Medalla Show at Microclima in Giardini, Prelude to Phl Pavilion Performance

August 17, 2015

Medalla and Flores at MicroclimaPrior to his performance at the Philippine Pavilion in the 2015 Venice Art Biennale, internationally renowned Filipino artist David Medalla will perform at the Microclima, Serra dei Giardini on August 18, 2015.

 

Medalla, a pioneer of land art, kinetic art, participatory art and live art, will once again take his audience to a phantasmagorical performance in which he creates a mythical journey on the origin of Filipinos. He created his own set of props to aid in his storytelling. Medalla’s longtime collaborator, Adam Nankervis, will also perform with a video installation.

 

Medalla has been ecstatic about performing at the Microclima which is a space filled with foliage and art, with floor to ceiling windows that seamlessly connect to the picturesque Serra dei Giardini del Sestriere of Castello in Venice. “This is a beautiful space,” Medalla said as he broadly explained his concept to Philippine Pavilion curator Patrick Flores during a meeting at the venue.

 

Microclima is an art project, which aims to be “a rich source of exchange and hybridization of culture, art, music and people.” Beside the space are some of the national pavilions of the Venice Biennale.

 

The seminal Filipino artist from Ermita would join the league of globally renowned performers at Microclima, including Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar, Superflex, Desire Machine Collective, Maria Thereza Alves, Mariateresa Sartori, Caesar Pietroiusti, Ettore Favini and Richard Nonas.

 

“David’s performance will be unpredictable and exciting. I have no doubt that he will take everyone for an experience. We should be proud that Medalla, a proud Filipino, will perform in a space such as Microclima and is part of the country’s historic comeback to the Venice Biennale,” said Senator Loren Legarda, the visionary behind the Philippines’ return to the 56th Venice Art Biennale after a 51-year hiatus.

 

Flores said that the performance at Microclima will be important in inviting visitors of the Giardini to come and see Medalla’s performance at the Philippine Pavilion in Palazzo Mora on August 20, 2015.

 

Flores explained that Medalla was really excited about the space and how Paolo Rosso, the artistic director, converted it from an abandoned structure to what it is now.

 

Microclima was originally called the Greenhouse and was built in 1894 as a “tepidarium made of iron and glass” to host plants used for the International Art Exhibition. It is the oldest permanent structure of the whole original system of the Biennale even preceding the main Exhibition building, which was built in 1895. The Greenhouse was abandoned in the 1990s until it was restored by the Municipality of Venice in 2010 and since then has been called Microclima, devoted to nature and cultural activities.

 

Medalla will also have a performance at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on August 22, 2015.

 

Medalla’s performance is a collateral event of the Philippine Pavilion accredited by la Biennale di Venezia.

 

The Philippine Pavilion titled Tie A String Around the World, is the only national pavilion that represents the Philippines at the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Flores, it features the works of Manuel Conde and Carlos Francisco (Genghis Khan), Manny Montelibano (A Dashed State), and Jose Tence Ruiz (Shoal).

 

The Philippine participation was made possible through the joint effort of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, with the support of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board.