In contrast to the stillness of the Lopez Museum, with its aged treasures and historical documents, is its independent curator Yeyey Cruz's youthful energy and insatiable curiosity for fresh ideas. Cruz confesses to being talkative by nature, revealing an uninhibited eloquence when expressing thoughts on art works that have inspired her.
Though she would be the first to admit that she can neither "paint nor create", Yeyey's life has been shaped by a lifelong passion for art. After taking several courses in Philippine Art History at the University of the Philippines, she landed her first job as an education assistant at the Metropolitan Museum. One day, she had the chance to view a particular work by German contemporary artist Joseph Beuys, which the museum had brought in. "That was my turning point that peaked my interest in contemporary art," she shares. "It was the turning point of having an art work looking back at you."
Yeyey pursued her MA in Curating at the very exclusive Royal College of Art in London, where she was the only Filipino in a small, select class of mostly European students. It was here where she explored several aspects of contemporary art, being part of a progressive academe that encouraged their students to travel to different parts of the world to study works of various artists. They were even funded by the school to put up their own student exhibits in a city of their choice.
In spite of being immersed in an environment that placed her at the forefront of the ever-evolving art scene, Yeyey decided to come back to Manila, unarguably a periphery in the global art landscape. "I guess it was this great wish to share what I had experienced and learned with more people," she explains. Though she admits to being idealistic then, she shrugs off the hackneyed conclusion that she came back in the hopes of changing the local art scene. "I don't think I can change the art scene, no once can--or at least not one person can. Change can only be prompted by a unique desire to engage with the artists who are the makers, the people who see it, and the patrons who make things possible with the society we all move in with a history we can continue to grapple with." She still carried that vision today as the Curatorial Consultant for the Lopez Museum, busying herself with managing the treasures of the Lopez Collection, as well as conceptualizing exhibits for the museum. "Museums are a repository of memories, but they're very static," she says. "I'm more into bringing society into the museum, of bringing the museum out. We have to bring audiences to view new art." For the Lopez Museum, she has worked with dynamic young artists like Nona Garcia, Norberto Roldan and Kawayan de Guia on their exhibits.
Outside the museum, Yeyey collaborates with other gifted local artists to come up with innovative shows for the viewing public. She worked Freddie Aquilizan for Dream Blankets Spin show at the CCP. The exhibit was inspired by the ethnic T'boli tribe that weaves their blanket designs according to what they behold in dreams. For the show, the artist created a wall of folded blankets and played collected voices of different people narrating their dreams, heard in the background through concealed speakers.
Yeyey does not deny that she has endured criticisms for some of their work, yet she doesn't mind them, adding, "That is what art is supposed to get--a reaction." She does disclose a genuine wish for more people in Manila to be more open to new art media such as video, which is not yet fully explored in the local art sphere. "It's sad that some people are not able to see the deeper level of some of the works."
In spite of the challenges, Yeyey remains optimistic, preserving an inspired outlook in pushing the creative process beyond the borders. "work, whatever it is, shapes all of us," she adds, "I think it helps me spiritually knowing that some of the art I appreciate actually seeks some good, some change in the world."
From the Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 03/17/02
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