The Bootleg Project to feature interactive artworks about the country’s thriving black market

An emerging platform for contemporary artists in Manila, Philippines to showcase their works and connect with like-minded creatives, Vetro gallery will launch The Bootleg Project on June 9, 2018 to open up discussions about intellectual property and appropriation in art, design and new forms of media.

One of the initiative’s co-founders artist Adrian Emmanuel Mariñas shared that it all started with a joke.

“I was wearing a bootlegged shirt and my friends were making fun of me because of it. Pero naisip ko, ‘lahat naman tayo may bootleg eh! Depende na lang kung aaminin mo,’” he quipped.

“Bootlegging is deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture, and it’s interesting how it has penetrated the art scene where it’s generally accepted and remains unquestioned. I thought of starting The Bootleg Project to create a critical space where we can constructively tackle this practice and reflect on the bigger impact it has to the creative community,” Mariñas added.

Featuring interdisciplinary local artists exploring emerging forms of media and interactive art, the show will exhibit and tackle different forms of counterfeiting in various industries—fashion, music, toys, literature, tech, art, and design.

New Vetro curator and contemporary artist Indy Paredes said that the show is just a vehicle to start critical conversations about the culture of bootlegging in the country.

“The exhibit will have talks and forums, and we really want people who are not in the art scene to be part of the conversation, like lawyers and writers. While art is a highly intellectual pursuit and it’s really critical to have a platform to discuss these issues in the community, I think this concern matters not only in our industry but also in others, like tech and music,” Paredes said.

There will be installations where people could touch the artworks and ‘play’ with them for a more immersive understanding of the bigger message the group wishes to send across.

“Some works let you be part of the art itself,” Paredes said.

The Bootleg Project opens on June 9, 2018 and will run until June 30.