Roberto Feleo’s “Crossing to Gimukodan” at AsiaNow 2024. Courtesy of The Drawing Room
Sculptor Roberto Feleo and performance artist Eisa Jocson present Filipino perspectives on existence, labor, and society in Paris at the Asia Now art fair.
Ceremony lay at the heart of this year’s edition of Asia Now, the Parisian art fair established in 2015 to highlight contemporary art practices from the part of the globe that would not usually take center stage at a European art week. In October, with the rebrand of Art Basel Paris and its move to the refurbished Grand Palais, Paris Art Week felt buzzier than usual, cementing its place as an important stop in the contemporary art calendar.
Asia Now, at the Monnaie de Paris, the historic castle where France still mints its currency, presented artists and exhibits from 71 galleries. Its program of scheduled performances, conversations, and interactive installations spread throughout its beautiful venue crystallized its vision as the platform for discovering the varied Asian art scene.
Two Filipino artists made their mark at the fair’s Statement section, the portion of the fair dedicated to solo exhibitions. Roberto Feleo, the 70-year-old sculptor known for his Tau-tao series and unflinching views of Philippine history, featured Life and Afterlife, at the booth of Manila’s The Drawing Room. The gallery’s owner, Jun Villalon, has included Feleo’s work in his gallery’s program consistently over the past 26 years.
“I have always admired Bob and his work ever since I had the chance to see his installation for the 1988 Thirteen Artists Awards at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He uses craft to make beautiful and meaningful artworks that are based on Philippine colonial history, folktales, and traditions. I have been fortunate to continue working with him, exhibiting various bodies of work. It felt right showing the work of an important Filipino artist, who has work at institutional collections, including the Centre Pompidou, at one of the most significant weeks in the global art scene.”
For the exhibit, the artist put together a collection of wall-bound works in relief. Sawdust, white glue, and leather varnish finish the intricate wood carvings. Each piece takes from Filipino myths that see life and death as a continuum, with the afterlife a natural progression from one’s earthly existence.
Meanwhile, at the booth of The Columns Gallery from Seoul and Singapore, Eisa Jocson’s Becoming White showcased works that critique Disney’s perpetuation of class and racial hierarchies, especially because of its influence on young girls from the Global South. Jocson, the recipient of the prestigious Hugo Boss Prize in 2019, is a 38-year-old visual artist based in Manila. She has made her name through a series of critically-noted performances in various festivals in Asia and Europe. She was also featured as a special exhibit artist for Art Fair Philippines 2023.
In addition to her pieces at the gallery booth, Jocson performed Magic Maids daily with Sri Lankan Venuri Perera at the fair’s courtyard. Both from countries that send out significant numbers of its citizens as domestic helpers, the performers use broomsticks as props throughout. Brooms are identified with both witchcraft and housework. The artists wielded brooms as weapons against the exploitation of workers, in solidarity with the struggle of women, effecting a commentary on the prejudices that still exist against overseas laborers.
“This performance has been to Berlin, Singapore, and Vienna,” says The Columns Gallery director Dong-Jo Chang. “We had the opportunity to bring it to Asia Now before it moved to New Orleans in November. It felt apt, especially in light of the Centre Pompidou’s interest in Eisa’s video and photos from our gallery in Singapore. We were proud to present Magic Maids in Paris alongside her solo exhibit at our booth.”
“To invite Eisa Jocson in person with the support of The Columns Gallery was a highlight of our 10th edition” says Alexandra Fain, founder of Asia Now. “ The work of artists and choreographers Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera reflect on their position as female, Asian artists primarily working in Europe and abroad. Like witches flying about from place to place on broomsticks, Magic Maids finds an unexpected intersection between domestic workers and witchcraft.”
“The Filipino art scene could not be more exciting than it is today and we wish to have the opportunity to feature even more talented artists from the Philippines”, continues Fain, “we were thrilled to feature Roberto Feleo, whose studio was visited by the Amis du Centre Pompidou last winter, and could not be more excited to see how the Filipino artists are part of the global conversation at the highest level of recognition.”
Asia Now ran from October 17 to 20, 2024 at the Monnaie De Paris for Paris Art Week.
Video courtesy of The Columns Gallery.
