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WITH every painting, sculpture, photograph, performance or fashion
design that catches our eye, we wonder about the artists behind
them. Stereotypes abound about creative people: the starving artist,
the tempestuous perfectionist, the self-destructive genius, the
outcast, the rock star and the sellout. One photographer turns his
lens back into the other side of the studio and captures his fellow
artists.
Will Work 4 Food, a photo exhibit by Steve
Tirona, runs at the Silverlens Gallery at 2320 Pasong Tamo
Extension, Makati City until May 24. It features portraits of visual
artists Maria Taniguchi, Poklong Anading, Jayson Oliveira and Patty
Eustacio and is curated by Adeline Ooi.
Tirona reveals he came upon the title of the
exhibit while we were stuck in traffic. He explains that “Will
work 4 food” cardboard signs flashed by the homeless community is
a common sight in the streets of Los Angeles where he once resided.
Curator Ooi explains:
In the context of the alternative art scene in
Manila, however, the statement takes on a vastly differing
significance. Unlike the homeless in L.A., the young practitioners
of Manila are not begging or asking for help; rather, it is a show
of solidarity. Projects in the creative community in this city often
rely on “friend-to-friend” generosity, and on the basis of who
is available or willing, as financial resources for independent
projects are often scarce. There is a tacit understanding among
participants or collaborators that, they will not be paid—more
often than not. As a result, the most basic form of “payment” to
fellow artists and work mates comes in the form of food. It is after
all the only decent thing to do, as the ability to pay in kind, to
feed your friends so to speak, after a hard day’s work is the
simplest gesture of appreciation.
Will Work 4 Food began in 2005 with a simple aim
to take “snapshots” of the nascent but exciting days of
Manila’s alternative contemporary art scene. Since 1998, there has
been an obvious surge of activities initiated by younger artists
around the city. Curator Ooi further explains:
It is important to put faces to the names–to
pay tribute, in a sense, to the many individuals who continue to
remain “faceless”, unknown and unrecognized for their efforts
and contribution to their artistic environment . . . From the
guerilla style shoots–not quite knowing where or how to frame the
portrait—to the quiet moments with his sitters, the intimate
interaction, and at times awkwardness between photographer and
subject, had been captured in that instant of the frame. It seems
fitting that Steve, like so many of the artists featured here, has
been forced to prove his credibility time and again as a “serious
photographer” simply because he didn’t –and still
doesn’t–look like one.
Tirona straddles several cultures, having been
born in the Philippines and raised in California. He began to take
an interest in photography as a 15-year old. Since 1996, he has
taken pictures professionally in the United States and in Southeast
Asia. His past work includes Rage Against the Machine’s Battle of
Los Angeles album as well as for the movie Adaptation. Tirona is
currently based in Manila.
Silverlens Gallery hours are Monday to Friday,
10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Gallery activities are
every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m: April 26-Gallery Talk by
Curator Adeline Ooi, May 3-Artist Talk by Steve Tirona, May 10-TBA.
Will Work 4 Food will have a closing party on May 24, 6 p.m. For
details, call 816-0044, e-mail manage@silverlensphoto.com or visit
www.silverlensphoto.com.
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