partially government-funded projects on
Philippine art and culture. Aside from granting awards and enabling exhibition
or performance venues, another official responsibility of the NCCA is ensuring
the nationwide representation and support to regions not normally perceived as
centers of artistic practice. One of the projects it supported is Sungdu-an, a series
of cross-regional efforts that began in 1996 comprising of traveling exhibitions,
consultations, and curatorial workshops. It spans the areas of Luzon, Visayas,
Mindanao, and NCR (National Capital Region). Derived from the Waray term meaning
“confluence,” Sungdu-an stimulated a spirit of exchange and collaboration among
a good number of artists and practitioners coming from various places. The title of
the 2005 exhibition for example, is Current, signifying recentness on the one hand,
the passage of knowledge, on the other. It also refers to the force or inspiration
that continues to propel artists in their respective practices. Among many other
works, soil paintings by Talaandig artists from Bukidnon were exhibited. Their
canvases illustrate the plight of the Talaandig communities and their rootedness
to their land, the latter reinforced by the medium that they employ. Another work
exhibited is the cracked and dismembered terracotta figures of rallyists crouching
in defense of truncheons by Kiri Dalena. She translated these into an installation of
wood pieces referencing the clay figures as carved by sculptors from Pakil, Laguna.
Contemporary art exhibitions need not be confined within the “white cube”
(referring to white-walled closed spaces of galleries in common art world usage)
environment of galleries and museums. Exhibitions can take place in alternative
spaces, or the outdoors, in public spaces within a limited period of time. An
alternative space is an independent and/or artist-run initiative that deviates from
rigid institutional models where exhibition parameters are usually less flexible. As
UNIT I: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING
79
 an independent undertaking, such spaces thrive from the realization of organic
programs like small exhibitions or discussions undertaken through joint efforts
of its members, and with support from peers. With a paltry budget and a loose
form of management, the projects imbibe a “do-it-yourself” attitude, and as such,
their physical life span as a sustainable space tends to be always at risk. One of the
most noted artist-run spaces and collectives is the erstwhile Surrounded by Water,
established in Angono, and later relocated in Ortigas and Cubao, Metro Manila. The
members self-published their zines, conducted informal workshops and talks, and
put up exhibitions on their own. Another example is Project Space Pilipinas (PSP) a
collective formed by Quezon-based artist Leslie de Chavez. It recently established
a small structure in Lucban to be able to host artist residencies and exhibitions.
As a collective, they also aim to draw attention to the contemporary art scene in
Lucban, a place more well-known for its exuberant Pahiyas Festival held every 15th
of May in honor of San Isidro Labrador.

Figure 6.4. Neo-Angono Sign Intervention by Michael De Guzman and Art Sanchez, Jr.

The festival is a mode of exhibition that is transitory and participatory.

Closely related to religion, ritual, culture, and tourism, the festival’s ebullience and
significance draw the multitude to publicly accessible and less intimidating spaces.
Festivals of contemporary art in some ways have appropriated the protocols of
festivals in order to link art more closely with everyday life. The Neo-Angono Public
Art Festival is one such example. Its name comes from the artist collective that
organizes the festival year after year just before the official town fiesta. It takes
place in the lakeshore town of Angono, Rizal strategically held before the fluvial
parade-fiesta in honor of the patron saint San Clemente. We know of this place as
the hometown of National Artists Carlos V. Francisco (Visual Arts) and Lucio San
Pedro (Music), forebears of today’s younger generation of lakeshore artists seeking
to create a balance between tradition and change. In the public art festival,
the buildings, the streets, and the waterways, are used as sites for exhibitions,
performances, film viewings, and other activities. In the second and succeeding
installments of the art festival, the artists revised the public market’s signage. The

80 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions