Exhibition Run
23rd May – 20th July 2019

The Spectre of Comparison is the exhibition that represented the Philippine Pavilion at the 57th Venice Art Biennale in 2017 with works by Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo. The exhibition proposes ways to rethink, question, and challenge contemporary notions of nationalism and identity. The exhibition looks to the practices of Maestro and Ocampo, aesthetically worlds apart, their works have been produced through a multiplicity of contexts, these being emblematic of the “spectre of comparison” as described by political scientist Benedict Anderson. A discursive imagining, their works are juxtaposed to serve as socio-political commentary, engaging us to reflect on ideas of how art speaks to contemporary ideas of the nationalisms that are fraught with colonial and imperialist pasts.

The Spectre of Comparison, Manila homecoming of the Philippine Pavilion exhibition from the 57th Biennale di Venezia, is presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.

The Spectre of Comparison

Artists
Lani Maestro
Manuel Ocampo

Curator
Joselina Cruz

Opening Night
Thursday, 23 May 2019

Location:
Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila
Ground Floor, Benilde School of Design and Arts Campus, Dominga Street, Malate Malate, Manila, Philippines 1004.

Programme

4:00pm – 5:00pm
Artists Talk: Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo moderated by Curator, Joselina Cruz.
12/F Lecture Theatre, SDA Campus, Benilde.

5:00pm – 8:30pm
Exhibition Opening

6:00pm
Welcome remarks

Poetry in Neon
15 June, 3pm
MCAD Multimedia Room
This hands-on workshop engages kids in visualizing poetry through neon painting as a means to develop their sense of identity in celebration of 121 years of Philippine Independence. For ages 8 – 10.

Storytelling Playshop on Filipino Heroes in History
with Museo Pambata
29 June, 10am
MCAD Multimedia Room
Museo Pambata staff will lead this craft-making and storytelling playshop that teaches kids the history of revolutionary Filipino heroes. For ages 7 – 9.

FSL Guided Tour
18 June and 19 July, 2:30pm
MCAD Manila
In collaboration with Benilde’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS), museum tours with Filipino Sign Language interpretation are available to the Deaf Community per request.
Tours may be booked via mcad@benilde.edu.ph.

“Manuel Ocampo, God is My Co-Pilot”
21 June, 3pm
MCAD Multimedia Room
Produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Phillip Rodriguez, this hour-long film chronicles Manuel Ocampo’s entrance into the world of contemporary art amidst an era of multiculturalism. Following his journey, the film provides the audience with a rare insight into the identity politics observed among the art world’s elite. The film has been screened at the American Film Institute International Festival, Los Angeles; Hawaii International Film Festival; and the Biennale Internationale du film sur l’art at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Re-visiting “Rizal Reading Pigafetta”
with National Artist for Literature, Dr. Resil Mojares
4 July, 3pm
12/F Cinema, Benilde SDA Campus
Led by Philippine National Artist for Literature, Dr. Resil Mojares, the lecture will examine Jose Rizal’s counter-history in “Rizal Reading Pigafetta,” one of his essays from “Waiting for Mariang Makiling.”

Global View of Art Practice through Biennales
with curators Edson Cabalfin, Leandro Locsin Jr, Joselina Cruz, and Patrick Flores
17 July, 3pm
MCAD Multimedia Room
Join us for a panel discussion with curators, Edson Cabalfin, Leandro Locsin Jr, Joselina Cruz, and Patrick Flores, who curated the Philippine Pavilions for the 2018 and 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, and the 2017 and 2015 Venice Art Biennale, respectively. The discussion looks into the local impact of the Philippine participation on this international art stage in light of critiques of biennales and the widening conversation on art and curatorial practice.

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