Interview
Why do you take and create images?
To destroy codified structures.
How do you define your photographic/artistic body of work? What subjects do you often explore in your work?
We use photography in documenting our ephemeral works but we also use it as a tool in creating our recent body of works. We have no particular style or subject but we follow a particular process.
What motivates your work?
Curiosity.
What relationship does your work have with reality?
I don’t know. 🙁
For you, what is the purpose of art?
Art should have no practical purpose.
How do you want the public to respond to your work? Do you have a particular audience in mind?
We’d like to see different reactions from different audiences.
What is your training? Were you trained as a photographer?
We didn’t really learn photography, or the technicalities, we basically just use the automatic setting on a camera.
How do you define your actual professional situation? What are your expectations?
We just want to have fun by making art.
It’s hard to live off art. Does this affect you and your work?
From the start we’ve already accepted that we might not get anything from making art, so we find other ways to sustain it.
Have you worked with gallerists, curators, institutions and other art professionals? Can you discuss more about this particular relationship?
We worked with alternative spaces like 98B, Kalye Gallery and institutions like CCP. You just find the middle area where you can agree on something. They have different rules so that can be part of your process. You just have to accept some things like, not being able to fly without a rocket engine as of the moment.
In your opinion, what is the current state of contemporary photography in the Philippines?
I think we produced more #selfies but, we don’t understand our humanity, we produced more #foodporn but we have millions of starving people.In short we have no idea about the current state of contemporary photography. I hope this initiative can give more light to the question.
How do you want contemporary photography to develop in the Philippines?
Maybe discover new techniques, like capturing a dream, or photographs that can be “seen” by blind people.
CV
Name: koloWn
Established: January 2007
Based in Cebu.
Website: kolown.net
Exhibitions:
2017, Low Pressured Areas, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
2016, Mikee Konohana Public Intervention, Konohana Japan
2015, I Love You Virus, 98B, Manila, Philippines (group show)
2014, Manila Fart, 98B, Manila, Philippines 2014, Coded Holzer, 98B ESC Project, Manila, Philippines
2010, 50-50, Kalye Gallery, Manila, Philippines (collab with Defs)
2009, Rehabilitation, Turtle’s Nest, Cebu City, Philippines