ALAMINOS CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGION

Week 3, Quarter 3, April 12-16, 2021

I. Title: Filipino Roles and Contributions to Contemporary Arts

II. Background Information for Learners:

Contemporary art is the art of today which is produced by artists who are living in the twenty-first century and
is composed of a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenge traditional
boundaries and defy easy definition because of its diverse and eclectic attributes. Despite the very lack of a uniform,
organizing principle, ideology, or ‘ism’, contemporary art can also provide us an opportunity to reflect on
contemporary society and the issues relevant to ourselves, and the world around us, giving us a glimpse and partaking
a part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family,
community, and nationality. In your previous lesson, you learned about the various contemporary art forms and their
practices from the various regions as well as the various contemporary art forms in the Philippines.

Message in the Painting

Directions: Look carefully at the paintings below and share your thoughts and feelings about what you think they
mean or symbolize. Write your thoughts on a separate sheet of paper.

OMG, 2015. Ernest Concepcion SUPER THAN

SUPERMAN,
2018. Ronald Ventura

With the advent of technology, art in the Philippines is no longer confined in galleries where only the rich and
privileged have access to. Nowadays, you can now look and admire some of the best contemporary arts in the
Philippines by simply opening your mobile phones, iPads, or laptops, making Philippine arts and culture more
accessible now than ever. Moving beyond traditional and standard museum fanfare, Philippine art now moves in a
way where common folks can digest what lies beyond the mixes of colors, decipher messages under the guise of
emotion-filled tunes and melodies, and capture the beauty which words alone cannot purely describe. To familiarize
yourself with the modern art scene in the country, we will study about Filipino
contemporary artists and their works.

Nona Garcia
Nona Garcia is perhaps one of the bes tknown artists in the Philippine art
scene at the moment. Born in 1978 in Manila, she received her Bachelor of Fine
Arts in Painting from the University of the Philippines. Based primarily in Baguio,
her work has been exhibited in countless galleries both local and abroad. She won
the Grand Prize in the Philip Morris ASEAN Art Award (2000), and is also a
recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Thirteen Artists Award
(2003).

Among her solo shows are False Apparitions (Singapore, 2012), Before the Sea
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(Manila, 2012), Unearth (Berlin, 2015), and Before the Sky (Manila, 2016). Nona
Garcia is known for employing the use of stark realism to bring into question
what the true meaning of representation is. Her use of photorealism centers
everyday objects, cultural artifacts, or people, inviting the viewers to explore the
environmental, sociopolitical, and personal histories of her subjects. Although
famous for her paintings, she also employs the use of paper cutouts, x-rays, and
lightboxes in her works. Her attention to detail and incredible skill are unlike any
other, making her a favorite of collectors, art enthusiasts, and laypeople alike.

Andres Barrioquinto
Andres Barrioquinto’s multi-awarded work is both striking and unforgettable, and his iconic and surreal
painting style has made him successful in the local and international art scenes. A graduate of the University of Santo
Tomas fine Arts program, Barrioquinto has been fondly called the Dark Man of Philippine Art due to
his use of the macabre in many of his works. He has participated in shows both in the country and abroad, including
Singapore and Taipei. In addition to this, he also had a recent major showcase of portraits at the National Museum in
November. Barrioquinto’s work is notable for its use of juxtaposition and scale. His portraits are famously a mix of
the monochrome and the technicolor. With his subjects in black and white framed by an explosion of color, his
paintings assault the senses and leave viewers reeling. While the mainstream perspective on art is that
it must be beautiful, Barrioquinto challenges old perspectives and brings you up close and personal with the strange
and imperfect. One of the CCP’s Thirteen Artists of 2003, Andres Barrioquinto’s works have also pulled in huge
numbers at auctions in the Philippines and abroad. His painting Skulls and Butterflies pulled in HKD 620,000 at an
auction, almost 15 times its asking price.

Leeroy New
When it comes to the history of Philippine arts and culture,
you’d be hard-pressed to find a more distinctive style across a variety
of mediums than Leeroy New’s. A native of General Santos City, New
graduated from the Philippine High School for the Arts and the
University of the Philippines Collegeof Fine Arts. His work
has garnered him a number of accolades and awards, including the
2005 Metrobank Art Awards, the 2009 Ateneo Art Awards, a
nomination for the 2011 Signature Art Prize in Singapore, the 2012
CCP 13 Artists Award, and the 2014 Metrobank FoundationAward.
Leeroy New has employed a variety of mediums for his artwork,
including production design, public art, product design, and wearable art. However, he’s perhaps best known for his
iconic sculptures, which blend together a variety of shapes, colors, and forms to challenge the viewer. New’s lifelong
fascination with monsters has led him to create pieces that are out of this world, making him one of the most
prominent names in the Philippine sculpture and visual arts scenes. His work has also been featured in television
shows such as Bagani (2018).

Nikki Luna
One of the most prominent female artists in Philippine arts circles today,
Nikki Luna’s work brings together advocacy and art. Luna is a graduate of
the University of the Philippines’ Fine Arts program, focusing on visual art.
She also received a Chevening Award, allowing her to take a masters in Art
and Education at the University of London in the UK. Her work has been
exhibited in the CCP, Vargas Museum, and Lopez Memorial Museum,
among others. In addition, she has also been featured in the Aichi Triennale,
Singapore Biennale, Beijing Binnale, and Le Festival International des
textiles Extra Ordinaires. Luna’s work is notable for highlighting issues of
women, including the issues of rape, sexual harassment, domestic workers,
and migrant workers. She authored the book I Love My Body (2018),
highlighting body positivity and awareness. She also recently completed a
solo exhibition at the 1335 Mabini Gallery called This is how to be a woman
of the world. Besides gallery work, Luna also employs her art in her
activism. She has conducted various art therapy workshops in conflict zones in the Philippines and uses her work to
speak out against social issues like extrajudicial killings, misogyny, and rape culture.

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Rodel Tapaya
Rodel Tapaya is one of the top names in Philippine painting and visual art, and his work has garnered him
critical acclaim both in the country and abroad. Born in 1980 in Montalban, Rizal, Tapaya first broke out into the
scene when he won the Nokia Art Awards in 2001. This enabled him to take drawing and painting courses in
prestigious institutions such as the Parsons School of Design in New York, USA, and the University of Helsinki in
Finland. Additionally, Tapaya won the 2011 Signature Art Prize, was named one of CCP’s 13 Artists of 2012, and has
been shortlisted several times for the Ateneo Art Awards, among others. Tapaya’s first solo show outside the country
was in 2008 and was entitled Rodel Tapaya: Folkgotten. This marked a shift in subject matter and medium, and
Tapaya began to explore the themes of Philippine mythology and folktales for which he’s known today. Rodel
Tapaya’s artworks and paintings are notable for their mix of Filipino folk culture and history, which he uses to offer
commentary on contemporary social issues. His complex compositions and use of vivid colors and patterns have made
his work a favorite of collectors and art enthusiasts.

Ernest Concepcion
Ernest Concepcion is well known for his highly complex and experimental paintings, which play with texture
and color to create images that arrest the viewer’s eyes. Born in 1977, he graduated from the University of the
Philippines with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He has participated in a number of art residences in New York,
where he stayed for several years. Concepcion has exhibited in galleries both in the Philippines and in the United
States, including solo exhibitions and group shows. He has also received the CCP’s 13 Artists of 2015 award, among
others. Concepcion is notable for his use of color and texture in his artworks. His paintings are abstracted reflections
on Philippine history, social issues, and the human experience. By experimenting with composition, form, color, and
textures, Concepcion’s works challenge the viewers’ preconceptions of what is or isn’t possible in art. Concepcion’s
pieces are set apart by his use of different techniques, styles, and media in order to put together images that are
disjointed and unified at the same time. He currently splits his time between Manila and Brooklyn.

Annie Cabigting
Annie Cabigting is one of this generation of artists’ technical masters, and her
work is well-known both for its adherence to real life form, and for its ability
to challenge the viewer. She graduated from the University of the
Philippines with a Major in Painting in 1994 and has since been exhibited in
dozens of galleries. She has over a dozen solo exhibitions, including ones in
Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. She also won the Ateneo Art
Awards in 2005, among others, and her work was also included in the Prague
Biennale. Cabigting is perhaps most known for her ability to force her
viewers to question ideas of authorship, reproduction, and point of view. Her
recent show, Museum Watching, featured photorealistic paintings of people
observing famous artworks. This playfulness in exploring the dynamic
between subject and viewer has been present throughout her career. In addition to original work, Cabigting has also
made reproductions of pieces by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and local artists. Her ability to play around with the
act of observation has made her a favorite of collectors and laypeople alike.

Dex Fernandez
Dex Fernandez is a rising name among young artists in the Philippines,
and it’s immediately evident why. Perhaps best known for his cartoonish,
many-legged subject “Garapata,” Fernandez’s work is playful and street-smart,
bringing a modern sensibility to many of Manila’s galleries. He studied Fine Art
and Advertising at the Technological University of the Philippines before working
as a graphic designer. He’s had solo exhibitions in the Philippines and the United
States, as well as group exhibitions in France, Singapore, the United States, and the
Philippines. Fernandez’s work makes use of the urban landscape as a canvas,
bringing art out of staid white galleries and into the daily lives of commuters. His Garapata stickers are a well-known
sight around Manila and even abroad. Besides his illustration, he’s also worked in mixed media, photomanipulation,
mural painting, and other styles. Fernandez’s pieces like to mix the mundane in with the surreal, making each of his
artworks an instant visual playground for the viewer. Although he is currently based in Caloocan City, you can find
his works, and Garapata, in metropolises all over the world.

Oscar Villamiel
Oscar Villamiel is a familiar figure in the Philippine art world, and his

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visceral, Multimedia installations are both instantly recognizable and unforget-
table. Born in 1953 and a graduate of the Fine Arts Program of University of the
East, he worked as a set designer and entrepreneur for several decades. During
this period, he founded the graphic t-shirt brand Artwork in 2002. His first
exhibition was a group exhibition of UE alumni at the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and he’s exhibited in a number of galleries and
countries since. Villamiel’s work is well-known for its use of salvaging, with the
artist using found materials or old, recycled parts to create entirely new works.
His 2014 installation art about the Philippines, Mga Damong Ligaw, employed the
use of over 10,000 excised carabao horns that flowed from the gallery walls onto the floor. Instead of focusing on
prized objects, his art brings to the foreground discarded junk and cast-off, mundane items. By doing this, he
highlights the stark beauty that can often be found in these discarded pieces.

Geraldine Javier
Geraldine Javier is a Philippine visual artist whose work foregrounds the tension between dynamic contrasts. Born in
1970, she initially began her career training to be a nurse before turning to the arts. Javier rose into the spotlight when
she received the CCP’s 13 Artists Award in 2003. She first began exhibiting her work internationally in 2004, and has
been featured in dozens of galleries both in the Philippines and abroad.
Javier has cited Roberto Chabet as one of her top influences, and she herself
takes a similar cerebral approach to her artwork. Her work emphasizes
complexity, both of subject matter and form. In addition to iconography from
her Roman Catholic upbringing, she also touches on the concepts of death,
emotional violence, relationships, and social tensions. Rather than touching on
the social realism and political commentary of her predecessors, Javier instead
paints subjects that are highly personal and specific. Thus, she invites the viewers
of her artwork to look at the internal rather the external, making her a favorite of
galleries and collectors alike.

Ronald Ventura

Ronald Ventura has been hailed as one of the most distinctive and unique
artistic voices of his generation. Born in 1973 and educated at the University of
Santo
Tomas in Manila, he’s been multi-awarded since his student days. As an
undergraduate, he won the longest-running student art competition sponsored by
Shell Corporation in 1990. His first two solo shows were in 2000, and he has since
been exhibited in the Philippines, Asia, and in Europe and the United States.
Among
his many awards are the 13 Artists Award of 2003 by the CCP, and the Ateneo Art
Award in 2005. Ronald Ventura’s artworks are known for combining a variety of
different media, and he explores new themes, materials, and concepts in his work. Although skilled in different media,
including photography, sculptures, and installations, he’s particularly known for his work surrounding the human
form. By layering usually separate styles—
such as graffiti, cartoons, and photorealism— he highlights the multiple and sometimes conflicting identities that
make up the Philippines. Ronald Ventura’s paintings explore dynamics and contrasts, and each piece is a unique
dialogue between viewer and subject.

Gary-Ross Pastrana
Gary-Ross Pastrana’s distinctive, conceptual oeuvres makes him a stand-out in
a country rich with artistic talent. He received his bachelor’s degree in painting from
the University of the Philippines’ College of Fine Arts, where he was awarded the
Dominador Castañeda Award for Best Thesis. Subsequently, he was granted
residences in Japan and Bangkok. He received the CCP’s 13 Artists Award in 2006, and
has since been exhibited in shows both local and abroad. He is also one of the co-
founders of the Future Prospects Art Space in Cubao, Philippines. Pastrana’s work is
known for combining concepts with context in subtle, poetic ways. In addition to
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sculpture, his work has also employed the use of folded and coiled photographs, found pictures from the internet
woven together, and even his own shirt tied to a flagpole. In one exhibit in 2018, Pastrana turned to the “forgotten”
objects in the house, highlighting them and inviting viewers to explore their often-ignored histories. His simple yet
dynamic approach to the everyday turns the mundane into something deeply emotional, adding a complexity to even
the most deceptively simple of pieces.

Benedicto Cabrera
Benedicto Cabrera, more popularly known as BenCab, has been hailed as
one of the most iconic artists of his generation. Awarded the National Artist of the
Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) Award in 2006, he is arguably one of the best-
selling artists in the country, with the BenCab museum in Baguio City dedicated to
his works. He studied in the University of the Philippines before exploring a career in art circles
in London. Subsequently, he began to build a name for himself that led to
countless exhibitions and shows in dozens of countries across the world.
Benedicto Cabrera’s artworks are notable for his mastery of a variety of
different media, including printmaking, painting, photography, and draftsmanship.
In particular, he is known for his series of works centering around his muse“Sabel,”
inspired by a scavenger woman whom he photographed and sketched in 1965.
Following the same vein, Benedicto Cabrera’s paintings are primarily figurative,
focusing on the female subject, and occasionally men, wrapped in swirling fabrics.His subjects are often dressed in
Filipiniana, highlighting the context of Filipinowomen in society.

Agnes Arellano
Perhaps one of the greatest Philippine sculptors of her generation, Agnes
Arellano’s work demands the viewer’s full attention. Before delving into art,
Arellano first went down a more science-oriented track, pursuing a Bachelor of
Arts in Psychology and units in a Master of Arts in the same field. She finally
took a Major in Sculpture from the College of Fine Arts, University of the
Philippines, kickstarting what would be decades of success and renown. She has
participated in several exhibitions across the globe, and her work is in the
permanent collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, the Singapore Art
Museum, and the APEC Sculpture Park in Busan, South Korea. Arellano’s
sculptures are distinctive not only for their mastery of the female form, but for
their harrowing, sometimes grotesque, and always unforgettable subject matter.
Much of her career has been shaped by the tragic death of her family in a fire in
1981, and many of her works
commemorate this event. In particular, her multimedia memorial event Fire and Death – A Labyrinth of Ritual Art
was a unique installation of memorabilia from their family home. Arellano is known for her focus on the female body
using a variety of different sculptural materials, including casts of her own body. She calls her sculptures “inscapes,”
where she invites the viewers to walk in and explore the core of their meaning.

Kiko Escora
Kiko Escora, also known as Manila Animal, is a prolific,
chameleon-like artist whose work changes with every exhibition. Born in
1970, his fascination with art began as a child, when his father introduced
him to the color wheel and taught him to match each color with a song.
Awarded the prestigious 13 Artists Award by the CCP in 2003, he has
been exhibited numerous times, both in solo and group shows in the
Philippines and in countries such as Indonesia and Spain. He is a favorite
of collectors, and his pieces have sold for up to Php 1.5 million at
auctions. Kiko Escora’s work is known for the negotiation between the
themes of intimacy and violence. His portraits, often foregrounding the
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 subjects in stark lighting, invite a level of scrutiny on the part of the viewer that feels both familiar and
invasive all at once. His subjects often have a particularly unnerving energy, with expressions and attitudes
that turn the viewer from an impartial observer to an almost voyeur. This bald-facedness allows that forces the
viewer from the passive into the active have made his work deceptively simple yet haunting.
Yasmin Sison-Ching
Yasmin Sison-Ching is a Filipina visual artist whose work lingers
with you long after you’ve turned away. Born in 1972 in Cavite, she took
up a degree in Humanities and Fine Arts and graduated from the
University of the Philippines, later taking a second degree in Painting
from 1994-1997 and a Masters in Art Education in 2001. Her work Bear
fetched the highest price at the Borobudur auction in Singapore in 2008,
and she has been exhibited in Malaysia, Italy, the Czech Republic,
Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Sison-Ching’s
early work centered on abstract expressionism. Her gestural paintings
included bright splashes of color and expressionist figures that lacked
both form and identity. She then moved on to representational imagery,
distinctive for her unflinching portrayal of her subjects. In particular, her
series on children in all their moods showed her skill at drawing out the
emotions of her subjects. This perceptiveness and connection with
viewers have made her a standout in the Philippine art scene, and a favorite among collectors.

Neil Pasilan
Neil Pasilan is a self-taught, multi-media artist from Bacolod.
Born in 1971 and brother to fellow artist Diokno Pasilan, he displayed
creativity at an early age. In his youth, he modeled figures in clay before
moving on
to other forms and media. He has been in several group exhibitions,
including 2010’s Buang in Makati City Alay in Quezon City, and 2011 in
Taguig City, Philippines. His solo exhibitions have been at various
galleries in the Philippines, including Wes Gallery, Art Informal Gallery,
and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Pasilan’s work is known for its
use of multiple layers and media, utilizing these different strata to expose
or sometimes mask different forms and subjects. He has described himself
as being most at ease when he is being true to himself as an artist.
Subsequently, many of his works include family members and other
personal relationships. Pasilan’s work is distinctive for its hazy yet emotion-filled approach to form, creating emotion
through abstraction where the viewer would initially assume there was none to be found.

Kawayan de Guia
Kawayan de Guia is a growing name within the Philippine art world, and with good reason. The son of
filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik and German artist Katrin de Guia, he was mentored by BenCab and Santiago Bose in his
early years. In 2011, he helmed the Ax(iS) Art Project to promote the local artist community in Baguio City and the
rest of the Cordilleras. He has held numerous solo exhibitions in the Philippines and abroad, and was a guest curator in
2013 for the Singapore Biennale. Besides the Philippines, his work has been exhibited in Australia, Japan, China, and
Germany. De Guia’s work is notable for his seemingly disjointed juxtapositions of different images and forms. His
collages play with concepts that are often difficult to pair, such as religion and consumerism, in collages that play with
both shape and color. By placing these outwardly disparate concepts together, he invites the viewer to construct their
own meaning of their relationships. The chaotic landscapes of his artworks also invite the viewer to explore feelings
of discontent and disarticulation and leave them with lingering feelings of restlessness long after they’ve left.

Mark Salvatus

Mark Salvatus is an intermedia artist who has been slowly but surely rising in prominence in the Philippine art
scene. Born in 1980 and educated at the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts & Design, he won the
Ateneo Art Awards in 2010, and was named as one of the CCP’s 13 Artists of 2012. In subsequent years, he has won
residency grants and fellowships to Sweden, Japan, and the Netherlands. He has exhibited his work in the Philippines,
Japan, South Korea, China, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, among
others. Mark Salvatus calls his artworks “Salvage Projects,” and
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he is preoccupied with the idea of
movements and transitions from one
place or state of being to another. His
work discusses urbanization and the
socioeconomic structure that surrounds
it, especially in Metro Manila. This
urbanization and landscape is both
foreground and background for Salvatus’
pieces, manifesting through familiar
objects and the everyday. With his
artworks spanning a range of media and
sometimes inviting the participation of
the public itself, Salvatus has proven
himself an artist of the new age.

Patricia Perez Eustaquio

Patricia Perez Eustaquio has been hailed as one of the foremost artists of her generation. Born in 1977, she
received the 13 Artists Award from the CCP in 2010, and has been awarded several prestigious residencies. Among
these residencies are Art Omi in New York, and Stitching Id11 in Amsterdam. She has been exhibited in dozens of
galleries, and her work has awed audiences in Switzerland, Singapore, Paris, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines,
among others. In 2016, she was commissioned by the Palais de Tokyo in France, and joined the Singapore Biennale in
the same year Eustaquio’s work is concerned with the idea of vanity, focusing on materials and structures that are are
carefully created and staged. Much of her work
involves the materials of craft, including fabric,
leather, lace, ceramic, and upholstery— either
handmade or industrial. Hailed by critics as a
multifaceted talent, Eustaquio is able to invite
viewers to interrogate both the artwork and the
process by which the artwork is constructed.
Detritus is framed within the structures of craft and
fashion, creating a dynamic that begs reflection and
discussion.

Martha Atienza
Martha Atienza was born to a Filipino father
and Dutch mother, and this shuttling between two
cultures has been at the forefront of her creative
work. She finished a bachelor’s degree in Mixed
Media and Media Art at the Aki Academy of Visual
Arts and Design in the Netherlands. Despite her
young age, her prodigious skill is readily apparent, and she’s received accolade after accolade in
her decade of work. Among these are the CCP’s 2015 13 Artists Award, the New Media Fund
from the NCCA, the 2012 Ateneo Art Awards, and residencies in Singapore, Australia, the United
States, the UK, and the Philippines. Martha Atienza’s work is primarily known for being
expressed through video installation, which has been exhibited in various galleries across the
globe. Using the concept of a “stranger” to guide her hand, her work toes the line between
imagination and understanding. Atienza takes an almost sociological approach to her artwork,
exploring different contradictions and subjects with an almost clinical eye. However, this
perceived detachment does not let the viewer forget who is behind the camera,turning the
experience into a kind of voyeurism of the voyeur.

Hannah Pettyjohn
As the daughter of Filipino ceramicisists Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, it’s no wonder that
Hannah Pettyjohn grew up to pursue a career in the arts. Born in 1983 and now based in Dallas
in the United States, Pettyjohn graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Painting. Her work has been exhibited in the Philippines, Taiwan, the United
States, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and is included in
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various private collections across Southeast Asia. Taking inspiration
from
her parents’ work and her own experiences as a Filipino-American,
Pettyjohn’s work seems to focus on the meeting and discussion
between
two worlds. Her paintings are often accompanied by sculptural
works,
and fragments of memory and autobiographical tidbits make up
much of
her artwork. Her palettes are muted, emphasizing a feeling of
nostalgia
and transience. With themes of impermanence, loneliness, anxiety, and
aimlessness, her work speaks to a new generation of individuals who feel
untethered to their own histories and societies.

Pope Bacay

A native of Oriental Mindoro, Pope Bacay is quickly rising to become one of the most well-
known young artists in the country. Having graduated from the Studio Arts program of the
University of the Philippines in only 2016, he’s quickly begun to make waves in the local art
scene in the Philippines. He had his first exhibition in 2016 entitled (t)here, and has had several
group and solo shows in the few short years since. Bacay also recently completed a two-month
art residency at the ABungalow Residency Project in Negros Occidental. Bacay’s
work draws on the sense of place, capturing scenes from his life in his home-
town of Roxas. Framing the everyday and familiar within architectural struc-
tures, he emphasizes the role of these structures in capturing and maintain-
ing our memories. The visual geography on his canvases is both foreign and
familiar all at once, with windowpanes or traditional-style houses a well-
known sight to viewers. His masterful grasp of melancholy and nostalgia
definitely makes him a voice to look out for.

David Medalla
David Medalla is one of the greats of Philippine
contemporary art, any list would be remiss not to
include him. Born in Manila in 1942, he was admitted
to Columbia University in New York at the young age of
14 upon the recommendation of American poet Mark
van Doren. In the late 1950s he returned to Manila and
began his art career under the wing of several new
patrons. In the 1960s, he moved to the United Kingdom
and co-founded the Signals Gallery, which presented
kinetic art by international artists. He also founded the
London Biennale in 1998, and has won numerous
awards for his work. It’s hard to put together a life more
storied than David

Medalla’s. As one of the foremost artists in kinetic art and sculpture in the world, Medalla’s
influence on Philippine contemporary art is undeniable. He has experimented with a variety of
forms and materials, never once shying away from the challenge to viewers and observers. He
creates artwork that allows all the body’s senses to engage with it, once even creating a piece
that would release scent pellets of his then-boyfriend’s smell when he undressed after coming
home from work. His creativity, eloquence, and genius are undeniable, and luckily for Philippine
art he still has more to give.

III. Learning Competency with code:

• explains Filipino artists’ roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts
(CAR11/12CAP-0c-e-5)
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IV. Directions: Test your knowledge on best artworks of Filipino contemporary artists by answering the following
activities:

V. Exercises/Activities
A. Activity: Art Auction
An art auction or fine art auction is the sale of artworks, in most cases in an auction
house. Normally, an art catalog, that lists the art works to be sold, is written and made available
well before the auction date. In this activity, you will be introduced to the artworks available in
our auction. You can bid all you want on the best or the most eye-catching artwork you see on
our catalog below. For you to successfully buy your favorite, you need to jot down why you want
to buy it, its relevance to you, and what it shows about our society. Are you ready for the
auction?

Directions:
Read carefully each
item. Use a separate sheet
for your answers. Write
only the letters of the
best
answer for each test
item.

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 1. What is Photorealism?
A. It is realism in painting characterized by extremely meticulous depiction of detail.
B. It is realism in painting where certain parts are emphasized or highlighted to accentuate meaning portrayed
by the artwork.
C. It is the theory or practice in art of applying small strokes or dots of color to a surface so that from a
distance they blend together.
D. It is the principles or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature,
film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.
2. Who among the following Filipino contemporary artists employ photorealism in her/his artworks?
A. Andres Barrioquinto C. Leeroy New
B. Nikki Luna D. Nona Garcia
3. What is surrealism?
A. It is realism in painting characterized by extremely meticulous depiction of detail.
B. It is realism in painting where certain parts are emphasized or highlighted to accentuate meaning portrayed
by the artwork.
C. It is the theory or practice in art of applying small strokes or dots of color to a surface so that from a
distance they blend together.
D. It is the principles or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature,
film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.
4. Who among the following Filipino contemporary artists is famous for his mix of monochrome and technicolor
challenging the old perspectives of the beautiful by bringing you up close and personal with the strange and
imperfect?
A. Andres Barrioquinto C. Geraldine Javier
B. Ernest Conception D. Ronald Ventura
5. How do the Filipino contemporary artists contribute to the development of Philippine identity both in local and
international scenes?
A. They contribute to the development of Philippine identity both in local and international scenes through
their artworks which are abstracted reflections on Philippine history, social issues, and human experience.
B. They contribute to the development of Philippine identity both in local and international scenes through
their artworks inviting people to criticize the environmental, sociopolitical, and personal history of the
Filipino people.
C. Either A or B.
D. Neither A nor B.
6. In one of his exhibits, he turned to the “forgotten objects” in the house highlighting them and inviting viewers to
explore their often-ignored histories.
A. Agnes Arellano C. Gary-Ross Pastrana
B. Benedicto Cabrera D. Kawayan De Guia
7. His artworks are known for combining a variety of different media, and he explores new themes, materials, and
concepts in his works. He’s particularly known for his work surrounding the human form.
A. Annie Cabagting C. Nikki Luna
B. Geraldine Javier D. Ronald Ventura
8. How do the Filipino contemporary artists we discussed bring their artworks about our society and culture into a
more engaging and thought-provoking way?
A. They bring their artworks about our society and culture into a more engaging and thought-provoking way
by challenging the old perspectives by not focusing on prized objects but bringing their artworks to the
foreground of discarded junks and cast-off mundane items.
B. They bring their artworks about our society and culture into a more engaging and thought-provoking way
by bringing to attention everyday objects, cultural artifacts, or people, inviting the viewers to explore the
environmental, sociopolitical, and personal histories of her subjects.
C. Either A or B.
D. Neither A nor B.

9. He is a Filipino contemporary artist whose artworks are notable for their mix of Filipino folk culture and history
and
highlight his commentary on contemporary social issues.
A. Dex Fernandez C. Neil Pasilan
B. Ernest Concepcion D. Rodel Tapaya
10. A Filipino contemporary artist whose early work centered on abstract expressionism. Her gestural paintings

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 included bright splashes of color and expressionist figures that lacked both form and identity.
A. Annie Cabagting C. Nona Garcia
B. Nikki Luna D. Yasmin Sison-Ching

VI. Reference:

AIRs – LM in Contemporary Arts from the Region

Prepared by: Checked by: Approved by:

ADRIAN CLYDE C. BEGONIA ROSENDO C. BERNABE JR. PhD

CYNTHIA B. TABLANG EdD
Subject Teacher Master Teacher II OIC-Asst. Principal II,
Academics

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