Litanya, 1972 – 2022: The Works of Jose Tence Ruiz

As we rally forward from the pandemic, Jose Tence Ruiz (b.1956) acknowledges how facing one’s mortality has steered him towards the task of compiling what he describes as an “anxious inventory of my practice as an independent visual artist.” Marking 50 years “from inception and attraction” to art at age 16, “Bogie” Ruiz is among the most prolific artists today. He considers the self-published book project as a chronological diary or personal compilation. As a complement, this exhibition was conceived to provide a glimpse into Ruiz’s art practice, including a cross section of his abundant output as an editorial cartoonist and illustrator for major daily and weekly publications in Manila, and later in Singapore.

Dark Memories & Alaala Ng Martial Law

The act of remembering is an active choice; it is a voluntary one. But one cannot remember what one has not experienced in the past. For those who have lived through the 1970s and early 1980s, this tandem exhibition by Edgar Doctor and Rick Rocamora will prompt one to recall specific events or a series of incidents that marked the tumultuous period of martial law in the Philippines. For younger generations, these images are attestations or historical narratives of atrocities committed to individuals, families, and communities. They may be taken as implements or tools to aid us in organizing or reconstructing the past.