Sponsors: Malaya Movement NY, Malaya Movement NJ, Af3irm, the Northeast Coalition to Advance Genuine Democracy in the Philippines, DAKILA, Active Vista
Description:
Golden Years Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981 showcases original vintage photographs that appeared in U.S. newspapers from the 1960s to 1980s. Organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Philippine martial law, the exhibit had its successful inaugural run at Florida International University in Miami from August to September 2022. It kicks off its national tour on October 15, 2022, 3:00 PM EST at Bliss on Bliss Art Projects in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City.
The show’s title is an ironic take on how the Marcos family labeled their 20-year rule as the “golden age of Philippine economy and society.” Juxtaposing this claim with visual documentation of events and conditions during their reign, the show examines the malleability of perception, the elasticity of reality, and the vulnerabilities of individual and national memory.
The exhibit also emphasizes the role of the foreign press in documenting and examining history. Originally published in U.S. papers, the photographs on display are source documents, detached from the influence and intervention of their subjects. Victor Barnuevo Velasco, curator, notes that “the photos are snapshots of history as they happened. The distance of the publication from the site of the events provides depth and perspective that normally comes only with the passage of time.”
The photographs form part of a private collection promised to the Albay Arts Foundation. The exhibit is sponsored by Malaya Movement NY, Malaya Movement NJ, Af3irm, the Northeast Coalition to Advance Genuine Democracy in the Philippines, and by two Philippines-based organizations, DAKILA and Active Vista. The New York leg of the tour is hosted by Bliss on Bliss Art Projects, a community-driven artist-run space that has been supporting New York artists for over a decade.
The show runs until November 13. After the opening weekend, it is open to the public by appointment.
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