EXHIBITION

Inaugural Exhibition

Silverlens, Philippines, Manila, Manila, 01/07/2017 - 02/04/2017

2F YMC Bldg 2, 2320 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension

ABOUT

What is lost in every transfer, each subsequent relocation? What is left in a vacated room that cannot be moved or brought forth? Could there be a specific, intangible aura that is locked within the spatial boundaries, the precise configuration of walls, windows, doors? Or can a place be truly dismantled, packed and rebuilt elsewhere without loss? In our present era of multi-city art fairs, weekend pop-ups and countless on-line and screen-based media, the presentation and distribution of art has become less and less dependent on a singular, physical space. The contemporary gallery, to survive, must therefore be adept at handling these and other, yet unforeseen changes while on the whole keeping its bearings amidst the constant staging and restaging of its identity across these varying platforms, year in and year out.

Perhaps there is a logical argument for keeping things virtual, offsite and impermanent, specially with the current overwhelming sense of vulnerability, as we lay witness to the seemingly unfettered success of misinformation, historical revisionism and the widespread erosion of moral values. To build a brick and mortar exhibition site is always a huge and risky undertaking but it could take on a deeper significance in these uncertain times. For the artist, it is a welcome act, a bold and reassuring gesture ensuring that his capacity to dream and create will continue to have a place to thrive and grow. That there will still be pockets of spaces to be populated with their ideas, fresh walls to be imprinted with new meanings. That despite the looming fears, there will be people whose resolve to hold ground remains and will continually respond with actions spurred not of flight but of taking root, not of retreat but of surging forth.

This January, Silverlens will reopen its doors as it gathers all of its represented artists to collectively inaugurate their new exhibition space. Situated across the same erstwhile street, not a few hundred meters from the compound where for the past 8 years it held court and, with an acute balance of aggressive and forward thinking programming, steadily grew and developed into one of Manila’s, if not South East Asia’s, leading contemporary art galleries. Along with a major presentation of the 22 artists’ current projects, the exhibition will also prominently feature seminal pieces from each artist’s oeuvre, which the gallery has managed to track down and borrow from esteemed institutional and private collections and lure out from the artists’ closely kept, personal archives. As these older works shed light on the artists current concerns, they will likewise imbue and ground the yet unmarked gallery with a steadfast sense of history. And just for this initial offering, the show will go beyond the main exhibition spaces and spill over to other areas throughout the building, taking the audience to a rare, unrestrained exploration of the new site.

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