2. The Philippine contemporary is the art
from the Philippines created within the
last few years or produced at present.The
Philippines have a rich art history from
architecture, plastic arts, ornament, and
carvings.
3. Traditional Arts and Contemporary Arts
▪ There are various kinds of traditional art in the country. Most are learned
informally and are usually produced in indigenous or closely-knitted
communities, reflecting their history and culture.
▪ The Philippine is home to many traditional arts.These are the arts that started
in the pre-colonial times and have been handed down from generation to
generation.
▪ The usual theme of these arts is animism. Its intention is to depict something
of the people's gods and goddesses, thus resulting in the creation of abstract
symbols of animistic figures like the sun, the moon, and other human figures.
The carved figure of Bulul of the Ifugaos is one example of this art.
4. Bulul, God of rice of the Ifugaos
Bulul, also known as bul-ul
or tinagtaggu, is a carved
wooden figure used to
guard the rice crop by the
Ifugao (and their sub-tribe
Kalanguya) peoples of
northern Luzon.
5. Traditional Arts and Contemporary Arts
Philippine traditional arts also boast of rich songs and dances in the
regions. Like any traditional art, these songs and dances are handed
over by master craftsmen to their younger generations.The sounds,
words, and choreography have remained the same throughout the
years because of these craftsmen.They are nameless people who have
passed their skills without the thought of being recognized, but only of
preserving their culture in the constantly changing society.
In literature and the performing arts, the traditional style is evident in
their adherence to classical structures and standards. With this reality,
these classics have gained enduring worth and are considered timeless.
An example of a classic literary work is Jose Rizal's Noli MeTangere.
6. Traditional Arts and Contemporary Arts
Most traditional arts are representations. Because of the absence of
photography, the artists in the past have loved imitating nature and other
still life to capture its beauty. It is also limited to the structures and
standards set during the traditional times.
Traditional art is different from contemporary art, for the latter revolves
around the artist and his/her feelings, thoughts, and messages to his/her
audience. It uses a diverse array of materials, media, techniques, and
styles.
Traditional art is culture-bound. In the sculpture of Northern Philippines,
the sculpture may be in the form of human beings or animals. In Southern
Philippines, the traditional carving okir stems from plant forms, displaying
its curvilinear forms.
7. OKIR
Okir, also spelled okil or ukkil,
is the term for rectilinear and
curvilinear plant-based designs
and folk motifs that can be
usually found among
the Moro and Lumad people of
the Southern Philippines, as
well as parts of Sabah.
8. Traditional Arts and Contemporary Arts
The Philippine contemporary art is not bounded by any rule or standard. It is
conceptual, innovative, expressive, and experimental compared with
traditional art. In the contemporary works of art, the viewer is also allowed to
participate in the experience and is urged to validate his/her own beliefs and
values.
Monuments and statues, since the ancient times, have long been created to
commemorate heroism or other deeds of greatness. But what differs
contemporary monuments and statues from the traditional ones is the
reimagining of the character or event, in order to evoke more intense emotions
from its spectator.
9. Contemporary Arts in the Philippines
The Philippines is a gold mine of art.
Aside from our own indigenous arts, the Philippines has a variety of many other art
forms. Because of the four colonial periods in our history American, and Japanese
the art of the Philippines had been influenced by almost all the Spanish, British,
spheres of the globe. It had a taste of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern
Periods through the colonizers who arrived in the country.
Then, when the rest of the world opened up to the idea of postmodernism in the late
1900s, Philippines also welcomed the birth of contemporary art. Its first appearance
happened after the second world war and again during the martial law era in the
1970s.Writers broke the laws by writing screams of protest against the government.
Filmmakers used their expertise in joining the bandwagon of nationalistic artists.
Modernism in all art forms evolved into a variety of expressions and media that
turned the entire world into a "creative upheaval."
10. Contemporary Arts in the Philippines
Even architecture developed a modernist style. Many Filipino artist and
architecture became adherents of the style.The architecture by
National Artist Leandro locsin is an example.
11. Pastiche
Postmodernism has several features.The most common feature is
pastiche, which refers to the blurring of divisions between fine art
and commercial art, high culture and low culture, and highbrow and
lowbrow. It also means artistic, musical, and literary works that
come from diverse sources - a mixture, a medley of different ideas.
There is a sense of fragmentation for instance, a narrative does not
have to be complete, it can be open-ended.There is also an
interweaving web of stories which creates paradoxes. However,
note that pastiche celebrates the artwork from which it derives
inspiration and does not mock it
13. Bricolage
Another feature of postmodernism is bricolage - bricolage is a
technique or creative mode, where works are constructed from various
materials available or on hand, and is often seen as a characteristic
of postmodern art practice. It has been likened to the concept of
curating and has also been described as the remixture, reconstruction,
and reuse of separate materials or artifacts to produce new meanings
and insights.
14. Appropriation
Appropriation, or borrowing, is another feature. Postmodernism finds
inspiration in artworks from the previous periods. In music, there is a
term "appropriation performance."This refers to the use of the style
and content of another culture for a performance, for example, the
music of Bach being played by a Filipino rock band.
15. Installation
Another popular feature includes installation art. It is an art made
indoor or outdoors where a particular space is transformed into a three-
dimensional artwork it is made of diverse materials, using a realistic or
abstract style. It is a conceptual that present diverse themes, but it is
usually temporary
16. Contemporary Arts in the Philippines
Other features of postmodernism are the recycling of past styles and themes, putting them in
a modern-day context; breaking up barriers between low and pop cultures, fine and high arts,
highbrow and lowbrow. New themes in all the art forms consist of certain socially conscious
issues which have arisen with this period: feminism, consumerism, multiculturalism,
globalization, health awareness, migration, and so on.
Today, most Filipino contemporary artists still deal with current concerns that affect our
country. Additionally, they provide ways to allow the audience to participate in the experience.
Most of these artists acknowledge their Filipino roots by using native and indigenous materials
in their artworks which show a growing sense of pride in being Filipino.
Philippine contemporary art is a part of culture. As a reader, listener, and viewer, you gain a
deeper knowledge about what the contemporary Filipino artists do or did, and why and how
they do or have done it. In doing so, you get to develop appreciation and gratitude for their
artistic endeavors.
