by Anna Gamboa
MANILA – Mae Paner’s new viral video premieres during the last night of “Tyranny of Hindsight” at Ayala Museum’s Artist Space.
Finding its wings on the internet and premiering to a select group gathered at Ayala Museum on November 19, 2015–just on Day 2 of APEC 2015, Mae Paner’s new viral video elicited raucous laughter and much applause. Directed by Brilliante Mendoza and written by Rody Vera, the satirical short “Laglagan Na” tells of the woes our everywoman goes through trying to make it past the gauntlet of immigration and customs officers trying to solicit Christmas “donations” –down to airport porters out to fleece their own countrymen.
The surreal experience continues on to the absurd traffic situation outside the airport terminal that jams poor Juana in the Pasay area for days, preventing her from seeing her loved ones, and forcing her to ultimately go back to catch her return flight in defeat. But a bullet is found in her luggage–oh no–and to jail Juana Change goes, where she ruminates about loving her country, –professing to love it despite all its problems, but declares it’s time to end the hypocrisy and start asking questions, to start making changes–goading her to her determined message of “Baguhin natin ang Pilipinas. Tayong lahat. Now na!” (“Let’s change the Philippines. All of us. This moment, now!”)
At the invitation of Hiraya Gallery (hiraya.com) owner Didi Dee, the video premiere of Mae Paner/Juana Change coincided with the exhibit ending of “Tyranny of Hindsight”, featuring two murals commenting on Philippine politics by FEATI Fine Arts grad Randalf Dilla. Shoehorned into the confines of the Artist Space, the works each measure at most 8 x 18 feet –an impressive size that’s meant to overwhelm the viewer, and still compel them to draw closer and examine details like the bars of gold tumbling from a corrupted scale resting on a table covered with the nation’s flag.
In “Salvaged Memories, Salvaged Lives”, the harrowing years of rule under Ferdinand Marcos are immortalized: the enforced disappearances, the looted coffers of a nation, and the corruption of the word “salvage” which normally means “to be saved” –turned into a dreaded term for summary execution. The other, slightly smaller mural titled “#whatnow” documents a never-ending cycle of greed and misplaced priorities as cycles of politicians come and go, but no real change truly takes effect for many Filipinos, who suffer and toil from birth to death.
Most exhibits end without much note. Not many can claim they had Juana Change finish their show with a bang. Experiencing “Laglagan Na” and “Tyranny of Hindsight” back to back, especially in the midst of APEC 2015 and its parade of so-called political demigods, gives the viewer a good poke in the conscience, asking the question we may be too preoccupied or distracted to ask: what the hell is happening to our nation?
