Tutok: Perspektiba

Tutok Karapatan, an alliance of artists advocating human rights, will stage a series of art exhibits on political killings, starting this mid-November.

Tutok Karapatan, formed in November 2005, noted that from Jan. 2001, to Nov. 5, 2006, extrajudicial killings under the Arroyo regime have claimed 779 victims, of which 338 have political affiliations.

To raise awareness about the trend, the group has decided to stage Perspektiba, the series of three exhibits at the following venues and schedules:

• Tutok: Perspektiba 1, Nov. 21 to Dec. 2, Beato Angelico Gallery, University of Sto. Tomas (co-presented with College of Fine Arts and Design)

• Tutok: Perspektiba 2, January 2007, Amrhein Gallery, St. Scholastica’s College (co-presented with Department of Fine Arts)

• Tutok: Perspektiba 3, Februrary 2007, UP Faculty Center Gallery (co-presented with Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines)

As part of the UST exhibit, Tutok will hold a forum on Nov. 29, with multi-awarded novelist Jun Cruz Reyes as the main speaker, with eevening activities to be led by artists Jose Tence Ruiz, Jef Carnay, and Cos Zicarelli, and award-winning poets Roberto Ofanda Umil and Angelo Suarez.

Among the artists participating in the Perspektiba are painters Antipas Delotavo, Boy Dominguez, Gene de Loyola, and Emmanuel Garibay; multimedia artist Claro Ramirez, Lyra Abueg Garcellano, Don Salubayba, Ed Manalo, Benjo Elayda, Mark Ramsel Salvatus III, and Buen Calubayan; and art groups Anting Anting and UGAT Lahi.

Perspektiba is curated by Mideo M. Cruz with Raoul Rodriguez as co-curator for exhibition and Victoria Deocampo as co-curator for live actions.

Perspektiba is just one among several events slated to be held by Tutok starting this month. The other art events and performances are:

• 3rd Neo-Angono Public Art Festival ("Publikhaan: Making Human Rights Issue Public") Nov. 16-22, Angono, Rizal (co-presented with Neo-Angono Artists Collective

• Dos por Dos, Dec. 2 to 30, Boston Gallery Cubao, Quezon City

• Re-view: Pasang Masid, Feb. 8 to Apr. 1, 2007, Cultural Center of the Philippines. This is Tutok’s project for National Arts Month. - GMANews.TV