When I Merge Cat and Tweety

the inspiration came from this ring that i got last Christmas from my friend kat who gave two other friends similar rings too. kat owns a ring that says dance, mine says dream, marge got soar and tweet got the phrase love heals. the words gave me inspiration as these girls have been to me. and this artwork is a homage to our friendship and to girl power!

dalawang sakay

when wes and i were working on the concept for our art exhibit, one of my initial plans for the pieces, was to create images out of the places that we frequently visit. because we love to walk in the nooks and crannies of manila, i felt like paying homage to these places that have been part of our relationship. but i learned that mounting an exhibit is also a process of choosing carefully the ideas you want to convey to the viewers. and of all the studies i did for our street routes, this study made the cut, a box which i think means most to me. it is the route from wesley's house to mine (vice-versa), and i entitled it "dalawang sakay" because it takes two jeepney rides to get to each others house.    

dalawang sakay, 2011

36" x 36" 

assemblage

Collective Memory Exhibit Opening

 

the happiest part of the exhibit for me, was seeing all the people i care about together  in one place. maraming-maraming salamat for a wonderful night!

photos: jef carnay, keith dador, mj mendoza

Ars Memorativa by Marika B. Constantino

My landscapes are non-specific, evoking a mood rather than a particular place, so that viewers are reminded of their own memories, dreams and nostalgia for locations.

Victoria Block

For most the area is congested, polluted and chaotic.  For others, the place is charming, magnetic and reliable.  To a select few that were born, bred and raised in Manila... it is undoubtedly, home.  Mimi Tecson and Wesley Valenzuela share their views and reminiscences in Collective Memory.

This exhibition is anchored on the study attributed to Maurice Halbwachs (1877–1945) wherein he states that “It is in society that people normally acquire their memories. It is also in society that they recall, recognize, and localize their memories.”  Essentially, it is an active past; it is organic and has the capacity to form identities.  It captures narratives, experiences and testimonies that are disclosed and passed on. 

This two-person show also encapsulates the artists’ affinity to amassing objects and imagery related to pop culture.  Through their daily expeditions of their environs, they have collected a multitude of corporeal items and symbolic representations; not to mention tales and chronicles from the people they encountered along their trek.  Tecson and Valenzuela intimate significant recollections, ideas and personas in their lives by fusing these tangible and contextual portrayals with their distinct artistic styles.

The artworks in this collection convey musings on their roots, religion and society.  The pieces evoke affirmations and queries on personal relationships, interests and their evolving visual explorations. 

Valenzuela's works combine painting and collage while incorporating symbolic juxtapositions of imagery from the past and present.  Allegorical depictions of decadence, materialism and its transitory nature are interspersed iconic figures of fear, spirituality and authority.

Tecson, on the other hand, employs bricolage; where she makes use of common objects to imbue an emotional connection through her art.  She focuses on the usage of these various items as a means of calling to mind and summoning memories — every single piece intimates a moment or serves as a visual mnemonic.

Although Tecson and Valenzuela employ divergent approaches and techniques, their works merge, flow and complement the other.  Not only is this apparent in the collaborative pieces in the exhibit but also in how they retain, propagate and reframe their sense of place and space within their individual outputs.  The role of shared memory in their creative process is a marriage of discoveries and an acceptance of inherited consciousness. 

Tecson and Valenzuela accord the viewers relatable vignettes from the Collective Memory they are cultivating together.

high

forgive me if i'm so excited i could almost pee in my pants.
i just feel so lucky to have wonderful friends and family. 
wes and i feel so loved, the opening of the exhibit last night was so much fun and worth all the sleepless nights. will post photos soon!

happy birthday, dad

i love you dad! i will always be your little girl. 

thank you for being part of all my art projects and letting me and my sisters pursue our dreams.

“Children learn to smile from their parents.” - Shinichi Suzuki 

collective memory

kitakits tayo!

may mas hihigit pa ba sa salitang salamat?

ito ay mga katagang binanggit kanina ng isa sa mga mag-aaral na nagtapos ng kolehiyo kanina kasabay ng kapatid kong si gigi. kahit ako'y pupungapungas (alas-sinko palang gising na kami dahil ala-sais yung assembly) sa buong haba ng programa, masaya akong nakinig sa mga guro at estudyanteng punong-puno ng pag-asa at pasasalamat.

sa lahat ng nakwento at nabanngit na mga kataga, ang mga salitang yan ang naiwan sa akin. marahil dahil sa mga panahong iyon, sa tabi ng aking nanay naisip ko bigla kung sapat na ba pasalamat ko aking nanay na syang nagtrabaho, at nagpursigi para sa pag-aaral naming magkakapatid. naiiyak akong sumandal sa balikat ng nanay ko habang nakikinig sa programa at naramdaman kong tila pareho kami ng nadarama sa mga panaong iyon.

tapos na kaming magkakapatid mag-aral, graduate nadin ang nanay at tatay ko. may dalawa na akong katulong na magbalik ng pasasalamat sa aming mga magulang na nag-aruga at nagbigay ng lahat ng aming pangangailangan. 

wala nang ihahatid ang tatay ko sa eskwela (marahil sa simbahan na ang susunod na paghatid), wala nang mga gagawa ng project, magpapabili ng mga bagong p.e. uniform kay nanay, magpapabili ng pang exchange gift at pang regalo sa teacher, wala ng iyakan sa umaga dahil ayaw pumasok. mami-miss ko din yang mga eksenang yan pero kinikilig din akong isipin kung ano ang hinaharap para sa dalawa kong kapatid na sasabak na sa tunay na karera ng buhay.

may mas hihigit pa ba sa salitang salamat? ang tanong ng mag-aaral, at ang kanyang sagot, meron. at ang salitang ito ay pagmamahal.