25 August, 2005

in the lion's den with heavy things...

preparing for the upcoming Arkitkenik event and weaving exhibition at the Asian Art Museum has been an interesting experience on so many levels. on the one hand, after almost two years of relative inactivity, my sense of purpose is renewed. i haven't worked on my projects since the exhibit at Zeum Gallery in August 2004. even that exhibit was a kind of godsend... i didn't really work on it, they found me. and i'm glad they did, for it forced me to make one final push before depression rendered me completely incapacitated.

another upside is i am meeting some very interesting people, people i'd like to continue working with, people who are familiar with my work and have been trying to reach me for a while now. i never realized this until a few days ago when i met dr. silvestre during a meeting at the asian art. the notion that i have this "body of work" is a surprise to me. he was very forthright when he approached me. he introduced himself, said we've met once before (i have no recollection of this since a lot of last year was a bit of blur), and claimed he has been trying to find me for a while now because he wanted to find out if i would be interested in lending textiles from PER Society's collection for another exhibit in october. he said he saw my exhibit at Zeum gallery last year and was quite impressed. so, naturally, i liked this man right away. i also like what his organization stood for... preservation, trust, heritage. key words that certainly gets my attention.

i've also been in contact with dr. quesada of the anthropology dept at SFSU and dr. yamamoto of the treganza museum. they are very interested in having the weavers come to the school for a lecture/demo/exhibit. they thanked me for considering the school. (are they kidding?! i dropped out of SFSU, coming back for an exhibit there would be a kind of personal triumph for me). dr. duke of the dance and music dept. said he'd love to have Ganay Dalican (the T'boli weaver and master musician who will be arriving next month) perform and Myrna Pula (the T'boli folklorist, cultural expert, and interpreter accompanying Ganay) lecture on T'boli music, dance and culture. then of course there's the terrific folks at the asian art, so helpful and accomodating and understanding. wonderful opportunities abound to share information and create a dialogue between the folks in the bay area and the T'boli. i am very excited. not to mention, i feel a sense of accomplishment for i've kept my word with the T'boli.

then there is also the other side. the side that i am apprehensive to work with, yet i know is a necessary, well, "evil" might be too strong a word. the phil. dept. of tourism, the dept. of trade, the collectors of art and antiquity. everytime i meet with them i remind myself to take a deep breath. i close my eyes and visualize unknotting the kinks in my stomach and shoulders, and i tell myself to let the good energy flow. the incompetence at certain levels of phil. beaurocracy has been frustrating and the audacity of collectors has been decidedly unnerving. at times i feel i am in the lion's den - the ground shaky and i don't want to upset the big animals lest they pounce upon me. when i deal with the DOT, i am faced with a reality prevalent in the filipino psyche... we don't know ourselves. isn't it the job of the cultural attache' to know the culture? (hence the title) why am i telling them what they should already know? what do i know? if i know more than they do, then we are definitely in trouble. i've been receiving emails from Myrna about her dealings with the DOT in Manila. in true i'm-in-manila-i'm-better-than-you form, they give her the run around and she is experiencing all kinds of grief and distress. as a nation the philippines is quite adept at treating it's indigenous people this way - dismissive, as if they were a nuisance like flies. unless of course a western institution (like the asian art museum) offers to feature our artists and their craft. then everyone's on the bandwagon, jostling for a place at the head of line, their banners touting the magnificent things their association have done for the community, and aren't our traditional crafts just wonderful and beautiful... er, what are these tribes called again and what's that weaving thing they do? and in their eyes i can see that in back of their minds they aren't sure if they are proud of the artistry of these indigenous folks, or ashamed that such people in modern times still exist. the beauty and wonder of their own culture is lost on them because they're not quite sure how to react.

and then the collectors, in their den full of the treasures of antiquity. they go to the philippines in search of these rare objects, and they take it out of the country and place them in galleries, our "culture" for sale if the price is right. i don't even know where to start on this one. during my sojourns to the the motherland (and it's taken me a while to call the philippines the motherland), i inevitably come across two venomous groups of well intentioned people - the missionaries and the object hunters/collectors/dealers. they both contribute to the cultural extinction prevalent there, and the philippine government, its subsidiaries and proponents are very accomodating of these people, in every way possible. sure, come to the philippines, it's open season year round, enjoy!! go ahead convert the pagans, they're so backward anyway. we'll help you get around. go ahead and take the antiques from under our noses. yes, it's technically illegal to take these things out of the country, but go ahead, we'll just wave you through.

last night i met, for the first time, the famed richard gervais, who buys philippine and other southeast asian artifacts and antiques and ships them to his gallery in San Francisco by the container load. when linda borromeo of the IMOW first suggested i meet gervais, she just couldn't give enough praise for his wonderful gallery. "he has so many beautiful things from the philippines!!" she gushed. as sweet as saccharine, i muttered "oh, so that's where all our treasures are going". (later R scolded me for my brazen bitchiness. i couldn't help myself. and anyway, no one noticed my little snide remark, i told him. she was too busy talking about how great his gallery was.) linda took me to the gervais gallery on natoma st, south of market, to meet the man. she suggested an event there while the weavers are here. it would be the perfect setting, she said. the garden was, indeed, beautiful. it reminded me of a verdant south pacific jungle without the snakes. there was a small pond and a fountain, tall bamboo, towering ferns and lush palm trees. placed strategically were various statues, buddhas, shivas, pagodas, and ifugao bulol's. the space was tranquil and elegant. the presence of all these magnificent artifacts nestled among the vines and flowers left me dumbfounded. i entered the gallery. it was filled, absolutely filled with all kinds of splendid objects that bespoke the richness of various material cultures. the timelessness of all these artifacts were tangible. i could feel it, the spirit within each vessel, statue, basket, was old and grand, yet pulsated steadily. it weighed on me. i gravitated toward a glass case that contained folded fabrics. i noticed immediately the unmistakeable coloring and patterns found in old b'laan and the bagobo weaving. i looked around and found more... ancient kalinga ceramics, faded yet intact and beaded gaddang clothing, dark smoked ifugao square rice containers, pieces of old carved wood the shape of a small boat, remnants of a badjao burial marker. they were everywhere, practically spilling out onto the floor.

richard gervais has certainly traveled throughout the islands very very extensively. when i looked at him, i remembered two very similar conversations i've had with people on different sides of the pacific - one with ramon obusan in his home in the philippines two years ago, and one with dr. yamamoto 2 days ago in my own home. in each case, both of them confessed their feelings towards collectors: ramon obusan told me how the philippines is the poorer whenever these objects leave the country, and dr. yamamoto told me she does not allow antique collectors into the treganza museum.

i was besieged by all of these thoughts as well as the palpable spirits contained within the gallery when i shook richard gervais' hand. he smiled warmly. he was maybe in his fifties, a distinguished, gay, silver haired gentleman. "my, what a lovely thing you are" he said to me. (hmmm, thing... i know he meant well, but the objectification in a gallery full of philippine objects was not lost on me). i also wondered why the IMOW worked with Gervais. it seemed an odd match.

so, it has been a very interesting experience, to say the least. when i decided, several years ago, to pursue this dream of mine, i had a feeling i would meet many kinds of people who would have different approaches in attempts to preserve that which is slipping between our fingers. i feel i am at the gates, looking upon the extreme ends of the pole. and in the middle of it all, are people, real people with names and not merely tribal designations, Ganay, Myrna, Bangkas, Ella, Ma'fil, Ye'Ellen, Yab Man, Gendilin, Mendung. i am without words, as i watch them strive to survive, keep their heads above the waters, and live the way they know how, all the while surrounded by lions from governtment, corporations, schools, institutions, and galleries. and i wonder, where am i in this equation? am i a lion too?