The past, the present and the future in Benilde exhibit

The arts are alive and well at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

As the first trimester begins, DLS-CSB opened the exhibit “There Can Be No Better World” at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) on its School of Design and Arts campus.

The exhibition, which runs until Aug. 18, is part of MCAD’s new program direction of creating a local platform that can accommodate the demands of contemporary art of all forms and sizes, both local and international.

The program also aims to create a dialogue and exchange across disciplines, media, theory, criticism, histories and other forms of art, projects and discussions, now considered within the larger ambit of contemporary art.

The exhibit features three artworks that tackle poignant issues across time and space. It showcases a swirl of things that are long gone, existing or waiting to happen, while challenging spectators to look beyond what is visible.

“I think this exhibit tries to say that we are blending the past, the present and the future in many ways,” says Br. Victor Franco, FSC, president of

DLS-CSB.

Franco believes, with the exhibition, many people will get to appreciate the arts more and start giving it the respect it deserves.

Respect for creation

“[Our goal] is to harness the forces of creativity and bring them to bear on a future that respects the integrity of creation while also championing the advancement of science [and] technology of the arts,” he says.

The three well-researched artworks on display are the creations of Michael Lee of Singapore, Tiffany Chung of Vietnam and Felix Bacolor of the Philippines.

Lee’s “Dwelling” is a set of 15 minimalist paintings that illustrates architectural visions of the past. The paintings are frameworks and blueprints of Lee’s chosen buildings from around the world that are gone, abandoned or replaced by new structures.

“I’m looking for a way to engage with memory that goes beyond sentimentality,” Lee says.

The Singaporean artist researches “lost” architectures, mostly from the 1980s, and depicts them in black and white. He looks for a “blind spot” in the original blueprint and works from there.

The centerpiece of his installation is the plan drawing of the demolished Benguet Center in Mandaluyong City. Lee says this work is very important to him because it introduces him to Filipino architecture. His other works include the World Trade Center in New York and the Sanzhi Pod City in Taipei.

Chung’s work is the product of a year and a half of research in Japan and partly inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Galapagos” and the archipelago of the same name.

Her installation, “twigs, bones, rocks and the Giant Tortoise,” showcases three art pieces: A submerged house with only the roof visible and hundreds of glass turtles on top of it, a video of the last group of humans wandering in search of a dwelling place, and a clip from a short film showing two Japanese men walking in circles and shouting broken English phrases.

Chung wants to project an apocalyptic view of the world, based primarily on her work on the decline of towns and cities in Japan due to deindustrialization and demographic changes. Her installation explores issues in urban progress and the relationship between humans and nature.

Beginning and end

Chung’s message is simple: “The end of humankind is similar to its beginning.”

Finally, Bacolor says his work, “Waiting,” is inspired by Samuel Beckett’s two-act play “Waiting for Godot.”

The installation on the second floor of MCAD features a stage simulating a nondescript waiting room or terminal filled with lounge chairs. Six digital clocks mounted on the ceiling tick away the seconds.

“We are always waiting for something, like salvation or a change in the government,” Bacolor says.

For him, the future is always here, or something that is always expected but never arrives.

The exhibition is open to the public  10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call 5366752 loc. 105.