UP Vargas Museum opened Yan Abeledo’s exhibition titled “>upgrade | Homo sapiens sapiens” at the 3F Galleries of the museum.
“>upgrade | Homo sapiens sapiens” looks into how our species continues to develop through the potential of artificial human organ transplantation. By utilizing discarded laboratory materials (donated by the Practical Genomics Laboratory and Biology Department of the De La Salle University and the Philippine National Police DNA Crime Lab), Abeledo initiates a discourse on the nature of human enhancement technologies (HET). This exhibit raises questions on the human body and the ethical interventions on it. The allure of the commercial aspect of this venture may attract visions of the future, yet with it comes uncertainty.
>upgrade | Homo sapiens sapiens runs until 27 October.
Yan Abeledo (b. 1987) received his bachelor’s degree in Film and Audio-Visual Communication, cum laude at the University of the Philippines Film Institute in 2009 and is currently finishing his master’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. He is the founding chairperson of iACADEMY’s Multimedia Arts Program and is the Dean of the School of Design. He is an educator, multimedia artist, and an award-winning short film director. He was awarded the 2nd Place Award for Excellence in SHELL Better Environment Awards (UAE, 2003), 3rd Place for his short film Araw ng Pighati at the 21st Gawad CCP Alternative Film and Video Competition (2009), and was a finalist for his short film Araw ng Pinagpala at the Manhattan International Film Festival (2015). He received both venue and travel grants from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and National Commission for Culture and the Arts respectively (2015), and he was part of the Artist Residency Program of Mcfarlane Art Studio, Whitely Center Foundation at the University of Washington (2016).
For more information, contact Vargas Museum at (+632) 981-8500 loc. 4024 (UP trunkline), (+632) 928-1925 (fax) or send an email to vargasmuseum@gmail.com. You may also check our website at http://vargasmuseum.upd.edu.ph.
