Legarda visits Philippine Pavilion Exhibition at the 58th Venice Art Biennale

Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda visited the Philippine Pavilion exhibition Island Weather, the country’s national participation at the 58th Venice Art Biennale. This year’s participation marked the country’s fifth consecutive participation in the world’s biggest contemporary art exposition.

Legarda, the prime mover of the country’s return to the Venice Biennale in 2015 after 51 years of absence, said that Island Weather explores the myriad ways by which the Philippine islands can be perceived and imagined: by evoking its geophysical characteristics, reflecting on our regard for it as a place of origin, refuge, and respite, or a location that may refer to the nation itself.

“It seems like yesterday when we tried to fill the puzzling absence of the Philippines in the Venice Biennale after 51 years of hiatus. Today, here we are at the center of the world’s biggest contemporary art exposition, evoking the artistry, history, and cultural heritage of the Filipino people while bringing to fore Filipino contemporary visual art, hoping to make Filipino creativity a strong presence in world art,” said Legarda.

“Apart from bringing the Filipino talent to the global stage, we hope that our participation opened more opportunities for the growth of our curators and artists and encouraged more Filipinos to unleash their creativity,” she added.

Island Weather is curated by Tessa Maria Guazon and features artist Mark Justiniani and his immersive and massive installation titled Arkipelago. It is an exploration of how an archipelagic state such as the Philippines forms its national consciousness shaped by its many islands, which all have its own unique vernacular culture and history. Three thematic approaches shape Island Weather: (1) Island Voyage, (2) Local Forecast, and (3) Piers and Ports.***