TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. presents

BASTARDS OF MISREPRESENTATION: NEW YORK EDITION a multi-venue exhibition on view October 27 through December 30, 2012

Curated by renowned artist Manuel Ocampo

Featuring 20 contemporary artists from Manila: Poklong Anading, Yason Banal, Bea Camacho, Valeria Cavestany, Lena Cobangbang, Maria Cruz, Gaston Damag, Dex Fernandez, Arvin Flores, Dina Gadia, David Griggs, Robert Langenegger, Romeo Lee, Pow Martinez, Jayson Oliveria, Carlo Ricafort, Timo Roter, Gerry Tan, MM Yu, Maria Jeona Zoleta

(Queens, NY) — TOPAZ ARTS proudly presents “Bastards of Misrepresentation: New York Edition”, curated by renowned artist Manuel Ocampo, featuring a survey show of 20 contemporary artists from the Philippines. Making its debut in the United States in New York City, the multi-venue exhibition highlights dynamic artists representing the vitality of Manila’s arts scene, in diverse mediums from painting and installation to video and performance. Bringing the scene to NYC, a series of exhibitions will take place from October 27 to December 30, 2012, presented by TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. at four locations — TOPAZ ARTS, Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, Crossing Art, and the Queens Museum of Art/Partnership Gallery, with an artist talk at Tyler Rollins Fine Art. Admission is free to all events & exhibitions. The schedule of exhibition dates and opening events are as follows:   Dates & Locations: Please note – for weekend subway service, take N-train to Queensboro Plaza for transfer to the #7-train in Queens

Sat, Oct 27, 3-6pm at TOPAZ ARTS: on view Oct 27 – Dec 30 www.topazarts.org | 55-03 39th Ave, Woodside, Queens; #7 to 61 St; R/M to Northern Blvd Hours: Saturdays 12-4pm and by appointment at [email protected]   Thu, Nov 1, 6:30pm at Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU: on view Nov 1–7 www.apa.nyu.edu | 7-8 Washington Mews (off Fifth Ave); N/R to 8th St. | Hours: 12-5pm on Nov 2, 6, 7   Sat, Nov 3, 3-6pm at Crossing Art: on view Nov 3 – Dec 11 www.crossingart.com | 136-17 39th Ave (ground floor of Queens Crossing Bldg.); #7 to Main St./Flushing Hours: Tue–Sun, 11am–6pm & by appointment   Sat, Nov 10, 3pm at Tyler Rollins Fine Art: Artist talk in conjunction with the Manuel Ocampo solo exhibition Nov 8 – Dec 22 |  www.trfineart.com | 529 W. 20th St; A/C/E to 23rd St. Chelsea   Sun, Nov 11, 3-5pm at Queens Museum of Art/Partnership Gallery: on view Nov 11 – Dec 30 www.queensmuseum.org | NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park; #7 to Mets/Willets Pt. Hours: Wed–Sun, 12–6pm 

  “Bastards of Misrepresentation” is a show about the cultural scene happening in the Philippines yet is not a definitive show about Philippine art. The 20 artists included represent the “now” of contemporary art in Manila whose works entice and challenge perceptions. Many of the artists have been recognized by the country’s most prestigious awards from the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Artist Awards and the Ateneo Art Awards, and are establishing reputations in Europe, Australia, and Asia, while locally others are highly visible as performers in the underground art, performance and music scene. With an Asian Cultural Council award for the exhibition, TOPAZ ARTS has invited three of the artists from Manila — Yason Banal, Lena Cobangbang and Maria Jeona Zoleta — to participate as Artists-in-Residence, creating new works, site-specific installations and performances. The diverse artists are intergenerational and international including Poklong Anading, Bea Camacho, Valeria Cavestany, Maria Cruz, Gaston Damag, Dex Fernandez, Arvin Flores, Dina Gadia, David Griggs, Robert Langenegger, Romeo Lee, Pow Martinez, Jayson Oliveria, Carlo Ricafort, Timo Roter, Gerry Tan, and MM Yu. A catalogue will accompany the exhibition with essays by Gina Fairley, Patrick D. Flores, Manuel Ocampo, and Paz Tanjuaquio & Todd Richmond of TOPAZ ARTS.

“Bastards of Misrepresentation” is seen for the first time in NYC, previously shown with 14 artists in 2010 in Berlin at the Freies Museum and Hamburg at 8 Salon, and at H Gallery in Bangkok in May 2012. Simulating Manila’s energetic arts scene – from alternative spaces and Chelsea-like galleries to university museums and high-end galleries in the city’s ubiquitous malls – the artist-run project is dispersed throughout NYC, headquartered at the painting-focused show at TOPAZ ARTS, to performance work and video at the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, to various media works “Doing Time on Filipino Time” at Crossing Art Gallery situated in Flushing’s Queens Crossing Mall, and transforming the Queens Museum of Art/Partnership Gallery with an installation of a fictive call center office. As the Philippines is a country with a hybrid culture, the show deals with issues about aesthetic autonomy, social critique and the philosophical politics of expression. While the exhibition is focused on Manila artists, Bastards of Misrepresentation represents a complex cultural scene, addressing global issues, shared histories and the urban experience.

Bastards of Misrepresentation: New York Edition has been organized by TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. and by artist/curator Manuel Ocampo with the support of the Asian Cultural Council.

About the Presenter: TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 2000 by artists Todd Richmond and Paz Tanjuaquio. TOPAZ ARTS fosters the creation of new work in contemporary performance and visual arts, offering creative development center for gallery exhibitions, dance rehearsals, and artist residency opportunities. Transforming a raw warehouse, the 2,500 sq. ft. facility is designed by the artists using sustainability concepts – largely using reused & recycled materials and incorporating passive solar, radiant heat and maintaining an organic roof garden.
 


About the Participating Organizations:



The Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University brings together accomplished scholars, community builders, and artists from New York City and beyond in interactive forums, reflection, and new research. www.apa.nyu.edu



Crossing Art: Located in the heart of Flushing, New York, where differences in cultures often collide, Crossing Art’s mission is to provide an international platform for the open exchange of ideas and aesthetics.  Focused on bringing art to collectors and art lovers pro-actively, the gallery is a venue for art where collectors, institutions, corporations, and community members can participate in an interactive exchange with art. www.crossingart.com



The Partnership Gallery at the Queens Museum of Art provides opportunities for our cultural and other nonprofit organizational partners to develop and mount exhibitions based on their programs. In addition, the Partnership Gallery regularly showcases the work of students in QMA’s Department of Education. www.queensmuseum.org



Tyler Rollins Fine Art was founded in 2006 and opened its public gallery space in NYC’s Chelsea art district in 2008. Presenting solo exhibitions by major contemporary artists from the Southeast Asia region, Tyler Rollins Fine Art represents an impressive roster from the region’s most highly respected artists, who are regularly featured in international biennials, museum exhibitions, and galleries worldwide. www.trfineart.com
 

Exhibition Support:

“Bastards of Misrepresentation: New York Edition” is supported, in part, by the Asian Cultural Council through generous funding from the Starr Foundation.The TOPAZ ARTS Visual Arts Program is supported by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Advancement Initiative.

TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. is made possible, in part, by public funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; foundation support from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Asian Cultural Council; Bloomberg Philanthropies; The Mertz Gilmore Foundation; The New York Community Trust; NYS DanceForce with funds from NYSCA Dance Program; Material for the Arts – a program of DCA and the Dept. of Sanitation & Board of Education; and by the generosity of private individuals.

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