Surrounded By Water
October 22, 2002
How did the group start?
We started with exhibitions organized during college years (1993-97) mainly from ideas borne from an enthusiastic professor with time to burn and huge amount of ideas to tap from. Founding the group Yellow Door for our first group exhibit and instantly killing it after sending a bunch of press kits to newspapers and seeing it in print would be a clue on what later would be "dynamic". To be noted that it came as a title of prestige in attaining the much sought after college room is another. The successions of exhibitions to be and not to be began a saga that would stretch all throughout our lives (all five years to present).
Thus, the story begins... A brainchild bore from toddling and teetering to the unknown. Ideas fed upon would make way for the leading turned-up-heads of the ending century. An impressive feat for a no-name group.
A steady absorption of information and names to go with had nourished an unconquerable sense of self-preservation to succeed. Too much as one might observe and too soon.
What are the symbols and trappings of the artists?
The shawarma logbook has been one of the major representations for this group but with the sense of development comes this misplaced propriety that most take as progress. Like a food fad it changed many over. The sacred book has birthed 3 volumes so far and all lost.
The SBW Alternative Space is the ultimate symbol of independence gone awry. Too much of the meaning was misconstrued that professionalism and perhaps integrity were lost. On reflection, responsibilities were never brought out to light and direction was taken to mean what they wanted.
What is the right art venue?
A physical place conducive and representative of a group of thoughts, beliefs and aesthetics that are insightful and considerate of the norms and beliefs of a certain number of people promoting the arts and culture of a unique community.
Coming up with a venue for our own without any experience and enough monthly capital is pure suicide. Despite this minor setback, one explains to another, we have something to work on together and eventually fall on, if its succeeds in becoming a viable venue (The never ending ifs and don'ts started here). This would also culminate in the inevitable break-up of individuals and the steady solidification of factions.
Hardly, a consolation to a bunch of already desperate and struggling to live young idealists. Despite a crowded itinerary for the coming years to come, we still found an opportunity to add some more. The Surrounded By Water Gallery was born.
The birth of factions and the death of the elitist art.
Surrounded By Water Angono came to be as a need to pursue a stand for the young artists of Angono, Rizal against the established norm. It was a novelty that would carry us across and cushion most barbs aimed too low. Constant bombardment of the festive aesthetics with the UP formula of mayhem would take its toll on the art scene. A chink would soon show itself. A sentiment of change that surprised the oldies, as it was quite uncomfortable to wake up suddenly to find a gallery too loud for comfort and too energetic in vision. The beer binge and doobie crowd would take its bow. We did notice the changes that we came into like the need for brainstorming and the delegating of the odd jobs of managing the place. It would be a major detail to note the assets that we share -- the hunger to learn, ingenuousness to explore and sincerity to be heard. Although these would be detrimental in the end. We started obliging ourselves to each and every task at hand as if we could burn every cynic to Jolo with the steady barrage
of shows week after week. Forgetting that we owe each other a chance to achieve our own goals. A place and continuity to advance not to be self-serving but augmenting.
The suggestion of other factions, isolationists and the groupies would begin. Another chapter to the ever-evolving life of would-be artists. Yet in these we hope for a change for the better.
Let's not forget the inspiring curators that explained a lot of the misconceptions about the real world and in their way bridged the gap for each generation of artists that ventured out into the unknown. It might be that we became rooted because of the ideas that were inspired by these magnanimous and philanthropic persons and their own unwavering visions. We still continuously became whole because of Roberto Valenzuela and Roberto Chabet. They inspired a sense of dedication for excellence sadly unnoticed for a long time.
It's been a year when one has had a time to think about the mistakes one had committed. It's the eve of the Abu Sabaya's death or reincarnation for the Philippine government. Surrounded by Water the third chapter has begun at its new venue at Cubao, Quezon City. A frustrating cycle for the arts if one could not learn from the lessons taught by history.
Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™
Mandaluyong City, Philippines
*** visit me at
ChatGPT-4
and my blogs:
www.amielroldan.wordpress.com
www.amielroldan.blogspot. com
www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/ag-roldan.html
please comment and tag if you like my compilations.
amiel_roldan@yahoo.com
amiel.roldan@gmail.com
How did the group start?
We started with exhibitions organized during college years (1993-97) mainly from ideas borne from an enthusiastic professor with time to burn and huge amount of ideas to tap from. Founding the group Yellow Door for our first group exhibit and instantly killing it after sending a bunch of press kits to newspapers and seeing it in print would be a clue on what later would be "dynamic". To be noted that it came as a title of prestige in attaining the much sought after college room is another. The successions of exhibitions to be and not to be began a saga that would stretch all throughout our lives (all five years to present).
Thus, the story begins... A brainchild bore from toddling and teetering to the unknown. Ideas fed upon would make way for the leading turned-up-heads of the ending century. An impressive feat for a no-name group.
A steady absorption of information and names to go with had nourished an unconquerable sense of self-preservation to succeed. Too much as one might observe and too soon.
What are the symbols and trappings of the artists?
The shawarma logbook has been one of the major representations for this group but with the sense of development comes this misplaced propriety that most take as progress. Like a food fad it changed many over. The sacred book has birthed 3 volumes so far and all lost.
The SBW Alternative Space is the ultimate symbol of independence gone awry. Too much of the meaning was misconstrued that professionalism and perhaps integrity were lost. On reflection, responsibilities were never brought out to light and direction was taken to mean what they wanted.
What is the right art venue?
A physical place conducive and representative of a group of thoughts, beliefs and aesthetics that are insightful and considerate of the norms and beliefs of a certain number of people promoting the arts and culture of a unique community.
Coming up with a venue for our own without any experience and enough monthly capital is pure suicide. Despite this minor setback, one explains to another, we have something to work on together and eventually fall on, if its succeeds in becoming a viable venue (The never ending ifs and don'ts started here). This would also culminate in the inevitable break-up of individuals and the steady solidification of factions.
Hardly, a consolation to a bunch of already desperate and struggling to live young idealists. Despite a crowded itinerary for the coming years to come, we still found an opportunity to add some more. The Surrounded By Water Gallery was born.
The birth of factions and the death of the elitist art.
Surrounded By Water Angono came to be as a need to pursue a stand for the young artists of Angono, Rizal against the established norm. It was a novelty that would carry us across and cushion most barbs aimed too low. Constant bombardment of the festive aesthetics with the UP formula of mayhem would take its toll on the art scene. A chink would soon show itself. A sentiment of change that surprised the oldies, as it was quite uncomfortable to wake up suddenly to find a gallery too loud for comfort and too energetic in vision. The beer binge and doobie crowd would take its bow. We did notice the changes that we came into like the need for brainstorming and the delegating of the odd jobs of managing the place. It would be a major detail to note the assets that we share -- the hunger to learn, ingenuousness to explore and sincerity to be heard. Although these would be detrimental in the end. We started obliging ourselves to each and every task at hand as if we could burn every cynic to Jolo with the steady barrage
of shows week after week. Forgetting that we owe each other a chance to achieve our own goals. A place and continuity to advance not to be self-serving but augmenting.
The suggestion of other factions, isolationists and the groupies would begin. Another chapter to the ever-evolving life of would-be artists. Yet in these we hope for a change for the better.
Let's not forget the inspiring curators that explained a lot of the misconceptions about the real world and in their way bridged the gap for each generation of artists that ventured out into the unknown. It might be that we became rooted because of the ideas that were inspired by these magnanimous and philanthropic persons and their own unwavering visions. We still continuously became whole because of Roberto Valenzuela and Roberto Chabet. They inspired a sense of dedication for excellence sadly unnoticed for a long time.
It's been a year when one has had a time to think about the mistakes one had committed. It's the eve of the Abu Sabaya's death or reincarnation for the Philippine government. Surrounded by Water the third chapter has begun at its new venue at Cubao, Quezon City. A frustrating cycle for the arts if one could not learn from the lessons taught by history.
Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™
Mandaluyong City, Philippines
*** visit me at
ChatGPT-4
and my blogs:
www.amielroldan.wordpress.com
www.amielroldan.blogspot. com
www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/ag-roldan.html
please comment and tag if you like my compilations.
amiel_roldan@yahoo.com
amiel.roldan@gmail.com
.JPG)
.jpg)
Comments