Remembering Bobi ValenzuelaBy Raymund Fernandez
Cebu Daily NewsFirst Posted 15:45:00 10/24/2010
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20101024-299477/Remembering-Bobi-Valenzuela
Two art shows ongoing at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) reminded the Maker of an old friend, Bobi Valenzuela. "Insights" is the show of photographs by Russian and Filipino photographers while "Alampat" is the show of Russian and Cebuano painters.
The shows run only till today, Sunday so better rush to see it. It?s a wonderful show and offers an interesting comparative view of two cultures. The shows had been ?curated? by artist-friends younger than the Maker. And of course, he could not help feeling nostalgia for olden times.
There was Bobi Valenzuela at a table in Kukuk?s Nest, over beer and wine, opening the eyes of local artists to the possibilities of "curated" shows. Wha? What does that mean: ?curated?? The Latin root word is "cura," which has something to do with taking care of something as a priest might take care of his flock or church. A curator is one who "cares" for an art-show.
Bobi was at that time one of the country's best known curators, a curator from the old days, a person who specialized in curating shows for young, upcoming, less-established artists. He was an institution in the Manila art scene though hardly anyone knew him here in Cebu.
He explained that the typical visual art show in Cebu looked like "champorado". They were a mix of various art works that did not give viewers a "whole" picture of what the show was about. Instead, they seemed as if they were shows that were only concerned with "selling" the art pieces much as they might be sold at a grocery store.
Bobi criticized this as not up to universal standards for professional art shows. He suggested instead that the art show should be designed in such a way that they give the viewer a clear view of what the show is about. In this way, the viewer walks away with a lasting impression of what the works were trying to say. In this way also, the art works and their artists would be remembered so that buyers may want to purchase their art either during the show or at some future time.
It was not as if Bobi was disinclined to sell the artworks. Remember that he made money from commissions from sales. What he was trying to show was a new mindset about selling art. If the artist does a "memorable" show, he or she will be remembered. If they are remembered, more people will buy their art.
The whole point of curating was "selling" the show itself. To do this, the curator must see beyond the individual art pieces and look at the show as a single and whole art piece. This means that the works must be arranged so that they lead to a coherent and memorable reading. It is no mean feat even for a show by a single artist. It is exponentially more difficult when it is a group show of many artists. Much more so when they are artists from two different cultures.
"Insights" and "Alampat" are therefore difficult and challenging shows to curate. One can only imagine the inter-personal politics that must have been involved even in choosing the participants. The choice is always the true measure of the curators' courage and true awareness of the artistic milieu. But beyond that there is the problem of arranging the final show itself. The challenge is always to do a show not about artists but about art and life itself. The viewers will go through the individual artworks one after another.
Do we develop an understanding of the idea or concept which holds the various art pieces together? At the end of viewing the show, did we understand something about life? Did the art and what the artists were saying come out more important than the artists themselves? These certainly would be the questions Bobi would have asked himself. His answers would certainly be the criteria he would use to assess his own curatorial performance. These would be good questions to go by as you watch the show yourself.
But for the Maker, he knew he was too close to the curators to be able to give them an assessment of true disinterest. In any case, he was already happy enough the shows were curated shows in the true sense of the word. "Insights" was curated by Estela Ocampo-Fernandez while "Alampat" was curated by Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Lucilo Jojo Sagayno and Radel Paredes.
Two art shows ongoing at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) reminded the Maker of an old friend, Bobi Valenzuela. "Insights" is the show of photographs by Russian and Filipino photographers while "Alampat" is the show of Russian and Cebuano painters.
The shows run only till today, Sunday so better rush to see it. It?s a wonderful show and offers an interesting comparative view of two cultures. The shows had been ?curated? by artist-friends younger than the Maker. And of course, he could not help feeling nostalgia for olden times.
There was Bobi Valenzuela at a table in Kukuk?s Nest, over beer and wine, opening the eyes of local artists to the possibilities of "curated" shows. Wha? What does that mean: ?curated?? The Latin root word is "cura," which has something to do with taking care of something as a priest might take care of his flock or church. A curator is one who "cares" for an art-show.
Bobi was at that time one of the country's best known curators, a curator from the old days, a person who specialized in curating shows for young, upcoming, less-established artists. He was an institution in the Manila art scene though hardly anyone knew him here in Cebu.
He explained that the typical visual art show in Cebu looked like "champorado". They were a mix of various art works that did not give viewers a "whole" picture of what the show was about. Instead, they seemed as if they were shows that were only concerned with "selling" the art pieces much as they might be sold at a grocery store.
Bobi criticized this as not up to universal standards for professional art shows. He suggested instead that the art show should be designed in such a way that they give the viewer a clear view of what the show is about. In this way, the viewer walks away with a lasting impression of what the works were trying to say. In this way also, the art works and their artists would be remembered so that buyers may want to purchase their art either during the show or at some future time.
It was not as if Bobi was disinclined to sell the artworks. Remember that he made money from commissions from sales. What he was trying to show was a new mindset about selling art. If the artist does a "memorable" show, he or she will be remembered. If they are remembered, more people will buy their art.
The whole point of curating was "selling" the show itself. To do this, the curator must see beyond the individual art pieces and look at the show as a single and whole art piece. This means that the works must be arranged so that they lead to a coherent and memorable reading. It is no mean feat even for a show by a single artist. It is exponentially more difficult when it is a group show of many artists. Much more so when they are artists from two different cultures.
"Insights" and "Alampat" are therefore difficult and challenging shows to curate. One can only imagine the inter-personal politics that must have been involved even in choosing the participants. The choice is always the true measure of the curators' courage and true awareness of the artistic milieu. But beyond that there is the problem of arranging the final show itself. The challenge is always to do a show not about artists but about art and life itself. The viewers will go through the individual artworks one after another.
Do we develop an understanding of the idea or concept which holds the various art pieces together? At the end of viewing the show, did we understand something about life? Did the art and what the artists were saying come out more important than the artists themselves? These certainly would be the questions Bobi would have asked himself. His answers would certainly be the criteria he would use to assess his own curatorial performance. These would be good questions to go by as you watch the show yourself.
But for the Maker, he knew he was too close to the curators to be able to give them an assessment of true disinterest. In any case, he was already happy enough the shows were curated shows in the true sense of the word. "Insights" was curated by Estela Ocampo-Fernandez while "Alampat" was curated by Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Lucilo Jojo Sagayno and Radel Paredes.
razsal.com
http://razsal.com/feature/when-im-sixty-four-remembering-anselmo-bobi-valenzuela/