The Cultural Center of the Philippines presents a durational performance art series entitled NALUWAS SI LIGTAS SA MANILA by visual artist Russ Ligtas on November 22 and 29, December 6 and 13, 2013 with a blend of fun and amazing performances that will excite audiences.
On November 22 (2:00PM to 9:00PM, CCP complex area), the artist performs in Search Party, dressed like a very colorful clown with balloons that float a missing-person poster, walking in slow motion from outside of the CCP Main Theater Lobby and down the ramp toward the front lawn, the Harbour Square, ending by the breakwater. In Pista sa Barrio (Nov.29, 2pm-8pm, CCP front lawn), the artist wears a black coat and pants. There is a pole stretching out from his back, at the tip of this pole are banderitas and the Philippine flag. He stands on an 8 x 8ft platform next to the CCP marquee and flagpole. A videoke machine is set on the other side of the platform. The audience is invited to use and enjoy the videoke machine while the artist stays on the platform for the six-hour duration.
On December 6 (11:00AM to 7:00PM, CCP ramp), Russ Ligtas performs in Being B. Niyaan as Mdm B. Niyaan, going around the ramp of the CCP in circles, reminiscing his past as he tries to bring out his emotions in silence while dancing, singing, and reacting to remind him of his past with music in background and approaches audience. The artist engages in a show entitled Bayang Magiliw (Dec. 13, 2pm-10pm, CCP ramp to Luneta), singing along and playing the Philippine National Anthem 115 times (referring to the number of years since our independence from Spain) as he walks towards Rizal’s monument while having his portable sound system.
Russ Ligtas’ process employs autobiography as a platform to study and confront the human condition through the specificities of his own individual context; the product of such self-analyses becomes his art. Russ discusses the common and the commonly veiled vagaries of existence by placing himself as the subject of such discussions either in front of an audience or through the confessional nature of his non-performative works.
In most of his performances, Russ assumes characters that are specialized versions of himself – alter egos that have developed as a means of dealing with reality. He performs within a theatrical template that incorporates various perspectives and media such as butoh, text, video, music, photography etc., insisting that theatrical techniques are necessary in creating moments of beauty and insight via performance art without being divorced from the authenticity of reality.
Russ earned his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in Cebu with a major in Painting. Before fully committing to his art, Russ worked with Kenneth Cobonpue as a designer at HIVE, a design house that produces interior accessories for the Kenneth Cobonpue line. He also taught Art at BRIGHT Academy while developing his thesis on performative painting and assemblage. He is a member of Cebu’s only performance art group XO? alongside his first mentors Raymund Fernandez and Roy Lu. He is also a member of The Academy of Everything is Possible based in Dublin and founded by his late teacher Gordon Campbell, a student of Joseph Beuys. Russ is a writer of Cebuano and English poetry and is a member of BATHALAD INC., a group for writers who write in Cebuano and other regional languages. He also regularly performed with performance poetry group The Really Bad Poets during the latter part of his time in Cebu.
For more information, call the CCP Visual Arts & Museum Division at (+632) 8321125 local 1504 and 1505, or 832-3702, or email ccp.exhibits@gmail.com.
