One Sorry Horse, a.k.a. Balinguynguy
May 30th, 2008
One Sorry Horse
May 29th, 2008
Artist’s Statement for ONE SORRY HORSE
How does one incorporate the mistakes of one’s life into the very essence of who and what one is? How does one transform the accidentals of one’s life into what is essential?
I first wanted to present the idea of a “holy horse,†not in a satirical manner, nor through the presentation of purity (as in a “white horseâ€). Besides, the idea of a “virginal horse” seems to be a contradiction in terms. Instead, I wanted to convey the idea of a holy compassion that one gains by plodding through the dirty dust and murky waters of life. (Think of Milarepa and
But in the process of discovering how to present this visually through the taka, I made a lot of serious mistakes. I didn’t know what to make of these “accidents†until I thought of making this bewilderment the very point of the exercise. The remorse I felt for not reining in my instincts was brought into the work, and deliberate “accidents” (dismembered ears and tail) were added to the accidental mistakes (splotches of paint originally intended to dirty the “holy horseâ€) to signify the loving acceptance of one’s fate.
“Balinguynguy,†as friends fondly call it, was born out of a mistake.
And I wouldn’t want it to be otherwise.
best regards,
ian
Neo-Angono Artists’ Statement on “Urban Wonderland: The Turo-Turo Project”
February 1st, 2008
We’ll be in Intramuros tomorrow to participate in the opening activities of the NCCA for the Philippine Arts Festival. Am posting our statement on the project and its Tagalog translation.
best regards,
ian
ARTISTS’ STATEMENT on
“URBAN WONDERLAND: THE TURO-TURO PROJECT”
The Neo-Angono Artists Collective presents new spheres of visual engagement through “Urban Wonderland: The Turo-Turo Project” – a site-specific zone intervention work wherein the group collaborates with the local community and residents of Intramuros. Graduating from the original concept of a “mural,” the work aims to transform several parts of the façade/structure of a chain of stores and eateries situated across the National Commission for Culture and the Arts building on Gen. Luna St. Appropriating the theme of “Public Art” as a modern allegory, the installation work reflects the geographic mosaic of location and identities. The work would touch on some episodes of Philippine history side by side with present social realities. The jarring juxtaposition of disparate elements in the work represents issues of displacement and the blurring of boundaries while hinting at questions regarding the nature of power and the use of art as a mechanism for social change.
As a descriptive reference to the “public,” the collective’s work hopes to serve as a contemporary rhetoric, integrating art into the public realm. This would be experienced on the day of production (February 1, 2008), when the group places life-sized and free-standing images of personages and characters scattered along the front parking lot of the work’s site. As a way of examining contact zones presented as dioramas of site-responsiveness, the public is invited to interact with the free-standing images by inserting their heads through some of the figures, to be photographed and integrated into the “scene” as a vital part of the project.
