Old Dog, New Tricks at CCP
Old Dog, New Tricks at CCP
By Cesare A.X. Syjuco
Published in: The Manila Times, April 22, 1987
WHAT? A wholesale invasion of preppy stormtroopers at all venues of the Cultural Center of the Philippines? Move over, Ray Bradbury! The 24-man-exhibit “Side A”, featuring one-time students of that advocate of chic avant-garde, Roberto Chabet — and currently on view at the CCP Main, Small, and Museum Hallway galleries until April 25 — is stranger than fiction and larger than life.
But could there be a twist, Mr. Hitchcock? Or even a well-deserved twitch?
Truly, we seem to be suffering from a delirious era of selective generosity at our favorite bastion of cultural inanity. How else can we explain such massive groundswells of polarized sectoral hysteria? Just when we think a new day dawns at the CCP, a veritable army of freshly-weaned, ultra-esoteric hatchlings have descended on this very slab of sanctified carpeted concrete in time for April Fool’s Day — and staying well through the primetime summer months. And should we think that’s funny?
So who’s laughing? A year ago almost to the day, a coalition of various artists’ groups had sought to “liberate” the CCP, demanding an end to the long-standing policy of elitist insanity that had prevailed there. The gist of their demands was simple. The CCP, in order to become the sanctuary of the soul that it had always claimed to be, had to throw open its doors to the great majority of Filipino artists who had neither the means nor the muscle to gain access to its potential audience.
Against this backdrop, the plot thickens further. It becomes apparent that our 24 frontlining artists (while far too many to list here by name) are only part of a tactical expeditionary force in anticipation of the main event. The entire month of May goes to (you guessed it!) “SIDE B” — the culminating half of this memorable lesson in institutionalized one-upmanship. Featured artists for that one will be Yolanda Laudico, Nilo Ilarde (who’s also featured in “SIDE A”), Joe D. Bautista, and Roberto Chabet himself. That’s two uninterrupted primetime summer slots to be monopolized by the very people who don’t need it; and all in lieu of Juan de la Cruz and his overripe canvases. There ought to be a law!
More on “SIDE B” later. Mr. Hitchcock is scheduled to make his usual cameo appearance as the construction worker with the blonde wig and the sequined turban. We never seem to get enough of him, and its easy to underestimate his role in this movie. But make no mistake about it. He owns the binder to the script.
What has Mr. Hitchcock and his young brood done to deserve more time and valuable airspace than Juan de la Cruz, Ninoy Aquino, Macario Vitalis, and the February Revolution? You tell me.
There ought to be a law!
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Cesare A.X. Syjuco, “Old Dog, New Tricks at CCP” (page 1 of 1), The Manila Times, April 22, 1987
