Young artists Nikki Luna and Ernest Concepcion in Lopez Museum’s Beat exhibit

The Lopez Memorial Museum continues its explorations of the intersections of the colonial and recent past alongside contemporary issues with its current exhibition called Beat. 

 

Curated by Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez and with artistic direction provided by Claro Ramirez Jr., Beat encourages the wordplay which comes with the summoning of dual meanings. 

 

Beat registers as ultimate defeat and/or surrender, relational terms that could easily be associated with such pieces as Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s The Assassination of Governor General Bustamante, Ofelia or La derota de Limahong; Juan Arellano’s Christ Down from the Cross; Galo Ocampo’s Cruxifixion, Ang Kiukok’s Seated Figure; Jeremias Navarro’s Flying Machine for Icarus, and, Danilo Dalena’s Talo.  It may also indicate rhythm and movement as in the ribaldry of Juvenal Sanso’s Carnival, La Fete, Mardi gras, Joyride; or retreat as in Onib Olmedo’s The Prey or Bar Scene, and Pacita Abad’s Recluse.

 

Beat also occasions the commissioning of new work from two contemporary artists -  Nikki Luna  and Ernest Concepcion. Luna has consistently shown a propensity toward realizing ironically stoic-toned installations while invoking intense emotions emanating from personal and collective trauma. While Concepcion, in these recent years of re-establishing his art practice in the East Coast of the United States has taken to staging performative art duels. 

 

The exhibit formally opened on May 19 and will run until October 2012. The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor of Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays to Saturdays, except holidays, 8am-5pm. For more information, call 631-2417. Press release and photos from The Lopez Memorial Museum