Jonathan Ching Flunks Marine Biology Test

BY MADS BAJARIAS | But seriously, Jonathan Ching's enigmatic "Whale" at blanc, which shows a derailed locomotive resting on its side does look a bit like a beached whale, especially if you squint real hard. Its cowcatcher—the grill-like device meant to scoop up cattle and other objects from the track to prevent derailment—does resemble baleen, the filter that a whale uses to sluice krill into its mouth. Yes, the locomotive is big, like a whale, obviously. But I guess the similarities end there unless we delve deeply into the nitty-gritty of whale biology and trainspotting (but who has the time?). Maybe these coal-fed locomotives are becoming rarer, like some cetacean species? Nah, that's stretching the comparisons. A far better way to approach this "Whale" is to look at it in the same way that Rene Magritte painted a pipe and wrote "This is not a pipe" below it. Ever since Magritte's pipe in his iconic "The Treachery of Images," artists have time and again used this trick to label objects with paradoxical names or captions either as:

1. a kind of conceptual joke
2. to prove a point about the nature of images ("It's not a pipe, but an image of a pipe!)
3. to explore deep connections beneath the facade of the obvious.
4. hint at the artist's own inner struggles.

The possibility of genuine nonsense cannot be ruled out. Maybe there is no clear and satisfying reason for the choice other than it pleases the creator.

The 20th century showed that everything is relative, yes, and obscurity has its own rewards. You can go ahead and call something anything you want—the question is whether you can get away with it. This "Whale" (not a whale?) is part of Ching's "Whale Songs for the Disenchanted" at blanc artspace until September 1.

Mariano Ching, Louie Cordero and the Rise of the Spooky Rat-Brained Machines

BY MADS BAJARIAS | If Bart Simpson grew up to be an artist he'd probably make something like this: Wild-eyed bike pogo tots with knee-high socks charging towards zombie-lady made of glowing green goo. This is one of the pop surreal stuff to be exhibited by Mariano Ching and Louie Cordero in their show "Death Scream" at blanc. Weird fun is the order of the day. Over at the University of Reading, scientists removed neurons from a rat's brains and hooked them to electrodes on a robot. Spooky rat zombie shit! The robot takes its instructions from the pink broth of rat brains and manages to avoid obstacles 80% of the time (hell, even humans can't avoid 100% of obstacles in their way, right?). So is this the beginning of Skynet? Over at the University of Geneva, scientists are using the Large Hadron Collider to explore how two subatomic particles can seemingly communicate nearly instantaneously, even if they are separated by cosmic distances. Einstein dismissed this in his lifetime, calling it "spooky action at a distance." But it seems the LHC is going to find more and more situations where Einstein's ideas don't apply. Just last week, they recorded sub-atomic particles zooming at speeds ten thousands faster than the speed of light opening the theoretical possibility of faster-than-light warp speeds (cue "Star Trek" music). So it's a brand new world out there. While most of it doesn't make sense in terms of classical Newtonian physics, it's all in good fun (until the machines take over and wipe us out). "Death Scream" opens on August 15.

Don Djerassi Dalmacio's Memento Mori Doesn't Do Small Talk

BY MADS BAJARIAS | The fascinating thing about Don Djerassi Dalmacio's "Hollow Man" exhibited at blanc is how it grows on the viewer. That I didn't realize right away that it was a skull made the impact all the more forceful. What with all the rubbish ephemera that we surround ourselves with, I guess it's good to be reminded once in a while about what awaits us all in the end (no, not a hot bath). The hyper-commodified culture is so tied with youth-worship and shiny happy people that oftentimes we forget that the grave awaits. Nowadays, skull images form some sort of cutesy background pattern and adorn everything from tough guy decal tats to pink school bags for kids. Skull images have become sort of Hello Kittenized. Death's head as kawaii. Dalamacio avoids that—his memento mori isn't puerile. It doesn't try to dazzle or joke around. There is no facile posturing or over-the-top preaching. It just appears slowly out of the debris to observe us. We are in its über-cool grip.

Jigger Cruz's Metaphysical Chemistry Set Explodes

BY MADS BAJARIAS | For Jigger Cruz's "Liquidus Curve" shown at blanc, we'll have to let go of any pretense about having easy and pat interpretations. Elusiveness is the key here. A perpetual balancing act. Liquidus, I've since learned, is a term from chemistry. It seems that a liquidus curve is the graphical representation of temperature's relationship with composition. The curve shows the temperatures at which a liquid solution is in equilibrium with its vapor and with the solid solution. I don't understand much of it but it all sounds fascinating. Same with Cruz's work. We may not comprehend the underlying science or metaphysics of it, but the shifting alliances on the canvas, the entanglements at work somehow mirror the instability of all physical relationships and this dynamism rings true for all human experience. We strive for equilibrium amid chaos. We try our best to find patterns amid the gathering forces of disorder.

Crist Espiritu's Green-Tongued Monster Chooses the Blue Pill

BY MADS BAJARIAS | Crist Espiritu's "My Heart Pumps Neon Acrylic" exhibited at blanc is crazy-ass fun. The green-tongued anarchic heart with a pig stuck in one of its veins (artery-clogging cholesterol?) and a rainbow in another is a strong metaphor of a heart gone awry and emotions running rampant. Remember when you were young and in love? If yes, then this heart gone bonkers should look familiar. But the eccentric composition is somewhat puzzling to some viewers who may wish that they had a Sharpie or a bunch of crayons to fill in the blank space in the middle of the canvas. Intriguingly, who's the girl and what havoc has she done to the artist that he had to stencil her image six times? Maybe its better to leave this mystery alone. The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of.

Andres Barrioquinto's Pitbull and Saint Paul

BY MADS BAJARIAS | Andres Barrioquinto's "Men-pleaser" grabs the viewer by the throat with a carnivore's ferocity. Set against a background that vaguely recalls de Chirico, is this animal of bared fangs, jagged surfaces and fearsome eyes. I am unfamiliar with the phrase "men-pleaser" so I asked Barrioquinto who kindly replied saying that it was taken from the Bible.

After a quick search, I found Galatians 1:10.

From what I understand, this verse is part of a letter that Saint Paul of Tarsus addressed to the early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia. Saint Paul was, along with Saint Peter and James the Just, one of the first Christian missionaries who risked the wrath of the Roman Empire which still held sway over large parts of the western world. Early Christian missionaries had no time to muck around; spreading God's word was serious business and one had to take a hard-line approach. For Christianity to thrive, it needed the fire and steel of men like Saint Paul who required absolute devotion of themselves and of other Christians.

The Weymouth New Testament translation reads:

Galatians 1:10: For is it man's favour or God's that I aspire to? Or am I seeking to please men? If I were still a man-pleaser, I should not be Christ's bondservant.

In the International Standard Version (2008), Galatians 1:10 reads:

Galatians 1:10: Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be the Messiah's servant.

If I understand Saint Paul's take-no-prisoners stance in Galatians 1:10 in relation to "Men-pleaser," the artist is pointing out that a life spent seeking the approval of others is not much different from that of a dog's. It is through devotion to God that man transcends the level of beasts.

Andres Barrioquinto answers a few questions about "Men-pleaser."

Medium. Dimensions. Date finished.
AB: It's oil on canvas, and 18 by 24 feet. I finished it January 2008.

It seems to be influenced by cubism?
AB: The cubist appearance was not an early intention. It's accidental; it's just what I felt at the time, and basically, it is what came out. It was not planned.

Why "Men-pleaser"?
AB: "Men-Pleaser" was influenced by a biblical verse. Men-pleasers are mentioned in the Bible. I see the dog as a symbol because it's a submissive animal that gives pleasure to man and obeys all his orders.

Where can people go to see your works?
AB: I have one coming up at Whitebox, a one-man show at blanc, and art 40 courtesy of (collector) Julius Babao. Check my Multiply site for more details.

Thank you Andres. Much appreciated.

Power Corrupts, Then We End Up in the Slaughterhouse

BY MADS BAJARIAS | In Don Djerassi Dalmacio's painting "Resurfaced," we get the oft-repeated image of the powerful and remote icon. A patrician. A man of consequence. The mogul. Solidly-built and granite-like. But the benevolent aura of power that figured in all official portraits of strongmen in the past is now gone. One of the most painful lessons of the 20th century is how men of power could just be as tormented and doubt-filled as the rest of us. There is no knowing for sure who they are and where their intentions lie. What is clear here is the sense of disillusionment. Dalmacio's isn't an original idea, but it bears a message that needs repeating on the transitory and uncertain nature of power.

Despite the banal title, "Ride to Paradise" (there is something cartoonish and hokey about the word "paradise" which doesn't suit the overall elusiveness presented in the work), this painting shares the same concerns as "Resurfaced": The always shifting forces at work that stymie our puny efforts at understanding the world. We are cut off. We might as well get cozy to the idea that we are all impenetrable.

There is nothing uncertain about "After the Inspection," Dalmacio's version of a gutted farm animal--another familiar 20th century trope. Francis Bacon have mined this vein to disturbing effect and the socialist workers' propaganda films have perfected the We Are All Cattle vision of the worker under capitalism. I find the word "FRESH" on the bottom of the painting is tad unnecessary.

Don Djerassi Dalmacio held his first show at blanc art space last January.

Fun with Inflatables

BY MADS BAJARIAS | Lotsu Manes opened his second solo exhibit at blanc art space in Makati City, Philippines, last May 12. I've always been intrigued by this artist whose name is a play on "lots o' monies." One can imagine him chuckling at the pun as he counts his bank notes. In this collection, flashes of wit and humor sparkle within an atmosphere of intense and sober contemplation.

There is a sense of inward-looking focus like something one feels inside a hushed monastery. Maybe its the warm, muted earth tones. Or the downcast eyes of the kids in the pictures.

What kid doesn't love inflatables? Nothing is quite as satisfying as pumping air into them, isn't it? I love how the artist pays close attention to how the light crowns the boy's head like a halo.

But can the poor inflatable toy withstand the symbolic weight placed upon it by the artist? Or is it too much?

Sometimes the symbolism is laid on too thick and there's not enough humor and wit to help support the weight.

Poor globe--hostage to our symbolism-mad mindgames.

But that's just a small quibble in an otherwise satisfying series of works. This guy has lotsu talent (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Lotsu Manes received early recognition when he won First Prize at the 1996 Shell National Student's Art Competition. He is a core member of TutoK, the initiative of visual artists formed in 2006. He has also participated in the restoration of masterpieces by Carlos V. Francisco, Juan Luna and Jose Joya as senior apprentice for Art Conservation and Restoration Specialists (ACES).

The confidence with which the folds of the fabric and the skin are rendered is amazing.

"Kamunduhan" is a project presented at blanc art space in cooperation with slash/art artists' initiatives. The exhibit is until May 31.

Blanc is located at 2E Crown Tower 107 H.V. De La Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. For inquiries, contact tel. 02.7520032, mobile 0920.9276436, email info@blanc.ph.