02.15.07 kulturnatib

Harvests

At the SM City Cebu, in the area fronting Planet Xchange, on the same level with the Art Center, is the on-going exhibit 'Ani' or harvest. This is the second exhibit of the visual arts component of the celebration of the National Arts Month in the Visayas. The first one was the exhibit of Kitty Taniguchi of Dumaguete and Merlie Alunan of Tacloban. And, following this exhibit will be the architectural heritage show by the architecture department of the University of San Carlos.

This current exhibit brings together visual artists from all over the Visayas, which is among the thrusts for this celebration. The other art components are also trying to do this, to be as inclusive of as much of the Visayas as possible, but it would be safe to say that it is with the visual arts where this has been achieved most widely.

During our organizing committee meetings, where I sit as visual arts representative together with Palmy Pe-Tudtud, logistical challenges had always been pointed out as standing in the way of achieving this objective. Still, Palmy and myself decided to go ahead and invite other artists from the neighboring islands.

Here is where the true harvest is. Several harvests already, in fact. When we were planning for this exhibit, we immediately agreed that the best way to move ahead was to work with the art organizations; To invite the organizations and to have them choose among themselves the works to be exhibited.

These organizations are part of a network that are loosely grouped under the banner of the Visayas Islands Visual Arts or VIVA. Every two years these organizations get together for a conference and an exhibit. This has been done without interruption since 1992 when the inaugural VIVA ExCon took place in Bacolod, making this the longest-running event of its kind in the country.

With the exception of Bacolod that has hosted this biennial three times, this event has always been hosted by a different island. Early on, this had been agreed upon as one of the central commitments of this organization and the wisdom of this has been borne out by the consistent surge in artistic activity in the locality that plays hosts.

Through this network, the organizations are able to maintain cordial even fraternal relations with each other. This has made organizing Visayas-wide or intra-island exhibits less difficult as contact have been maintained, with people knowing who they are dealing with and knowing, more importantly, the usual conditions or requirements for such exhibits, unideal or burdensome as these may be.

Thus, not taking it for granted or considering it a given, when we invited them we still mentioned the fact that they will have to shoulder the cost for the shipping of their works and their own board and lodge should they decide to attend the opening of the exhibit.

There was no hesitation. Yes, we will join and some even said we will be there for the opening. And, they did join and some were present in the opening.

As a way of saluting these groups, let me thank them here: Alon of Dumaguete, La Consolacion College of Bacolod, Kasi-Kasi of Tacloban, Catbalogan Arts Association, Inc., Banig Eskaya and Piskay of Bohol, Kolor Sugbu, Cebu Arts Association, Inc., Binhi, Inc., Pusod, Inc., and Lunâ Art Collective of Cebu.

Still, there is another coming harvest. Next year, 2008, Cebu will once again be the host of the VIVA ExCon. This will be ten years after our first hosting in 1998. At that ExCon we gathered close to one hundred art works and exhibited them in three different venues around the city that lasted for a whole month. Attendance was also record high.

This shall be the hosting short of the 10th bianniversary of this biennial. The organizing committee will face many challenges, not the least of which is the rather high standard set in the hosting of 1998. Also many fundamental questions about art in the Visayas, in the Philippines and in the world need to be seriously looked into should the organizing committee take this path.

I have already signified my willingness to be part of this event as I was in 1998 though I am not certain to be here. All I know is, given enough care, what has been planted will be harvested. There are enough people who care. Of that I am sure.