Art curator Joyce Toh on Gajah Gallery Singapore’s group show ‘In Excess’

The exhibition features the works of older, established artists like Imelda Cajipe-Endaya juxtaposed alongside up-and-coming, newer ones such as Maria Jeona Zoleta. It was unusual to see a grouping of these artists in any singular show. The reason may be due to cross-generational particularities, or in the artists’ manners of styles that one wouldn’t usually see this diversity in the same collection.

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Toh makes a peculiar yet astute observation, noting that some of these older artists and younger artists would have to come down to two distinctions: “pre-EDSA and post-EDSA babies”.

“For a number of these more senior artists, they are coming from a time where they have endured the heavy hand of an authoritarian government.”

On the other hand, though the younger artists are aware of these past social issues, they are attuned to present topics, such as personal identity politics, navigating the internet, and cancel culture.

There are works that are visually resplendent and could be designated as horror vacui, a concept in art that translates to “a fear of emptiness”. Louie Cordero's The Choice showcases elements of abject horror that tie in with the theme of excess—a kind of abundance in the form of the grotesque.

Victor Balanon's Askalathon is a single-channel video animation of a street dog running against a concrete backdrop. It is a commonplace visual that shouldn't be discernible but on the screen, the symbolism talks about labour and futility.

Much of Zoleta's work and visual imagery is drawn from the context of her upbringing in the red light district of Makati City, Metro Manila.

In our interview, Toh also remarks on the finance capital of the Philippines, as a “great place to be talking about ideas of excess”. Seemingly austere with its brutalist architecture, Makati is acknowledged as the city of money, of overindulgence where huge enterprises have made their anchor.

The sentiment of ‘excess’ arrived before the Toh settled on the show’s designated. The phrase “too much is not enough” lingered in the back of her mind while conceptualising this group show.

A strong temperament reoccurs in the visual language of Filipino contemporary art. There is a tendency towards figuration and vibrancy in the artists’ approach to their work—a thoroughly unapologetic presence.

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