DEC13_SUPERDUPERFINAL

Sometimes, the best step forward is really a step back. Just as we step
back a bit to see fully a vast work of art, the same humble step is
required in beholding the grand scheme of things. Only then were
we able to effectively ponder on the question “now what, and what
next?”
The artists appointed to represent Negros Occidental for the
exhibition component of the biennale are Denli Chavez (film) and
Perry Argel (performative installation). The two artists articulate
practices that do not only attend to the need of relating to the theme
(Kalibutan: The World in Mind) but also address the experiences of
the community during the dawn of the pandemic. Their artforms,
most importantly, possess a sense of confrontation with the self
and an advocacy to seek healing more than comfort. They are both
interventional and didactic in their methods without failing to
remain efficient with their individual artistry.
Perry Argel on consciousness as inner and outer space:
Perry Argel describes himself as a functioning organism, clearing
and fixing the space around him to reveal the purity of nature.
In every assemblage, Argel presents different specimens linked to
society’s overall concept of what is and is no longer useful.
Artwork by Perry Argel
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It is not strange for Filipinos to see objects shapeshift depending
on the need and situation. It became an alternative way to makedo
with available resources in order to avoid unnecessary disposal/
purchase of more objects. Argel, however, superadds layers of content