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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘The Spectre of Comparison’ comes home to Manila

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The exhibition The Spectre of Comparison showcased at the 2017 Philippine Pavilion in the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, returns to Manila on May 23.

‘The Spectre of Comparison’ comes home to Manila
Lani Maestro's red and blue neon light artworks featured in 'The Spectre of Comparison' exhibit in 2017 Venice Biennale. (Artwork photos by Paolo Lucca / Philippine Arts in Venice Biennale)

In cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Museum of Contemporary Art and Design will exhibit the works of Manuel Ocampo and Lani Maestro.

The Spectre of Comparison, inspired by the Spanish line el demonio de las comparaciones, from the novel Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal, is an outline for the practices of the two artists. The puzzling phrase summarizes the experience of Crisostomo Ibarra when he gazes out to look at the Botanical Garden of Manila while at the same time remembering the gardens of Europe.

Though both Maestro and Ocampo have resided abroad, they have maintained active engagements with the country throughout their careers. 

Manila-born Maestro acquired her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in University of the Philippines Diliman. After migrating to Canada in 1982, she earned her Master of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. She received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from NSCAD University in 2018. Her multimedia pieces dwell on the topic of minimalist art itself and its connotations of emptiness.

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Ocampo, a graduate of Fine Arts in UP Diliman, is a constant presence in the international art scene for over two decades. He has built up a reputation for tacking revered icons of society. He has been awarded with several prestigious accolades. Now based in Manila, he has firmly immersed himself into the local art scene, not just as an artist but as a curator.

‘The Spectre of Comparison’ comes home to Manila
Manuel Ocampo's 'Torta Imperiales' suite of paintings will be displayed at Benilde's Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.  (Artwork photos by Paolo Lucca / Philippine Arts in Venice Biennale)

The exhibit, curated by MCAD Director Joselina Cruz, will run until July 20.

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