CONTEMPO REVIEWER

Chapter 10: THEMES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Theme
→ an overall idea that carries through a work or a series of works.
→ supported by motifs.
Motifs
→ repeated elements that can have both symbolic and structural value.
The themes include:
1. Cultural connections
2. Dreams and Visions
3. History and Memory
4. Ceremony and Society
5. Portraits and Identity
6. The Natural World
7. The Urban Experience
8. Conflict and Resistance

1. Cultural Connections
→ throughout history, economic needs, material desires, and political ambitions have brought
people from different cultures and communities into contact.
→ led to creative juxtapositions, hybrid styles, innovative forms, and the reinterpretation of
traditional signs and symbols.
EXAMPLES:
Magdarame
→ by Ruston Banal
→ an iconic photograph
→ a powerful depiction of cultural translocation and connection.

...And St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos...the Musical (2005)

→ written by Floy Quintos
→ directed by Tony Mabesa
→ highlights the experience of cultural interaction and exoticizing of our indigenous people at
the hands of the Americans during the St. Louis Exposition of 1904.

2. Dreams and Visions

→ art is about ways of seeing.
→ allow us to see with more than our eyes.
→ art has been used as a tool to inspire and guide dreams and visions, both secular and
spiritual.
EXAMPLE:
t’nalak textiles
→ made by T’boli women.
→ based on designs relayed to them by the gods in their dreams.
3. History and Memory
→ art has been a medium through which people have not only documented, but also shaped
history—both past and future.
→ art can commemorate existence, achievements, and failures, and it can be used to record and
and create communal as well as personal memories.
EXAMPLES:
Serye ng Kasaysayan
→ by Brenda V. Fajardo
→ an open-ended series of narratives on Philippine history which the artist built on a cast of
tarot.

Davao sculptures
→ by Kublai Millan:
Well-known for his giant concrete sculptures in Davao City.
→ vividly resonates the region’s deep-seated cultures and traditions and conveys his belief that
art can be a path to peace and social harmony.

4. Power
→ from politics to mass media, power pervades daily life.
→ each artist humanizes difficult issues by acting as a witness to violence, working to heal
communities, or achieving a balance between constructive and destructive energies.
EXAMPLES:
Gadgets
→ by Cesar Legaspi
Who’s early works portrays his deep reflection of the poverty and dislocation caused by war.
His images depict surging and powerful movement of human figures in acts of struggles or
triumphs.
→  a poignant response to the states of oppression in the relationship between man and
machine -- the dehumanization of man.

Jack en Poy (1987)

→ by Lazaro Soriano
→ portrays the power during the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1987.
→ it shows how politics has become a game between powerful players and how power is
something that leaders gain from the people who propel them to their positions.

6. Portraits and Identity

→ throughout history and across cultures, people have shown a fascination with faces and in
turn, with portrait representation.
→ Portraits: complex constructions of identity that serve a range of functions, from expressing
power and declaring status to make larger statements about society at a given point in history.
→ Portraiture: aimed to depict people as a larger-than-life and glorified figures, often displaying
them in the best possible way, however far or near it is to the truth.
EXAMPLES:
Portraits of Philippine Presidents
→ by Fernando Amorsolo
Master of portraitures
→ the presidents were depicted in their best—powerful body language and physically appealing
features meant to show heads of state as strong figures.

Inang Bayan (1975)

→ by Vicente Manansala
→ depicts Imelda Marcos as Inang Bayan embracing the poor and oppressed, surrounded by
the major projects of the regime and other monuments of the world.

7. Urban Experience- inspired creation of artwork depicting aspects of city life

8. Conflict and Resistance- assert power to lives of others

Films
1. Kid Kulafu- Portraits and Identity
2. Imbisibol- Cultural Connections
3. Ganito Kami Noon, Paano kayo Ngayon?- History and Memory
4. Toto- Dreams and Visions
5. Ma' Rosa- Cultural Connections

Chapter 12: ART PRODUCTION

Art Production
→ process of responding to observations, concepts, emotions, and other experiences that we
encounter in the worlds and interpreting these responses by creating artworks.
→ any community’s way of life.
→ provides daily or shared experiences through various forms:
Sound
Visual
Movement
Words

Art production focus on the ff concerns:

Physical appearance or form: “ano’ng itsura?”

→ physical appearance of an artwork, and the materials which make up its appearance.
→ it is important to understand the value of the artwork’s physicality vis-a-vis the materials
employed in its creation to be able to appreciate the presence of art in our own community.

Systems of art production/ Process of art production: “how is it done?” or “paano ginagawa?”

→
the way we do things.
→ art form’s physical appearance and materials.
→ with the introduction of new forms of artworks came new and fast-evolving processes in art
production.
→ new technologies have likewise given rise to new processes of art production and new forms
of art.
→ performance can be identified “for as long as an actor-audience relationship exists” has gone
a long way in developing new sites for performance.

Social narratives and histories: “how did it happen?” or “paano nangyari yun?”

→ how the works came about and what circumstances were at play during their production.

Community valuation: “how significant is the work to the community?” or “ano’ng halaga nun?”

→ community experiences give birth to artworks, thus it is important to identify their impact and
how they are received by the people who are directly affected by these works.

STAGES OF ART PRODUCTION

STAGE 1: DEVELOPING CURATORIAL CONCEPT
1. Develop main idea of exhibition
2. Decide on central themes of exhibition
3. Decide what objects to include
5. Develop exhibition narrative
Needs:
1. Title
2. Brief Description (3-4 sentences)
3. Exhibition Checklist
4. Exhibition Outline
- Summary of exhibition
- Title
- Brief Description
- Main Themes
- Objects grouped by theme

STAGE 2: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

1. Evaluate objects and do potential layout
2. Finalize requirements for lighting and display system
3. Get quotes for any production work/procure manpower & supplier for production

STAGE 3: PRODUCTION
1. Write labels, title cards, annotations
2. Construct exhibition systems
3. Prepare exhibition space
4. Produce graphics

STAGE 4: INSTALLATION & COMPLETION

1. Print labels
2. Deliver brochures and handouts
3. Direct lighting system
4. Install exhibition systems, showcases, graphics, labels, & other exhibition support material
5. Install objects/artworks
6. Open/launch exhibition