MANILA CALLING #2: Tiffany Naval Jr., Kilusan Collective

by Leonard

Tito Len Takes Shitty Pictures #2 - Flashy!

I KNOW, I know — my aim is off AGAIN.  It’s just because I was busy reading.  From back to front, because I got it wrong then front to back — it didn’t matter because I was just happy to see what I was seeing.  What was it about Tiffany Naval’s Exhibit piece that got me so excited that I felt like a child again?  I won’t say because, well, you should go to Rolly’s Garage (124 Ossington) yourselves to check out the Kilusan Exchange Exhibit (incidentally, if you go tonite you also get to be part of visiting artist Carlos Celdran’s Artist Talk @630pm).

What I will say is that when I do have a child, I want them to know who Jose Rizal was before knowing who Abraham m-f*ckin Lincoln was.  That knowing how to say ‘Bus’ is good, but they should know that a Jeepney is even prettier, Sampaguitas smell MUCH better than Roses and Oh– that Philippine Eagles eat monkeys and are way more badass than penguins are.

They’ll get that other stuff at school anyway — but no one is going to tell them about a carabao, and about rice and rice farmers and why they should be proud of where THEY come from too.  One might define this as ‘not art’, but I’d beg to differ.

Art is an expression of life and so are children.  So in effect, our children ARE our art — are they not?  If this is what Tiffany Naval’s piece (she actually has more than 1 on display) is trying to say, then even this art neophyte GETS IT.  I get it.

oh and MY KID ain’t gettin’ THESE:

Honestly. What am I gonna use these for?

Check Out Manila Calling #1, Alex Felipe —> CLICK HERE

—-The Details—-

TORONTO, MEET MANILA, MANILA, MEET TORONTO…

May 15 – 23, 2009 Weekday Gallery hours: 3PM – 8PM

Five artists.
Two cities.
One crazy exchange.

{ Alex Felipe }{ Ilona Fiddy }{ Jeff Garcia }{ Jennifer Maramba}{Tiffany Naval Jr}

with special international guest artist: { Carlos Celdran }

What happens when you take a group of Canadian-born Filipino artists and throw them across the ocean to go face-to-face with the land that they were raised by, but never knew?

THE PURPOSE
Explore the story to be told of having one identity rooted in two cultures

THE PROCESS
A trip to the Philippine metropolis of Manila
An intense exchange with Carlos Celdran, the dubbed “Pied Piper of Manila”
And the integration of it all back into the Canadian metropolis of Toronto

THE RESULT
A multimedia & multi-perspective cultural art show-of-sorts.

May 15 – 23, 2009 Weekday Gallery hours: 3PM – 8PM

MAY 20 (TONITE!) Artist Talk with Carlos Celdran 630pm

May 22 & 23, 8PM : Spoken word, multi-media rendition of famous Intramuros tour by Carlos Celdran

~ by Leonard on May 20, 2009.