The Periphery of Our Nation’s History

Periphery… according to dictionary.com, it means: “the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question”. True enough, the so-called irrelevant facts of our nation’s history were the focal points in the ongoing Zero In Periphery exhibits of one (1) art gallery and four (4) museums  as reviewed on this blog. Looking at them made me realize how much I have missed out in our history… how much of what I learned back in school was just a small percentage of what really went on.

Books on Philippines writing and photos taken by foreigners on display.
Judge is weekly magazine published in the US that has colorful cartoon caricatures and political satire.

If you visit the exhibit Deleted Scenes at the Lopez Memorial Museum you will come face to face with a critical  truth — that there were at least a million people killed during the American colonization of the Philippines between 1899 - 1913, than what they had us believe. This is such a large number as compared to when the Spaniards colonized us. And we thought that the Spaniards were the bad guys.  Tsk, tsk.

Over at the Lopez Memorial Museum, beginning November 12, 2009, Deleted Scenes calls attention to the leavings of image-making and the coupling of sensory elements used to craft narratives of presumed fact and proposed fiction. In speaking about what gets left out as opposed to what gets on board, the exhibition, as in the Special Features option in today’s Blu-ray DVDs does not so much as fill in the blanks as it lets on that the blanks are inevitably there because meaning-making is always invested and choice-driven. In bringing the works of Lyle Buencamino, Sari Dalena and Camilla Griggers, Dada Docot and Al Manrique alongside seldom shown works from the museum’s collection, the exhibition mimics its own internal mechanisms that play into what has become core and periphery within its own trove. The exhibit runs until January 9, 2010.”

Considered as one of the main features of the exhibit is Sari Lluch Dalena’s film, “Memories of a Forgotten War: A documentary on the Philippine-American War of 1899″. This film was done in collaboration with Camilla Benolirao Griggers. Ever heard of the term historical amnesia? Well, this film depicted that and it really makes you wonder.

Sixteen Filipino potters and ten other Southeast Asian ceramic artists exhibited their works in an international show entitled Ring of Fire held at the Ayala Museum last September 21 to October 11, 2009. The convergence of ASEAN potters in Makati was the first of its kind in the Philippines. 

It made my heart stop to find out that during the time of war, the policy “take no prisoners” was practiced. Our fellow Filipinos aged 10 and above who looked capable of bearing arms were immeditaely killed by shooting them right there and then. It was so horrifying! Do visit diorama #50 of the Ayala Museum to see this with your own eyes. It is open until January 9, 2010.

 
Remembering exhibit of Bahay Tsinoy reflects upon the stories of Chinese and Filipinos, sharing a dark past, but both emerging from the ashes of wars with a conviction that the wars of their fathers should never visit future generations.

Countless important facts have been dismissed, disregarded, overlooked and eliminated… crucial pieces of our past that could’ve been taught us when we were young… that we can now teach our own children. And speaking of children, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the main subject of Museo Pambata Invisible Children exhibit. It will open your eyes to the dire situation of kids theses days… the trials and tribulations they have to endure day in and day out in order to survive. The exhibit is running until December 20, 2009.

 
This part of the exhibit focuses on the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 in China by occupying Japanese soldiers where 300,000 Chinese died on that year.

The law of cause and effect applies to history too. Whatever happened in the past largely affects our present living conditions. By visiting the Beyond Media exhibit of Ateneo Art Gallery (open until December 15, 2009), you will come to terms with the fact that it is always important to question our history because there is always something hidden there somewhere. After all,  life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself. 

 
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations General Assembly resolution 44/25) is an international agreement, which, spells out the range of rights that children everywhere are entitled to.

To my blog readers, I urge you to learn more of our  country’s history.  This is one way of giving ourselves a  chance to  have a deeper understanding of all the crises that we are facing today.

**** All photos used in this article are sourced from “Zero-in Periphery exhibit” by Janette Toral.