NAVIGATING THE PHILIPPINE REALITY OF SPACE
PH pavilion presents ‘The City Who Had Two Navels’ at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018
Is neoliberalism a new form of colonialism? The Philippines will ask this provocative question when it mounts its exhibit at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, a curated concept showing how colonialism and neoliberalism have shaped Philippine cities and influenced perception of its national identity.
In a press conference on Thursday, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chair Virgilio Almario and Sen. Loren Legarda and the Department of Foreign Affairs introduced “The City Who Had Two Navels” as the Philippine entry to the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition, in Venice later this month.
Inspired by National Artist Nick Joaquin’s novel “The WomanWho Had Two Navels,” the curatorial concept by archi- tect and professor Dr. Edson Cabalfin, won over 11 other proposals and was chosen as the Philippine Pavilion in the 2018 Venice Biennale.
As in the novel, Cabalfin said Philippine cities also embody the two navels in constant dialogue.
The first navel echoes colonial narratives of the Philippines as exotic and primitive. The second navel shows how free market capitalists have shaped the present modern urban landscape.
Almario, National Artist for Literature, pointed out that representation of the Philippines in international expositions has “always been problematic.”
Huts and loincloths
“In global expositions since 1887 and even until today, we have been presented as living in huts, wearing loincloths and dancing in circles,” Almario said.
“However, anyone who has stepped into Manila, Cebu and Davao would know that we have been expanding and renegotiating our space,” he said.
“To present this version of the Philippines to the Biennale, thus to the world, enriches the narrative of our country,” Almario added.
“Through the exhibition we show the world how we strut and navigate our realities here in the Philippines and beyond. How we slither through our cities with its small streets, noisy sidewalks and congested thoroughfares that may look rough and chaotic but are filled with much humanity.”
Almario said Filipinos have so much to talk about, like how cities shape the way people live.