Santiago Bose

(1949-2002)

Thirteen Artists Awardee 1976

A SAVAGE LOOK AT INDIGENOUS ART:

Notes in transit by Santiago Bose

THE TERM “Philippine indigenous art” was used by art critics as a convenient name to describe contemporary art practice that is made outside Manila, where artists use local materials and merge contemporary forms with traditional modes. The mere fact that I’m writing about it makes me an accomplice to this naming. Labeling restricts mixing and reduces critical engagement. It also encourages misrepresentation of tribes who are appropriated from. Appropriation by non-tribal groups is not mixing. A deeper understanding of indigenous peoples’ history reveals a wealth of knowledge. “Primitive” cultures have an understanding of art in our sense of the word. The rice terraces in the Philippines were built 2,000 years ago by tribal communities without slave labour. It was an earth sculpture made collectively. Their lives, rituals, politics and economics were centered on the sculpture. Pre-hispanic Filipinos integrated art into their daily lives.

Since the voyage of Magellan, colonizers have imposed their world view and miseducated the Filipinos into believing that foreign cultures were better than their own. An investigation of our history unveils rich cultures within, misunderstood by colonizers and the population at large. Folk religion, mythology, folk theatre, rituals and fiestas were the cultural wealth of the people. These were dismissed as craft, as spiritual mumbo-jumbo, by western taste moulders and bearers of “high art.”

…The artist cannot but be affected by his society. It is hard to ignore the pressing needs of the nation while making art that serves the nation’s elite… We struggled to change society, which is difficult and dangerous, and we also sought to preserve communal aspects of life. I too am haunted by visions of hardship, poverty, disenfranchisement of the “primitive” tribes, but between outbursts of violence and exploitation are also tenderness, selflessness and a sense of community. These will always remain unspoken and unrecognized unless we make art or music that will help to transform society. The artist takes a stand through the practice of creating art. The artist articulates the Filipino subconscious so that we may be able to show a true picture of ourselves and our world.

…The training of artists in Western modes propagates the use of materials and tools that are expensive and rare. But the contemporary Filipino artist is liberated from paying the West every time he creates. The idea of art as “property” or commodity is challenged, its prominence questioned. The idea of artist as individual creator is also challenged, and a sense of community opens up new possibilities… This makes his art relevant to a broad spectrum of society, making it clear whose interest it serves.

…The increasing popularity of non-traditional works such as public murals, newsletters, installation, collaborations, performances, and the existence of groups and spaces willing to underwrite these events is swaying “ART” from the exclusive control of collectors, galleries and multinational patronage. Documentation is indispensable in making these works accessible to the public. The rise of postcolonial sentiments and postmodernism is fast eroding the myth of Western art and values.

Santiago Bose  was a mixed-media artist from the Philippines. Bose co-founded the Baguio Arts Guild, and was also an educator, community organizer and art theorist.

Bose often used indigenous media in his work, ranging from volcanic ash, to the cast-offs and debris (found objects, bottles, "trash"). His assemblages communicated a strong sense of folk consciousness and religiosity, and the strength of traditional cultures in a culture inundated with foreign cultural influences.

Bose worked toward raising an awareness of cultural concerns in the Philippines. After studying at the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines between 1967 and 1972, Bose continued his studies in the at the West 17th Print Workshop.

He returned to Baguio in 1986 and began his explorations into the effects of colonialism on the Philippine national identity. In particular, Bose focused on the resilience of indigenous cultures, like that of his home region of the Cordilleras.

Baguio Arts Guild

Bose became a founding member of the Baguio Arts Guild in 1987 and was president in 1992. The Guild is an active cultural association in the northern Cordillera region, emphasising regional tribal traditions and the importance of using indigenous materials. Bose played a formative role in establishing the Baguio International Arts Festival.

Through his work, Bose addressed difficult social and political concerns in the Philippines. His subject(s) were approached with deep criticality and gravity, although never without a sense of humor and wit, however irreverent.

Bose said, "...The artist cannot but be affected by his society. It is hard to ignore the pressing needs of the nation while making art that serves the nation's elite... We struggled to change society, which is difficult and dangerous, and we also sought to preserve communal aspects of life. I too am haunted by visions of hardship, poverty, disenfranchisement of the 'primitive' tribes, but between outbursts of violence and exploitation are also tenderness, selflessness and a sense of community. These will always remain unspoken and unrecognized unless we make art or music that will help to transform society. The artist takes a stand through the practice of creating art. The artist articulates the Filipino subconscious so that we may be able to show a true picture of ourselves and our world."

Awards and exhibits

Bose was granted the Thirteen Artists Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1976. He has exhibited in major international events such as the Third Asian Art Show in Fukuoka, Japan and the Havana Biennial held in Cuba, both in 1989. In 1993, he was invited to the First Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art held at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia. In 2000 Bose's work was included in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco's exhibition "At Home & Abroad, 20 Contemporary Filipino Artists."

As a widely sought after artist for public commissions and artist residencies, Bose's practice included extensive international travel and included several prominent grants and fellowships.

Bose's work was marked by a conscious avoidance of a single recognizable style, by varied foreign and local influences, and by an experimental bent.

Kulay-Diwa Gallery of Philippine Contemporary Art is a privately owned venue for artistic expression. It is strategically located within a cluster of progressive communities South of Manila. It has an independent exhibition area able to accommodate large-scale works, and a spacious garden ideal for outdoor programs, performances and sculpture installations.

Goals of Kulay-Diwa

To discover and promote the works of talented, young and deserving Filipino Artist;

To serve as a cultural outpost and make the arts more accessible to the fast-growing communities South of Manila; and

To foster cultural interaction and exchanges with the local regions and other countries.

Kulay(Color)

Diwa(Spirit, Thought)



 



The images below are examples of the artist’s works and are not necessarily available.

Santiago Bose, "Bandit", Mixed Media, 69 x 91 cms., 1991

Santiago Bose, "Juan Tamad Series", Mixed Media, 93 x 136 cms., 2000

Santiago Bose, "Dialogue with Chairman Mao", Mixed Media, 96 x 146 cms., 2001

Santiago Bose, "Can't go back Home again", Mixed Media, 87 x 123, cms, 1998

Santiago Bose, "Garotte", Mixed Media, 97 x 176 cms., 2000

Santiago Bose, "Solar Art Series", Mixed Media, 58 x 38 cms., 2002

Satiago Bose, "Gravemarker, Mixed Media, 52 x 83 cms., 2002

Santiago Bose, "Solar Art Series PB-45", Mixed Media, 58 x 38 cms., 2002

Available artwork:

INQUIRE

HOME