L1: DEFINING COMTEMPORARY ARTS - Appropriation was used by Santiago Bose in

his piece called “Carnivore of Session Road

Contemporary Art (2002)”. Appropriation is an essential
preoccupation among contemporary artist
- derived from Latin prefix con, means “together”
and it seeks to practice of creating new
or “with,” plus, tempus which means “time”.
work by taking a pre-existing image or work
- basically it means the Art being created now. from another context---art history, media,
etc.
- this kind of art continuous to evolve along the
time.
- Contemporary art can revisit the past and
resonate it in works that trigger questions
addressed to the present as well as the
CONTEMPORARY ARTS IN THE PHILLIPPINES future.
- During the time of President Ferdinand
Marcos in 1970’s, when he imposed Martial
Law. He wanted the nation to follow his
own vision of cultural and Artistic renewal
to the images of pre-colonial Philippines
society. In order to attain this, Marcos’s
state exercised control over the print
media, radio, television, schools and the
arts through various presidential decrees,
and established a network of cultural and
art institution govern by his wife, Imelda.

- Moreover, Arts was also used to oppose the Tie a String around the World by Manuel
Marcos Administration that made social Conde a 1950’s film Genghis Khan. Co-
realism to flourish. written and designed by Carlos Francisco,
which was screened at the Venice film in
- Social realism is a kind of art aims to expose 1952 is one of the best demonstrations to
the real situation of the Philippine society show that the past as a dialogue across time
and used art to transform it. and space could be possibly done.

CONTEMPORARY ART AND LOCAL

HERITAGE
3 FACTORS THAT EMERGE THE PHILLIPPINE TO
CONTEMPORARY ARTS:
- Heritage is something that can be passed
1. The return of democracy under the Aquino from one generation to the next, can and
Administration be conserved or inherited, and has historic
2. The improved economic political or cultural value.
environment in the country, particularly
regions; and - These are physical objects and places of
3. The advent of new technologies and free heritage (Old buildings, paintings, public art,
access to media etc.) unique to the region or locality that
are conserved or handed down from one
CONTEMPORARY ART AS A BREAKING OF NORMS
generation to the next.
- It should also engage the viewers about the
current or timeless social issues.
- Regional heritage may be reverberated in
the creation of new art forms by - The growing speed of technology, the
juxtaposing images of traditions and history transfer of ideas, capital, information and
with the present to couch contemporary culture around the globe provide the
issues, thus, creating a lively catalogue that backdrop for the dizzying diversity and
fosters cross-fertilizations. For instance, rapid transformations in contemporary art,
abandoned buildings are given new life thereby loosening many of the boundaries
through modern interventions of and distinctions within art itself and the
contemporary architectural approach like crossing over of art forms.
adaptive use.

Examples: Old sabungan or cockpit was - Venues for contemporary art are no longer
repurposed into Community Theater in confined within the strict boundaries of the
2015 in Baclayon, Bohol. museum and gallery spaces.

The theater director of the said cockpit was - These artworks are some of the examples:
Lutgardo Labad wherein Dulaang kasing  The Ax(is) Art Project initiated by
sining group artist were the performers at Baguio-based artist Kawayan de Guia in
that time. 2011, had for its goal the communal
sewing of a big tent, the Ukay-ukay
The cockpit also host concerts, exhibits, Dome, an eye-catching temporary
lectures and workshops, making it an patchwork architecture of used clothing
alternative cultural-tourism destination for assembled by over a hundred student
tourist and visitors after the devastation of volunteers and installed in the Rose
earthquake that hits the city year 2013. Garden of Burnham Park. The tent is
Inspired by this, Teatro Zorilla from a marked by communal collaboration,
sabungan in Tondo in the 1990’s was whose goal is to connect with people
redesigned and restructured by Leandro and students and make them interact to
Locsin from being a garrison during the produce a work of art. The performance
Spanish colonial era in 1960’s. artists were Vim Nadera, Cesare Syjuco,
and Carlos Celdran.
- Mandala Art Festival held every May since
2012 in Pulilan, Bulacan in honor to a
Carabao which is an integral focal point of  In the late 1990’s, Aureus Solito
Central Luzon Agriculture wherein all visual presented and “Paglalakbay ng Apoy at
artist gather from all over central Luzon and Dugo” in the open space in between the
takes off from the tradition of the Carabao Faculty center and the UP Diliman
kneeling festival. Campus.

The following are the competitions in the

 Bagasbas Beach International Eco-Arts
event:
Festival in 2003
 Painted Carabao Miniature
Salabay- A local term for jellyfish, which
 Paper Mache Carabaos
is also the form adapted for a series of
 Carabao Painting
bell-shaped bamboo forms suspended
 Wall mural painting
by bamboo poles planted on the sand.
-
- Agap Iglap Lindol was conducted by Manila-
CONTEMPORARY ART AS A CRITIQUE OF
based university groups in a thickly
SOCIETY
 populated barangay in Sta. Mesa, Manila 6. Contemporary Art for Persuasion
for earthquake preparedness performance - Many art forms have a persuasive and
ideological function. Art that used to spur
political change or modify the behavior and
7 FUNCTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY ART
thinking of large groups of people have
1. Contemporary Art for Pleasure political and persuasive functions.
Government buildings, public monuments,
- One of the biggest benefits of Contemporary television commercials, and music videos all
Art is its aesthetic value. This means that harness the power of art to influence action
the art possesses some capacity to elicit a sense and opinion.
of pleasure in the viewer. Given its aesthetic
value, contemporary artwork can also be used 7. Art as Self-Expression
to decorate many different venues. - Art fulfills an expressive function when an
2. Contemporary Art as Profession artist conveys information about his/her
- Earning a degree in Contemporary Art helps personality, feelings, or worldview. We all
artists to hone their artistic skills. They can derive comfort from the fact that others in
take this knowledge and apply it behind the the world are similar to ourselves, and artist
camera lens for a lucrative career. use various modes of self-expression to
Photographers may approach their craft reach out to others in hopes of establishing
from an artistic standpoint or they may bond.
work in many avenues.
L2: THE CONTEXT OF
3. Contemporary Art as Commentary CONTEMPORARY ART
- Along with personal
expression, Contemporary Art allows the CONTEXT
artist to make commentary on the culture - refers to factors that surround a work of
around them. This can include depicting art.
literally or figuratively their views on - It includes a host of conditions such as
everything ranging from politics to pop historical events, economic trends,
culture. contemporary cultural developments,
religious attitudes, social norms, other
4. Contemporary Art in Spirituality artworks of the time, among others.
- Spirituality in the contemporary era is more
varied. Some artists explicitly use ideas and PRIMARY CONTEXT
symbols from religious or mythological - Pertains to the artist: His/ beliefs her
traditions in the expression of their ideas; attitudes, interest and values; education
others have a more 'pick-and-mix' approach and training; and biography (including
to spirituality, where aspects from different psychology).
traditions, including private beliefs, are - This includes artist’s intentions and
amalgamated. purposes for making his/her art.

5. Contemporary Art as Remembrance

- As the word suggests, remembrance is
something does as an aid of memory. Visual
imagery has played a decisive role in most
types of commemoration. Architecture and SECONDARY CONTEXT - Addresses the
public art forms immortalize a memory. external the external conditions in which
the work was produced: the apparent
 function of the work; religious and THE STUDY OF ART IN THE NATIONAL
philosophical convictions; socio-political CONTEXT
and economic structure; and even climate - The study of art must begin in one’s locality,
and geography. in the regional sense.
- It is within this regional location that the
CONTEMPORARY ART idea of homeland is anchored.
- produced and received, therefore, in - It is within this regional location that the
different ways by people situated in specific idea of homeland is anchored.
social environments. - The region is view as identity key maker.
- art must not be viewed as product, but as - Regionalism in art celebrates local tradition
product and its processes: That is how it is and pride of place.
produced in society, culture, and history.
FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF ART
IN SOCIETY - Refers not only to systems of - Contemporary art-making is a creative and
regulation and control but, also to social transformative process. The source of all art
relations based on class, gender, race, is human imagination or creative thinking.
sexuality, ethnicity, spiritual persuasion,
political commitment and social norm. CONTEMPORARY ART OR ANY ARTWORK IS
MADE UP OF THREE FUNDAMENTAL
IN CULTURE - It involves how people in COMPONENTS AND THEIR
society make sense of the world around CORRESPONDING PROCESSES OF ANALYSIS.
them by making meanings and sharing
these meanings with others in the context
of common but oftentimes contradictory
and changing fields of exchange.
- Cultural context is more subjective, it allows
students to examine the influences on that
artist’s work as a result of their
environment.

IN HISTORY - Is the process by which society

and culture are created by people because
they are active human agents, transforming
nature into form in the constant remaking
of everyday life.
- Historical context is factual in nature as it
refers to a specific movement or moment in DESCIPLINES OF ART
history.  ART PRODUCTION - The techniques and
processes of making art.
A THING BECOMES ART WHEN IT IS
CHARGED WITH MEANING AND VALUE  ART CRITICISM - Describing, analyzing,
BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: interpreting and judging.
 Aesthetic Experience – artist influenced by
other art/artist.  ART HISTORY - Context of art and the artist
 Consensus of the art world – general that created it.
agreement of all the artist.
 Cultural practice and shared meaning  AESTHETICS - Context of art and the artist
that created it.
 - the national center for the performing arts.
3 AESTHETIC THEORIES OF ART CRITICISM
 The National Museum (NM)
- is tasked with the preservation, conservation,
 Imitationalism and Literal Qualities
and protection of movable and immovable
- This establishes that art imitates life.
cultural properties for the enjoyment of present
- There is one-to-one correspondence and future generations.
between art and subject it seek to
represent.  The National Historical Commission of the
- It focuses on realistic representation. E.g. Philippines (NHCP)
Fernando Amorsolo - is responsible for the conservation and
preservation of the country’s historical legacies.
 Formalism and Formal Qualities - Places
emphasis on the formal qualities and the EXHIBITION, DISPLAY, AND DISSEMINATION OF
arrangement of the elements of art using the ART
principles of art. - The first government museum in the Philippines
was established under the American colonial
 Emotionalism and Expressive Qualities policy of public education. Under this condition
of American benevolent assimilation, the early
- The theory focuses on the content of the work patent for a National Museum was drawn. The
of art. It requires that the work of art must National Museum started in 1901 as the Insular
arouse the feelings, mood, or emotion of the Museum of Ethnology, Natural History, and
viewer. Commerce under the Department of Public
Instruction by Virtue of Act 284 passed by the
THE ART WORLD - an organizational structure can be Philippine Commission.
defined in terms of the core activities of art production
and exhibition and aiding the dissemination of art and  Section 15 of Article XIV of the 1987 Philippine
art discourse. Constitution - establishes the role of the
Philippine government in supporting the arts
 Core Activities
and creative practices of the nation: “Arts and
a. Production of art
letter shall enjoy the patronage of the State.
b. a. Production of art
The State shall conserve.
 Collateral Activities
a. Facilitation of production
and exhibition
b. Dissemination of art
and art discourse

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS

 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND
THE ARTS (NCCA)
- The government’s support for art and cultural
development is particularly highlighted by the
passage of R.A 7356.
- responsible for culture and the arts in the
Philippines and considered by default as the
government’s “Department of Culture”.

 The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP or

Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas)