Artinformal Greenhills Presents NIL, an Exhibition Curated by Erwin Romulo and Neil Daza

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Curators Erwin Romulo and Neil Daza proudly presents a disturbing graphical collection of photos entitled NIL. They are on display at the Artinformal gallery’s Greenhills location. The exhibitioned opened on June 9, 2018, and will run until July 14, 2018.

I was present at the opening night and though I've been warned that I'll be seeing crime-related images, it never occured to me that they consider suicide as a crime. But why not, taking our own lives is indeed a crime against ourselves because I do not believe that life could be all hopeless and frustrating enough to take our own lives.

There's no coming back if you kill yourself. Maybe those who end their lives think there will be reincarnation where they will be given an opportunity to run their lives all over again. But sadly, we can not fully control the outcomes of our lives no matter how hard we work on it. There would always be an obstacle, small or big, and if we want to win, it takes a lot of self-realization that nothing in this world should put us down forever. We should always lift ourselves up and try again every time we fall.

By the way, check out my interviews with Neil Daza, one of the curators. There's also one with Tina Fernandez, the Artinformal gallery proprietor. And I was also introduced to the one who did the interviews with the photojournalists of People's Journal.

I posted all interviews on our Facebook fan page so it could reach more people as possible. What we need right now is a continuous eye-opener especially for the younger generation before they read or believe all the rewitten history that has been proliferating all over. Everyone needs to be aware about the truths of the past so we could correct them in the NOW and the FUTURE.

Unfortunately, those in power and influence would always gain an upperhand. But do not let that reality stop us from doing the right thing. Life is just too short to hesitate in making a difference.

I believe resorting to violence, whether toward ourselves or to others, is never the right move. I know karma would balance everything out soon in one way or another. We just don't have to lose hope. Life is supposed to be fair at some aspects. We just need to keep ourselves open and aware of how we can find and connect to our ultimate purpose.

Taking their cue from Daza’s Blacksoup exhibition in 2006, Romulo and Daza are mounting their new show of crime scene photographs taken between the years 1987 to 2002. Also included in the exhibition are video works by Cinema Regla. These are interviews with the crime photographers or photojournalists shown in black and white. I was expecting some gruesome images in the video but was relieved there were none. The photos all over the gallery were already enough to shock you, that is if you are still in the dark about what has been happening all around us. It is not surprising that violent crimes have been existing for years back, and until now. If you've not seen the dates written at the back of the photos, you will think they are recent. But no, crimes as horrible as these have been happening even before social media and smartphones with cameras made it more possible for anybody to capture and post incidents online for the whole world to see. Now that we are capable of being media ourselves, the news have been very noisy that traditional media have been evolving and reinventing themselves without admitting they have been killed by the power of the Internet.

Raw and at times graphic, the show asks: “Is there really such a thing as ‘the good old days’?”

Editor, writer, producer, and composer Erwin Romulo curated Everyday Impunity: Ang Mga Walang Pangalan, an exhibition based on the work of photographer Carlo Gabuco at Art Fair Philippines 2018 as well as an exhibition of sound art and multi-media art during the fair’s 2017 and 2015 edition, respectively. He was also one of the curators of Wasak! Filipino Art Today, shown in Berlin in 2015.

Filmmaker and photographer Neil Daza is known for his work in films like Bwaya, Emir, and Dekada ‘70, among others. In 2017, he marked his 25 years in the film industry with an exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, 25 Times: Images From Behind The Camera. He has curated several shows of photography for arts space Blacksoup in Cubao, including KAMBYO, an exhibition of cellphone images, and Detritus, featuring photographs from which this current exhibition is based.

Filmmaker collective and guerrilla media outfit Cinema Regla is an online magazine and channel run by documentary filmmakers Rico Ibarra, Blair Camilo and Jun Sabayton. Founded by visual artist, animator and director Roxlee, it is dedicated to covering Filipino culture, with a focus on (in no particular order) art, photography, music, literature, science, politics, history, environment, crime, violence, truth, sex, drugs, and budotz.

Here's what is written on the wall:

NIL.

Wala. Pero meron talaga.

NILalaman ng pagtatanghal na ito ang ilang mga eksena ng kawalan―ng malay, ng katinuan, ng bait, ng karapatan, ng buhay. Nakagugulantang ang mga imahe pero hindi nakagugulat sa karamihan ang ipinapakita. Naging laman ng mga balita, isinuka para sa maralita, habang nagpaparaya ang mga may-kapangyarihang dapat talagang makakita.

Sa KamayNILaan nakunan o saan man, ang mga litrato rito ay sumasalamin sa realidad na may nagtutunggaling mga panig sa anumang usapin. Sa isang banda, ihahalintulad ng ilan ang mga larawang ito sa basura, na dapat idispatya at huwag nang ilantad kaninuman. Sa kabilang banda, hindi kaunti ang maghahalintulad ng mga ito sa mga bagay na pampagising ng diwa, dala ng pagpupukaw na maaaring maranasan kung pagmasdan at pag-isipan ang makikita rito.

Iba’t ibang buhay man ang panandaliang iNILalahad rito, nagkakaisa ang mga litratong ito sa pagpapakita ng katiwalian. Ngunit sino ang tunay na tiwali? Ang mga nasa larawan? O ang lipunan o sangkatauhan na kaNILang NILalarawan?

Ang mga tao na makikita―karamihan ay mga DaNILo (hindi tunay na pangalan), may ilang mga BeNILda (hindi tunay na pangalan)―ay NILason ng gutom, hirap, poot, pighati o kaya, oo, maling asal at hindi wastong diwa. NILabas ang anumang armas o nagtangkang tumakas. NILamon ng kabaliwan, kamunduhan, kasakiman, kahirapan. NILusob, ng sarili man o ibang pwersa, ang sana’y mapayapa NILang mga tahanan, barangay o kinatatayuan. NILamas, hindi NILinis, ang pagkatao. NILunok ang dangal, NILamangan ng mga mapang-api, NILapastangan ng mapanghusga, NILoko ng matatakaw na kapwa tao na halimaw ang kalooban. Binalot ng trahedya, sinaksak ng pulitika, NILaglag ng sistema.

Ang masuwerte sa kanila ay NILalamok, NILalanggam sa selda. Hindi man makapag-NILagang paborito o relyenong gusto, maaari pang magbago, maaari pang lumaya. Ang iba rito ay NILagutan ng hininga, ninakawan ng pag-asa kapalit ng paglaya mula sa pang-habangbuhay na rehas nitong malupit na mundo.

Ang malungkot pa rito, bagama’t ilang taon na ang nakalilipas nang makuha ang mga larawang ito―noon kapanahunang hindi pa NILalabas ang pinagsanib na kamera at telepono―hindi pa rin nawala sa ating bansa ang ganitong mga eksena. Kung hindi natin papansinin ang mga detalye sa ilalim o paligid ng bawat litrato, iisipin natin na kahapon lang o nung makalawa nakunan ang mga nakalarawan dito.

Sa pagsulyap sa mga litratong ito, marahil ay mapapatanong tayo: May pag-asa pa ba ang mga Pilipino, lalo na ang kagaya NILa na karamiha’y dukha? May pag-asa pa ba para sa lipunang marahas? May pag-asa pa ba para sa ating iisang bayan na, sa kabila ng lahat, ating sinisinta?

Marahil ang sagot ay oo kung tatanggapin natin, pagniNILay-NILayan at gagawan ng paraan ang katotohanang ito: Sila ay tayo. Tayo ay sila.