León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance: León Gallery, The Asian Cultural Council Auction 2018, Makati City, 3 March 2018, Lot 69

ABOUT THE WORK

Mark Justiniani’s Balik Tanaw is an early work made by the artist a year after his conferment of the prestigious Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award in 1994. It shows the artist’s penchant for producing surrealist works revolving around allegories concerning our history, identity, and relevant societal issues, to name only a few, even at the early phase of his career. In this work, Justiniani depicts a man clad in the katipunero outfit: a camisa de chino, complemented by red kundiman pants and a scarf worn around the neck (although historians have since debunked this “traditional” ensemble based on surviving photographs). His body is bent over, with his head upside down and positioned between his legs. His bearing evokes the age-old manner to detect an aswang: looking at the suspected person from between one’s legs. He is about to fall from a seemingly fathomless cliff while unwarily walking. The piece reminds its viewers of the pitfalls of historical ignorance and, to a greater extent, historical distortion, erasure, and denialism. A dark, brooding atmosphere pervades the background, signifying the precariousness of a people who would capitulate to historical negationism and the oppressors’ deception to advance their mercenary interests. The image of a man about to fall evokes the SpanishAmerican philosopher George Santayana’s famous aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But hope still lingers. The familiar image of a katipunero reminds us of our collective struggles against our oppressors in history. That no matter how tragic our past is, it is still imperative to remember it and the legacy of our valiant ancestors 11 Mark Justiniani (b. 1966) Balik Tanaw signed and dated 1995 (lower center) oil on wood 25" x 22" (64 cm x 56 cm) P 600,000 León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE León Gallery, The Asian Cultural Council Auction 2018, Makati City, 3 March 2018, Lot 69 and continue their struggles for us to attain national democracy and genuine emancipation. Be wary of the modern-day aswangs, those who charmingly masquerade themselves only for us to find out their deceitfulness and repressive apparatuses to maintain their oppressive status quo. We must never forget. (A.M.)