unBOUNDed
by Jeho Bitancor
How does space as a phenomenon translate to embodied articulations of
personal and social significance?
Referencing my condition as a migrant, I had to grapple with this
problematic and contemplate on other questions whether the space to
locate our bodies constricting or liberating or both? If so, how does
it manifest? Is it of our own choosing and creation, or is it imposed
and inherited?
My inquiry was triggered by the tension I had to negotiate as a
transient body constantly relocating itself, from the “periphery” to
the “center”, and from the west coast to Midwest to east coast in
barely two years. This would mean adapting to new circumstances and
unfamiliar grounds. Or better yet, enduring/enjoying shifting working
conditions; from a huge garage space in California, to a freezing open
patio in Memphis, to a claustrophobic basement apartment in Jersey
City, and finally to a decent studio space in the suburbs of Central
New Jersey.
It is while working in a spare space in Jersey City measuring less
than 7 X 5 ft in floor area that I have come to question the nature of
my existence. Does the space I occupy define me or is it in defining
myself that I inhabited it? Similarly, is the decision to be “in” the
space and adhere to the condition it entails a result of my own
volition alone or a product of inherited values historically ingrained
within my psyche? It can be both in my case for there are a number of
reasons that may be politically in/correct or even romantic. It can be
the notion of growing artistically/ intellectually and recognizing my
battle as a post-colonial subject, while at the same time grazing at
my enemy’s pasture for which I am not yet guilty of.
For this exhibition, I have focused on subjects that are apparently
social in context and navigating through issues that affect me. For
me, there is no dividing line clearly delineating the personal to
societal. I believe that personal experiences transcend to if not a
direct result of the workings of society.
Age-old issues of vulnerability, conformity, dislocation, bondage,
greed, identity and struggle are presented in various reconfigurations
and re-contextualization. Utilizing as a device objects that contain
figures or figures that resemble objects, the works allude to feelings
of entrapment, enclosure and imprisonment. Others served as shelter
and recluse, echoing the duality and manifold definition of inhabiting
and identifying with a space.
Jeho Bitancor’s “unBOUNDed” Will be on view until September 18, 2009
at blanc Makati. blanc is located at Crown Tower, 107 H.V. dela Costa
St., Salcedo Village, Makati City. For more information, please call
or sms 752-0032 / 0920-9276436, email info@blanc.ph or visit
www.blanc.ph, www.blancartspace.multiply.com
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