Sandra Dan's Iconolatria

...

me since first, I’m agnostic. I’m at the point where I am not sure whether God really exists or not. Second, my art studies class taught me that I should have an open-mind and proper context when viewing art. Third, with the application of the lessons taught in class, we’ve encountered and discussed much ‘worse’ situations of installation or painting such as Mideo Cruz’ ‘Poleteismo’. Right after opening the door of the room, I saw a self-portrait of the artist and an angel which is also portrayed by herself. The figure is familiar from the biblical passage, the Annunciation of Mary. It was when Angel Gabriel told Mary that she was the chosen one which sets her apart from all the people. I could interpret her depiction of the passage and representation of herself as both the angel and Mary that she performs her own sanctification and makes herself distinct from the rest by creating her own identity. I think what Sandra Dans means to say is that we have the power to elevate, sanctify and make ourselves unique and that we are like the Council of Trent, who imposes his power as to what one can and cannot add into his own images or self- representation. With the guide question given by our professor, particularly the mode and the process of how those photographs were taken, the array of images made me realize that when we take our own photos, we tend to make ourselves look better and presentable. Relating it to what I said in the preceding sentences, it is an example, if not a proof, that the way we represent and

identify ourselves lies in our own hands. We are the curators of ourselves. Also if you compare the portraits of the artist and Jorge Vargas, you will notice that the latter highlights the self- representation in the former.

Not only the style but also objects in religious context are appropriated in the said exhibit. Stampitas are visual cards containing printed photographs of a saint or a sacred figure on one side of the card and on the other is a prayer or note that serves as a reminder that it is a way of directing devotion. Similarly, Sandra Dan’s adaptation through replacing photos of holy figures and prayers with ordinary things in our daily lives and real tweets of random people, one associates himself with other objects in daily life such as coffee or bike. Thus, concurrently sanctifying himself by associating himself with objects or memories. This body of work intersects with the phenomenon of “microblogging”, which creates a change in devotion and acts as a constant reminder of one’s self-representation and identity – who he is and who he is not.

This installation or exhibit is worth analyzing and talked about because of its highly relevant message that it is trying to convey to the people of the digital and modern age. However, appreciating an art is not as easy as we think it is. In order to fully appreciate a work of art, one must be able to grasp the meaning that the artist is trying to convey. To have a good interpretation of an art, requires one to study the context of the work with an open mind. For example and based on my experience in this exhibit, I only appreciated the concept of the artist in my first encounter with it. The physical aspect of the bodies of art such as the design, set up, and lighting was one of the few things that appealed to me. But as I try to analyze the works by going back to the exhibit and attending the talk, I was able to gradually and bit by bit understand and appreciate the message of the artist to her viewers. The artist repeatedly emphasizes the notion of sanctification and self- representation. Sanctification, meaning, setting one apart or making it strange or different. In the “I Am” self-portraits, the artist sanctifies herself, while the subjects of “Mga Santong Kanto” are sanctified by the artist (sanctifying of others) and lastly, “Stampitas” where the artist sanctifies objects, memories, and events. The artist stated that the language of sanctification of the church is similar to the language of self representation we do on the internet or social media. We do it to differentiate, identify, curate, and enhance ourselves and to sort of remind us of who we are. Like the Council of Trent, we have the power on our images as to what can and cannot go into them.

Iconolatria leaves us significant and meaningful points or questions to ponder that deals with the issues of the modern and digital age . As Sandra Dans iterates: “What is the practical difference between worship and veneration?” and “What is the practical difference between self- representation and narcissism?”. The bodies of work featured in this exhibit continuously helps us break the practice of automatized modes of seeing art that we have adopted from the influx of images by making things strange and bringing focus to the ways that we