7.23%

Grand Launch
Friday, August 14, 2020 | 7:30 PM
Online with Facebook Live

Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art
Casa de Emperador, Festive Walk Parade, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, Iloilo

7.23% Curatorial Notes

by Marika Constantino

Early this year, the museum planned to organize an exhibition for the following reasons: to commemorate the anniversary of the institution, to honor Ms. Adoracion Valencia, the mother of the collector, and to coincide with the celebration of women’s month. The whole undertaking was supposed to launch last March. The project was put on hold due to the prevailing crisis, the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, the closure of cultural spaces and imposed limitations on social gatherings. While it is still uncertain if or when this project will tangibly materialize within the confines of ILOMOCA, the digital platform to generate the discourse, more so with the present conditions, is a welcome alternative.

According to a recent article published by the World Economic Forum, “women make up 70% of all health and social-services staff globally; domestic, sexual and gender-based violence increases during crises; and women earn just 79 cents for every dollar men make.” These disproportional realities have become more glaring with the COVID 19 virus in the midst.

It brings to fore the following questions: What does it mean to be a woman in today’s world? How else can we honor the struggles and sacrifices of our forebearers with concrete actions? What else must be done for future generations to finally know what a just, equal, and empowered society truly means? The virtual assembly of works for 7.23% attempts to visually parlay interrogations and ruminations with regards to these yet unfulfilled objectives. Most especially since August 14 marks the eleventh year since the Magna Carta for Women was signed into law.

Within this compilation are pieces made by women artists which are part of the collection of Mr. Edwin Valencia who graciously and mindfully subscribed to the concept. Much of these works have never been shown at the museum. Although the area would not be able to showcase the full collection of women’s works all at one time, the point remains that it comprises a small percentage of the bigger whole. This is neither judgement nor appraisal of the collected works. Most definitely, it is also not an endorsement of the disproportion. The reality is that this relates to women’s representation and gender inequities that also exist in art and cultural institutions which are not in isolation from the overall power structures and patriarchal culture that are still inherent in our society.

Highlighting the works in this anthology is an attempt to further the conversation. While each individual creation has its own artistic merit, the compendium of works should be viewed as a lead off for us to ponder on the prevalent power relations that boost and magnify the disparity. Mr. Valencia concurs with this premise. He shares, “It generates a good opportunity for a productive dialogue. For instance, do we exercise gender bias to push for more equity? How can I, as a collector, assess it against the basic principles I follow when I acquire a piece of work, that is, do I like the art, and can I afford it? Regardless of the artist’s gender. That said, I wholeheartedly support the need to push for and support more programs to encourage and embolden women artists and women in general. I am excited with this project because hopefully it will generate the right discussion and for my part, a call to action on how to address the inequality.”

In addition, the manifested in-congruence is in direct relation to the widening gap between the rich and the poor; women’s struggle is patently linked with class struggle after all. We must understand not just one form of oppression but be able to truly comprehend the whole system of interlocking oppressions to surmount it.

We need to be critically self-reflective and be consciously self-aware with our complicity in contributing to the imbalance. From this acknowledgement, a more inclusive sense of purpose and proactive transformations could arise. 7.23% is a visual inquiry, confrontation, and challenge for us to attain a higher ratio towards that.

*Works attributed to women artists comprise 7.23% of the collection.