WARM BODIES: Defending the Right to Dissent

Written By Kevin Roque

The official country visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, spurred an artistic collaboration between the UP Fine Arts Gallery and Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP). Their joint exhibit, "WARM BODIES: Defending the Right to Dissent," investigates how artists and cultural workers defend freedom of expression by opposing censorship, political repression, and social injustice.

The exhibition showcases artworks spanning generations, from the Martial Law era to the present. Curator Lisa Ito says that many of the works, which highlight human rights crises in the country, extend beyond the gallery and into the streets, online spaces, and various communities. Several featured artists have also faced censorship, attacks, trolling, and other forms of harassment.

Among the artists who told their story is photographer Raffy Lerma, who documented the Duterte administration's controversial War on Drugs. Many of Lerma's photos trended online, and drew expressions of sympathy for victims, critiques of the government's policies, and trolling from supporters of the administration.

Another featured artist is Max Santiago of BAYAN and UgatLahi, who has been making effigies for twenty years. Recently, he was sued for the first time over his latest creation, the "Doble Kara" effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The local police accused him of violating the Clean Air Act when the effigy was burned during a public protest. While the case has now been dismissed, the exhibit organizers present it as an example of how laws can be weaponized to limit artists' freedom of expression.

"WARM BODIES" includes pieces from the UP CFA's Permanent Art Collection, by renowned artists such as BenCab, Alfredo Liongoren, Elmer Borlongan, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, and Leonilo Doloricon, alongside new works by emerging artists such as Abel Angelo & Jeune Aramburo (CAP), Boyet de Mesa, Ding Royales, George Burchett, Jef Carnay, Luke Warm, Patreng Non, RESBAK, Tarantadong Kalbo, Tokwa Peñaflorida, Toym Imao, and Worn Expressions.

The exhibition opened last January 26, 2024, at UP Fine Arts Gallery. It was organized by CAP in collaboration with the Bulwagan ng Dangal, Liongoren Post, Tin-aw Gallery, and the Presidential Committee for Culture and the Arts.

Source:

Press kit from the curator Lisa Ito, artist talk, and exhibition notes at UP Fine Arts Gallery.

Published in University of the Philippines (UP) social media accounts.

Kevin Roque

Utilizing a collage approach in drawing, Kevin Roque offers enigmatic works that touch on societal issues and literary perspectives. Roque graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2022. Before this, he was a self-taught artist, creating illustrations and book covers for locally published books. Roque has participated in various group exhibitions in Metro Manila since 2010 and has had solo exhibitions at the Prism Gallery and the Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (CANVAS) Gallery. He also joined local artist residencies such as CANVAS Artist in Residence in Batangas and Linangan Art Residency in Cavite. Recently, he got shortlisted for the first SANAG UP Art Prize. Roque has been a member of several artist groups, including the UGATlahi Artist Collective, Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (InK), and the Malate Literary Folio.

As a skilled worker who values technical skill and craftsmanship, he uses graphite in drawing to capture the gritty details and nuances of his subjects, making it a powerful storytelling tool to illustrate issues such as inequality, labor conditions, or societal injustices. In his compositions, he seemingly blurs notions of reality and perception. This deliberate blurring of boundaries adds layers of depth and intrigue, inviting viewers to contemplate their fluidity and subjectivity. He also employs visual metaphors, where images stand in for larger ideas or narratives. This allows him to convey complex themes or stories in a condensed and evocative manner.

“In all his works, the referents, whose meanings are culled from history, literature, and present social conditions, are made to exist in the same pictorial plane. Often, what they signify, coincide, collude, and blur. Roque’s inchoate marks and textures also draw attention to a palpable sense of space. Instead of a tabula rasa, one discerns faint and obscure stirrings between and amid more established significations. Roque’s works reveal indications of progressive politics yet veer from direct fervor and incitement of emotions. Without discarding the seriousness of the topic, Roque employs more oblique methods that prod at the surfaces and forms of the nation’s socio-historical and political issues“ (JC Rosette).

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