‘Ready.. Get Set.. Go..’ exhibit presents the artist’s humorous and carnivalesque take on the upcoming election
“Sino ang manok mo?” That’s the usual question one hears during a competition in a Filipino setting. This time, we heard this phrase again as the 2022 Elections come near. And putting this idea on canvas is Filipino artist Juanito Torres with his latest masterpiece “Tupada,” which in Tagalog means “illegal cockfight.”
Present in the artwork are presidential aspirants Vice President Leni Robredo, former senator Bong Bong Marcos Jr., Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as roosters. Leading them for a one big cockfight are the late and former Presidents Cory Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos, entertainment personalities Dionesia Pacquiao and the late German Moreno, sci-fi character RoboCop, and outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
The painting is part of the artist’s latest exhibit dubbed “Ready.. Get Set.. Go..,” curated by Ricky Francisco for Art Lounge Manila, as one of the gallery’s showcases for Art Fair Philippines 2022’s Ten Days of Art initiative. According to its post, the exhibit is “a tragicomic critique on the upcoming elections, particularly the race for the position of the Philippine Presidency. Unlike the highly uplifting and inspiring works of Dreo, Torres’ critiques border on the carnivalesque as he presents deliberately surreal imagery alluding to this presidential race, and our tragic history of political disarray.”
“Ready.. Get Set.. Go..” was launched last March 22 and will be available for viewing until April 1 at The Gallery at the 2nd and 3rd levels of Greenbelt 5 Mall in Makati City.
Know more about Juanito Torres’ works here.
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