Jobert Cruz
Opening
Saturday, May 8, 2021
Space Encounters Gallery
Unit 7D, 7th Floor, Padilla Building, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Centre, 1605 Pasig
Headlines now serve as click baits, which release information regardless of authenticity and legitimacy. Click baits abuse our innate attraction to spectacle—an Aristotelian philosophy that is one of the main components of a tragedy—and flânerie, that part of human nature that reaps meaning from drama and spectacle.
“Deluded Commodity” showcases new works by Jobert Cruz, exemplifying the underlying issues of deception and misinformation that all of us are vulnerable to. Silhouettes become contemporary flaneurs drawn closer by the element of spectacle. The rocks represent possible self-destruction from misinformation; or a visualization of the Filipino proverb “Pera na naging bato pa,” where information in this case is valuable. The pieces are glazed with white paint that seem to cloud the images. This shows information loss through transmission, as it jumps from screen to screen across multiple devices, diluting meaning and purpose. “Deluded Commodity” is a reminder that we must be vigilant with filtering data and information. We must always get our facts straight and authenticated; otherwise, everything will just be a deluded commodity.
(Dennis Bato) *Edited for brevity.
