08.28.08 kulturnatib

Purdoy

Recently, I received two letters from XO?, so far the only active performance art group in the city. They are so active that most of the mail I get is mainly about their activities or events. These two were no different. They both had the same news of a coming soon XO? event.

But, that was as far as the similarity went. One said the event was going to be at this place, the other said it was going to be at another place. Not surprising really. When i was active with XO?, it wasn't extraordinary that the venue for events was finalized not long before it was to start.

However, not long after these letters I received another one. An update. A corrective. Now, the two stories jibed. It is final. Tomorrow, XO? has a performance event at Tapas Lounge. Raymund Fernandez, the XO? Elder and fellow columnist, has confirmed this in his column, “Riding the tiger.”

Now, a matter of public record, it is a performance art event titled, “XO? Purdoy.”

Raymund wrote the first of the two letters mentioned above. Already there, he mentioned plans for this event and the title. I immediately wrote a reply that I then thought to develop further into an essay, a column.

I received Raymund's letter soon after I attended a performance event at the gallery with a solid reputation for such events. In fact, when invitations were posted to participate in that event, I thought it was an opportunity, a foot in the door, to the performance art scene here.

The short of that long story is that I ended up not participating, but going as a guest nonetheless. To my disappointment I found it no more polished than the student's work at UP Cebu's annual performance and conceptual art event, MindWorks, and even much more unorganized, which is worse than being disorganized.

When I realized that this was the fastest way to get nowhere, I decided to call it a night. Outside were people who had realized the same thing. I chatted with one of them, a performance artist himself, and gave my honest opinion of the proceedings in the basement, when he asked, and also that I was supposed to perform as well had a mix-up in communications not happened. But, I added, it was just as well that I did not.

Yes, he answered, I was invited, too. But, he said, I'm no longer in the market for doing performance art for free. Especially after making serious efforts, taking long hours, a lot of sweat and resources preparing for something that turns out to be quite amateurish, which, he added, is the best way to turn people off from performance art.

Raymund's letter took me back to that conversation, took me back to XO?, the practice of performance art in Cebu, my own practice presently and the matter of being 'purdoy.'

There is no question, at this point, of XO? or performance art in Cebu saying that they are not in the market for doing performance art for free. That would be foolhardy and would immediately be considered haughty.

The fact is that there is hardly any 'market' for performance art in Cebu. This can only be created as artists do performance art. For now, something just has to be on the table, attractive, serious yet fun enough for people to stay at the table long enough for them to realize the worth of paying for it.

Cebuanos or the 'market' is not paying directly for performance art. But there are those who are willing to foot the bill, who see the value of performance art. Stephan Zenz of After Hours-Tapas Lounge is one of them. Randy Su and Junx Muaña of the Outpost Restaurant are another. Bambi Beltran and son Ivan of Turtle's Nest Book Cafe, still another.

The performance artists get beer or drinks and sometimes food but, best of all, a welcoming venue open to all sorts of creative activities.

These are opportunities that needs to be matched by a seriousness of artistic purpose that will be evident in the level of maturity of the works and the dedication of the artists.

After that will the performance artist still be in the market for free performance art?

For me that has not or never been the question. It has always been, most importantly, the opportunity to express what a particular piece has to say and the opportunity the venue and the organizing provides that respects that expression and the furtherance of other expressions, in fact, even other forms of art.

Of course, a paycheck is certainly a helpful way of expressing respect. And for curated performance art events here like the recent, “TimeSquared,” I was involved in that respectful expression was indeed welcome. As, for sure, it will be there. Puhon.