Offerings for Escalante / Para Site / Hong Kong / Oct 21, 2023 – Feb 8, 2024 /
Negros is a large island located in the Visayas, in the central part of the Philippines, with a population of about 4.7 million. Since the mid 19th century, it has relied on the production of sugarcane, a crop that quickly became one of the Philippines’ most important export goods. During the first Marcos government (1965-86), sugar was very lucrative, yet its profits were mainly kept by political cronies and landlords, and did not benefit local workers. From the early 1980s, a drop in raw sugar prices resulted in dramatic famines, child malnutrition, unemployment and a significant rise in poverty on the island. On 20 September 1985, not only sugarcane farmers but also fishermen, students and all types of unaffiliated workers joined a nationwide protest asking for wage increases, better living conditions, human rights and a demilitarisation of the territory. The local militia replied with guns and violence. Twenty people were killed.
Known as the “Escalante massacre”, this event is the nodal point of the exhibition Offerings for Escalante by Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien, currently at Para Site. Born respectively in the Philippines and Taiwan, the artist duo have been developing community-based projects in Negros since 2017, investigating local history and recent social struggles. As its title suggests, the current exhibition takes the form of a collective homage to the 1985 events, from artists who emphasise the significance and necessity of mourning to acknowledge the past.
The exhibition is organised around an hour-long documentary, Langit Lupa (2023). Static shots of landscape and interviews with a few survivors are interwoven with abstract images featuring plants that have either been burned or slowly dissolved, the latter known as phytograms. These enigmatic visual interludes provide a poetic space for the fragmented pieces of memory to find resonance with the audience. The artists deliberately opted not to incorporate archival material, choosing instead to examine the topic from a contemporary and metaphorical standpoint. They successfully experiment with a renewed form of documentary, finding a balance between content and affect. Through this lens, they trace the remnants of the event, shedding light on the passage of time, which inevitably blurs memories and our grasp on reality. The overall tone is not overtly dramatic, although the content itself is deeply poignant. We follow children running through sugarcane plantations, rituals of commemoration and the long, arduous labour of farmers manually harvesting mature cane.
In contrast to the emotionally charged film, the other artworks create a lighter, more uplifting atmosphere. Aptly positioned at the intersection of all the galleries, the light installation Compostlight (2023) casts moving shadows all around and provides a space for contemplation. Made with organic matter, notably onions skin, its warm brown hues evoke a soothing sunset. Many of the artworks on display were crafted during art-making workshops, using locally sourced, organic materials collected by the artists during their stay. For instance, the composition Social Volcano (2023) incorporates sugarcane fibre, vegetable pulp, banana stalk, charcoal ash, water spinach and papaya seeds, among others. It depicts the landscape of Negros, characterised by mountainous terrain bordered by the sea. In an artwork, one volcano erupts, and the smoke takes the form of a peculiar bird soaring through a vast, dark sky. The bird’s oversized head and round eye gaze directly at the viewer. These iconographic elements draw upon local symbolic folklore and symbolise the cycle of birth, death and regeneration. All the featured artworks appear to form a cohesive series that scrutinises the natural processes of decay and healing, and the symbiotic relationships that connect every layer of the ecosystem, from leaves to soil, and from rain to human labour. As such, the regional flora, transformed into diverse artistic expressions, becomes a powerful vehicle for embodying the event and its aftermath.
In her statement, curator Celia Ho directly poses the question of the role and impact of art in addressing sociopolitical issues, a complex, delicate matter given the elusive nature of cultural influence. In Hong Kong, where about 200,000 Filipinos are employed, the massacre and its contextual significance remain largely unknown. This exhibition serves as a good opportunity for viewers to gain a deeper understanding of some of the driving forces behind Filipino immigration to foreign lands, including poverty, human rights abuses, inequality and violence. Additionally, for the Filipino community residing in Hong Kong, the exhibition provides a platform to discuss the event. Decades of authoritarian regimes have eroded public trust in the media, leaving many Filipinos sceptical about historical facts and questioning everything. Moreover, due to the intricacies of today’s sociopolitical climate, the massacre continues to be a taboo subject. While charges of genocide have been brought against the previous Marcos government and some perpetrators of the massacre have faced legal action, most have evaded punishment. Overall, the socioeconomic situation on Negros has not improved significantly.
Through this project, Ho aims to foster synergy between Hong Kong and the Philippines by addressing migrant worker issues, social struggles and “a wider colonial history of dispossession and loss”. In the gallery, she has replaced partition walls with bamboo scaffolding to hang the artworks, with a view to creating a symbolic link between the diverse communities. This original display not only evokes the form of sugarcane but also alludes to the precarious conditions faced by workers. However, in Hong Kong, most Filipino migrants are not employed on construction sites, and this might be confusing. Besides, each wave of migration has its own history, and the general topic of colonial dispossession encompasses a vast range of cases. Although it may bring about a constructive and important feeling of solidarity, it is crucial to consider the distinct contexts and agendas at play beyond the shared fight for social justice, as merging different contexts might pose challenges. While the events on Negros serve as a powerful representation of injustice, human rights abuses and wealth inequality, the massacre itself unfolded within a very specific context. It encompasses the complex legacy of colonialism, the far-reaching impact of a lengthy dictatorship based on violence, and the influence of an unfair global capitalist system. Oversimplification risks obscuring the depth and complexities of the real problems, which necessitate comprehensive, nuanced approaches to be effectively resolved.
It remains vital for Hong Kong residents to gain a greater understanding of the Filipino context. More exhibitions about the country and its struggles but also its rich, syncretic culture would be welcome.
Featured image: Installation view of Offerings for Escalante, Para Site, Hong Kong, 2023. Photo: Studio Lights On.