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| Photo by Mark Salvatus |
One
afternoon, I visited Con Cabrera at her house in Quezon City, and she welcomed
me with delicious pancit marienda. She shared her perspective on the
relationship between art and activism. (Interviewed on September 4th,
2013, Interviewer: Mayumi Hirano)
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We see each other quite often, but I never had the
chance to ask you this simple question: how did you get into art?
After graduating from
department of advertising arts, University of Santo Tomas, I worked for
advertising agencies. I became an activist first before I exhibited my works. I
met friends who were activists. I went to a wake of an activist who got shot in
the picket line. He was a worker-leader fighting against labor issues in Nestle
and got exposed to the issues but I think I already had radical point of view
even in college. I would independently go to rallies in college, dealing with
issues like the case of Joseph Estrada.
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Will you tell me more about your involvement with
the Southern Tagalog Exposure (STEX) and Arrest Gloria?
When I entered STEX, they had
a quarterly magazine and showed films mostly about workers and peasants. I
think they still have the magazines and do films. Now most of the members are the
students in UP Los Baños in Laguna. When I was with them, we had about 4 or 5
members. The biggest was around 10 and people. The number of members varied
because people come and go. It's hard if you are dealing and working with
artists because they have other endeavors.
For Arrest Gloria, there
was a call for resignation of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the group was formed.
We organized events like concerts and poetry readings. It started as alliance-
most of the members were artists, musicians and writers. Most of our events and
gigs were held at Mag:Net Gallery in Katipunan, a bar/gallery space.
Were the events always in the Mag:Net Gallery?
No, we did it outside and
other venues during mobilizations or in front of government agencies where there
were picket lines.
What was the transition process from Arrest Gloria to
Artist ARREST?
Artists’ ARREST actually
has a long name- “Artist Response to Call for the Social Change and
Transformation.” As Artists’ ARREST we worked with other artist collectives and
artists. We dealt with the issue of human rights to release the political prisoners
who were detained. We organized events to disseminate information about the
issues that we cared. Because our base was in the south so we brought the
people to Manila by making such events. We invited different performers like
musicians and poets.
Is there a big network among artist activists in
South East Asia?
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| Narrative of the Red Traveller, 2008 Oil on Canvas |
I always have debates with
other artists because they see activists are too radical or too strong but then
the teaching in activism is that you have to be strong you have to push your
ideology. That's the only way people will listen to you. That's the only way
you can educate people. Issues are serious and people are dying. I don't think
artists don't really want that.
Working in activist groups seems to demand
full-time commitment. How do you see the relationship between your individual
art practice and activism?
It is related, because it
was a decision that I made. When I started to receive exhibition invitations, I
decided to do all of my paintings based on my ideology. I always say that I
won't be an artist, if I'm not an activist. So whatever I painted always had a
background or issue that I believed as an activist. What I cared was reflected
in my paintings.
You are also active in curating exhibitions. Do you
consider it as a part of your artist / activist practice?
When I was active in the
collective, I curated shows. We do something for the collective; we don't
always own us as individual or us practicing as an artist. We always worked as
a group. Now looking back at that time, the goal of putting a show together was
to get artists as audience. Curating for the collective was a different thing in
comparison to the one I did recently, which was entitled the Curved House, last year. I think that's on
a different level. Last year I was not so active. It was a transitional time
for me. The exhibition was seen as a feminist show, because people knew that I
was an activist. But for me it was rather a transitional thing.
You are also part of 98B COLLABoratory, which is
not necessarily an activist group.
The organization part is
the same. 98B can reach the audience that we couldn’t reach during my time in
the collectives. Although I'm not that active now, I always keep in touch with
the people who are taking the responsibilities in the collective. Now I also
teach at Kalayaan College, I tell my students to go the exhibitions and meet
people. You cannot just put up an exhibition.
What’s your opinion about the contemporary art
scene in Manila?
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| Dear Activist, 2010 Acrylic on paper, wheatpasted on concrete |
You are also involved in artist initiative, 98B
COLLABoratory, which is not necessarily an activist group. What potentials do
you see in 98B from artist / activist point of view?
The organization part is
the same. 98B can reach the audience that we couldn’t reach during my time in the
collectives. Although I'm not that active now, I always keep in touch with the
people who are taking the responsibilities in the collective. Now I also teach
at Kalayaan College, I tell my students to go the exhibitions and meet people. You
cannot just put up an exhibition.
x
CON CABRERA (b. 1981)
Born and raised in
Pampanga, Cabrera now lives in Quezon City while working as a lecturer and
freelance art director. For the past five years, she has participated in a
number of group exhibitions in Manila. As a supporter of the political mass
movement, she is fascinated with protest art and had painted murals during
mobilizations with co-members of the collective Artists' ARREST (Artists'
Response to the Call for Social Change and Transformation). She had her first
solo exhibition in 2011.
In 2012, she did her first project as an independent
curator involving twenty-three women artists. She also became a part of 98B
Collaboratory, an independent art space in Escolta, Manila. Under 98B, she was
accepted as a fellow and participated in the 2012 HAO Summit in Singapore, and
became a residency partner for the project Flyover 158-98B Japan-Philippines
Exchange Program. She recently attended Japan Foundation Manila and UP Vargas
Museum's curatorial workshop and was chosen to attend a study tour in Japan and
curate an exhibition in Vargas this year.
Web links:
http://concabrera.wix.com/ccab