Leslie de Chavez
dal 8/10/2008 al 24/11/2008
Segnalato da
8/10/2008
Leslie de Chavez
Avanthay Contemporary AG, Zurich
Banana Republic. With this exhibit, the artist would like to raise awareness of the abuses that have occurred in his country, The Philippines. The dusk atmosphere in his images is evoked not only through his subject matter, but also through the color of his canvas.
The gallery Avanthay Contemporary, Zurich proudly presents the work of the
Philippine artist, Leslie de Chavez (*1978, Manila), in his solo exhibition entitled
"Banana Republic". The exhibitions runs from 10th October until 25th of
November.
"The state of the nation wasn't to be found in the words, it was to be found in the
images." (Conrado de Quiros, columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 30th July, 2008)
The Philippines proudly call itself a democratic country. The reality is in fact
different. According to recent studies and surveys, the Philippines are one of the
most corrupt countries in all of Asia. The World Bank estimates that over two
billion US dollars go missing yearly due to corruption. And the corruption is
growing incessantly year for year. Political murders, disappearances of people,
offences against human rights, fraud, theft and violence are ever increasing.
Seldom does the government take action to stop these offences. The president
Gloria Macapal Arroyo has withstood two separate impeachment hearings, diverse
corruption scandals and accusations of elections result manipulation.
Corruption has
reached such extraordinary proportions that many Philippines existences have been
destroyed due to the continuing decay of the social and political situation there.
With this exhibit, "Banana Republic", artist Leslie de Chavez would like to raise
awareness of these abuses that have occurred in his country. For Chavez the
symbol of the banana in his title "Banana Republic" is significant. The symbol of
the banana re- appears in an aggrandized or inflated state, indicative of the
corruption it may represent. The dusk atmosphere in his images is evoked not only
through his subject matter, but also through the color of his canvas; Chavez paints
on black linen. His style evokes images of the German- American artist, graphic
designer und Caricaturist George Grosz (1893-1959) who became known for his
critical depiction of society in his paintings and drawings. Similar to Grosz, Chavez
provokes and criticizes with and through his work. In his painting titled "The
medium is the message", Chavez quotes Media Theorist Marshall McLuhan, author
of the famous book with the same title, which Chavez read during his studies. "The
medium is the message" stands for the symbols or the elements in his painting,
such as for example fish bones, the basket with the bananas or the camera. These
symbols represent attributes of a figure or of an image. The message of these
symbols is, however, directed not only towards the figure it represents but also and
most especially towards the viewer.
Vernissage: 9th October, 6 – 9 pm
Avanthay Contemporary AG
Limmatstrasse 275 - Zurich
Free admission