INTO THE WILD

Artist’s Statement:
We are walking into a new wilderness. A jungle created by the age of profit. We are confronted with a barrage of information full of deceit and underlying meanings. The works are products of survival in this wild era. They are attempts to provoke in a playful way insight as to how we adapt to the new jungle we live in, based on day-to-day episodes of drowning in the flood of minutiae created by this age of capitalism.

We present images with altered meaning, made popular in the arts by Rene Magritte’s thought-provoking image La trahison des images. But under prevailing conditions, the paradox of images is becoming part of the norm of everyday spectacles sans the corresponding meaning. Or ironically it now contributes to the vocabulary of meanings, images and expressions. Or a much-simplified character provided to a word or words. Or a simplified image added to Orwellian newspeak. Or an ornately-formed visualization of the alphabet. Or challenges to viewers’ perceptions. There is no real formula in constructing every single idea to realize every work to a conglomerated surface of lines and colours, but there goes a flux that comes unconditionally from the conscious and unconscious knowledge acquired from day-to-day living.

To sum up, the function of the artist in this spectacle of visual amusement is to create an assembly of patterns - an allegory of control and stereotypes that turn into the dynamics of life inflicting pleasure, combined with texts to provide more itch and subtle undertones to the viewer. Tease that happens to be part of our daily doze of urban survival.

About the artist:
“Cruz is a facile generator of anxiety and debate and is skilled in the production of excitingly intellectual images and forms within the unorthodox as seen in his art practice teeming with imitable social and political commentary.” Philip Paraan

Mideo M Cruz’s art production has been built upon overtly and subversively expanding and evolving communicative language and contexts, aiming to stimulate interaction and critical consumption of art. Taking his multi-sensory advocacy from the streets to the internet and galleries, Mideo has crafted political yet humorous work, and social discourse realized both collectively and individually. As an artist-organizer, he has consistently addressed issues of haphazard globalization vis a vis identity and skewed access to productive assets. -Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez for 2003 thirteen artist awards citation

Mideo M. Cruz is an active cross-disciplinary artist-organizer based in Manila and Southeast Asia. His works manifest strong allegorical images of the social order. Presently, he is preoccupied with the international artists’ network New World Disorder and is frequently invited for his ingenious actions around the globe. He is a recipient of three most prestigious awards for young artists in the Philippines: the 2003 Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award, the 2003 Sungduan Grant and the 2006 Ateneo Art Award.

While in Singapore, Mideo will also be doing a performance TERRA INCOGINITA

TERRA INCOGNITA is a live interactive piece and a simulation of the early expansionism exploring cultural connection and losing identities in the age of late capital.

At

Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak (R.I.T.E.S)
presenting1. Andree Weschler [SG]2. Justin Lee [SG]3. Mideo M Cruz [PH]4. Natasha Wei [SG]
Date: 26th June 2010Time: 7:30 pm to lateVenue: Post-Museum, Showroom107+109 Rowell Road S209033.http://www.post-museum.org/

For more information: Lee Wen {email:wen.lila@gmail.com}
supported by:National Arts CouncilThe Artists VillagePost-Museum