What is Art?
Elements/Principles of Contemporary Art
Art may be defined as a human pursuit to imitate life
and the world into something pleasing or beautiful
(Mendez, Jr., 2016).
Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation
(Merriam Websters Dictionary).
The expression or application of human creative skill
and imagination, typically in a visual form such as
painting or sculpture, producing works to be
appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional
power. (Oxford languages)
Picture (Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, and
Photography)
This is a two-dimensional image of various subjects
ranging from real-life images to the visually abstract.
Sculpture - Three-dimensional artwork that may be
created using stone, marble, wood, and concrete.
Architecture - Structures that are meant to be used as
shelter. The art of architecture relies on the design and
purpose of the structure.
Music - This is the art form that appeals to the sense of
hearing. Music is composed by combining notes into
harmony.
Literature - This is the art form of language through
the combined use of words, creating meaning and
experience.
Theater- This is the art form of performance. Dramatic
texts are portrayed on the stage by actors and actresses
by props, light, and sounds.
Cinema - This art form is a technological transition of
theater. In films, special effects are utilized to enhance
the storytelling.
Dance -This is the art of the human form. The body is
used, mobilized, and choreographed in a specific time,
form, and space.
What is Contemporary Art?
“Art made and produced by artists living today.”
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- It is not restricted to individual experience but it is
reflective of the world we live in.
Events in the world having an effect to the Philippines.
Artwork that is created by today’s contemporary artists
and has a world view, and is sensitive to changing
times.
Appropriation
Existing artworks are appropriated to produce another
artwork.
Usage of prints, images, and icons to produce another
art form.
Combines past from the present. Revives interests to
existing forms of art.
Performance
Interpreting various human activities such as ordinary
activities such as chores, routines and rituals, to
socially relevant themes such as poverty,
commercialism and war.
Space
Arts transforming space. For example, flash mobs, art
installations in malls and parks.
Site specific art forms – art form that is performed and
positioned in a specific space such as public places.
Hybridity
Usage of unconventional materials, mixing of unlikely
materials to produce an artwork.
For example, coffee for painting; miniature sculptures
using crayons.
Technology
Usage of technology in the creation and dissemination
of art works.
Video phenomenon from MTV to YouTube.
Recording performances, video posting, sharing, live
streaming.
Philippine Contemporary Art
“The feeling (is) that all is possible in the
contemporary, conceived as a constantly extending and
deepening constellation of art.”
- Dr. Patrick Flores
Contemporary art then permits possibilities of
exploring either subject or medium in art to express
Filipino sense of self.
At present, Filipinos are becoming more and more
aggressive as they use the arts to express themselves
and create wonderful artworks that try to capture the
Filipino way of life.
Architecture
New and fresh structures are sprouting all over the
country.
Architect and critic Paulo Alcazaren notes that today’s
Philippine architecture is faced with threats from
globalization. He remarks, “Much of what we see, in
terms of iconic buildings in the Philippines nowadays,
is either designed by foreigners, or are derivative
designs mimicking copies of western forms.”
This is a serious challenge that present-day architects
have to deal with, and it takes serious commitment
from the architects, the government, and the private
sector to act on it.
Literature
On the Philippine contemporary literature, eminent
scholar and writer Roland Tolentino describes that the
Filipino writing in today’s world contains the diasporic
experience and the incorporation of both the rural and
urban experience.
Filipino writers are also getting recognition abroad.
Tanghalang Pilipino continues to push Philippine
theater to artistic and professional excellence through
the development and education of actors, writers,
directors, and technical staff.
Virgin Labfest
Created in 2004, Virgin Labfest is a playwright’s
festival of untried, untested and unpublished plays.
This project is a collaboration of the National Center
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), CCP, Tanghalang
Pilipino, and the Manila-based playwright’s group The
Writer’s Block.
Visual Arts
The new breed of contemporary Filipino visual artists
is becoming bold regarding the expression of personal
feelings and perspectives.
The institutionalization of museums and galleries have
also revitalized the Philippine art scene.
Annual art competition also plays an important role in
encouraging emerging artists to create and produce
their works.

Contemporary Filipino writers are continuing to

struggle with the low readership among the public and
the domination of foreign titles in the market.
Theater
Contemporary Philippine theater is still alive despite
the dominance of television, movies, and the internet.
There are multiple stage productions from university-
based theater groups to major theater companies.
PETA
PETA is composed of dedicated “artists-teacher-
cultural workers” who strive for artistic excellence.
PETA volunteers work to promote the transformative
power of theater through its production of
performances and workshops.
Tanghalang Pilipino
Established in 1987, Tanghalang Pilipino is the
resident drama company of Cultural Center of the
Philippines.
Arts Promotion and Preservation
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
"overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants
giving agency for the preservation, development, and
promotion of Philippine arts and culture."
The creation of the NCCA serves as the state's
initiative to promote and develop art and culture
awareness in the country.
The need for a government institution for culture and
arts dissemination is imperative because the
Philippines is composed NCCA of many regions. The
NCCA, through its committees and subcommittees,
ensures that the interests of the various regions are
represented. There are six arts and cultural government
agencies under the NCCA.
Cultural Center of the Philippines
For almost 50 years, CCP has been serving as the
premier venue in the Philippines for culture and the
arts. It has hosted numerous shows and exhibitions on
both performance and visual arts.
CCP is also responsible for bringing together the
different arts for various regions to the entire country
and the whole world.
National Historical Commission of the Philippines
National Historical Commission of the Philippines was
created with a vision of "a Filipino society with
citizens informed of their history, who love their
country and are proud of their cultural heritage." The
NHCP carries out its mandate by promoting
"Philippine history and cultural heritage through
research, dissemination, conservation, sites
management, and heraldry works." Much of the work
done by the NHCP is the identification, conservation,
and restoration of historical sites around the different
regions of the country.
National Museum of the Philippines
Located in the heart of Manila, the National Museum
of the Philippines is the country's repository of
archaeological artifacts, national treasures, and rare
specimens found and produced in the countr.
The main task of this institution is to solicit,
document, present, exhibit, and promote the natural
and artificial wonders of the Philippines. The National
Museum is also responsible for putting up a network of
museums around the country to serve as a local
destination of the diverse natural and cultural heritage
of the country
The National Museum has two main divisions— the
Natural History Museum and the National Art. Perhaps
the most valuable artwork housed in the National
Museum is Juan Luna's opus, Spolarium. It is the
largest painting in the Philippines (4.22 meters x 7.675
meters); it is a masterpiece at the Exposicion de Bellas
Artes in Madrid, Spain, in 1884.
National Library of the Philippines
Established in 1901, the NLP was then called the
American Circulating Library to serve as
"memorial to American servicemen who died in
Philippine soil."
Today, the NLP has the mandate of serving as a
"repository of the printed and recorded cultural
heritage of the country and other intellectual literary
and information sources" and providing "access to
these resources for our people's intellectual growth,
citizenship building, lifelong learning and
enlightenment."
National Archives of the Philippines
Today, the National Archives of the Philippines is
guardian to over 400 documents for Spanish era dating
1552-1990 and various records from the American
period to the Republic.
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
The KWF or the Commission on the Filipino
Language was created via Republic Act No. 7104:
“Congress shall establish a national language
commission composed of representatives of various
regions and disciplines which shall undertake,
coordinate, and promote researches and development,
propagation, and preservation of Filipino and other
Philippine languages.” To promote and develop our
national language, the KWF has annually given the
Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon for Filipino Poetry,
Aklat ng Bayan, and other grants or programs for
fundings, awards, and projects.