MAPPING INVISIBLE CITIES

Mapping Invisible Cities Photo Exhibition – Manila
Opening reception: October 17, 2008
Shangri-la Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City

When photographer Peter Bialobrzeski travelled through Southeast Asia in 2007/8, he combined his own photographic investigations with workshops for young talents in six foremost cities of the region: Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore. What came out of the workshops was a multifaceted kaleidoscope of these six metropoles, culminating in the exhibition "Mapping Invisible Cities."

"Mapping Invisible Cities" features the works of 27 photographers, including 8 (Cathy Quiogue, Cris Sevilla, Dennis Rito, Estan Cabigas, Gigie cruz, Kidlat De Guia, & Tammy David) from the Philippines. All were completed during workshops led by Bialobrzeski in October 2007-March 2008. The diverse themes and approaches in the 105 pieces, in addition to Peter Bialobrzeski' s work, are like fragments of the unseen and unnoticed ordinariness hidden in these 6 cities. When these fragments are joined in one single frame, like a map, they begin to show what was formerly invisible.

In mapping them, these photographers have made their cities more obvious and bring to the surface what we do not (want to see) or notice. Their works act as maps that show the organization of space, movement, and people. Some also show how maps can be tied to the imagination and abstractions. Altogether they serve as valuable insights to and experiences of Southeast Asia's largest cities. They also give audiences the ability to see into the future of Southeast Asian photography.

Exhibit will run until November 7, 2008.

For more info, please call Goethe-Institut Manila at 632 817-0978.