This is a platform that investigates the panorama of Philippine photography within contemporary art. The primary focus is assessing its development in the field of contemporary art.
Photoma is an open investigation of the panorama of Philippine photography within contemporary art, and it serves as a portal for experimentation and critical perspectives in photographic practices. It aims to benefit artists, institutions, curators, art historians, gallerists, collectors, academics and the general public.
It asks questions like: How is the medium currently defined? What narrative concerns are Filipino artists exploring? Are there practitioners who use alternative image-making equipment? How is photography materialized in terms of visual output? How does photography play out in conceptual and thematic-based practices, and in performance art? What distribution pathways are used other than the white cube of the art system?
The active archive not only includes practitioners from the whole Philippines, but it also includes Filipino practitioners living outside the country, as well as artists of foreign origin who have been practicing within what is understood as the Filipino experience.
Photoma further intends to contribute to critical discussions, foster relationships between creators, share peer initiatives, create awareness, and be a catalyst for future exhibitions, lectures, talks and other modes of information dissemination.
Finally, it is a work-in-progress that will adapt to the challenges that its development will bring forth.