In commemoration of its 50th anniversary, the Cultural Centre of the Philippines' (CCP) will be presenting once again some of its posters in the past—tracing back the premier institutions' important contributions in awakening the Filipino consciousness on arts and culture

CCP opened the exhibition "POSTER/ITY: 50 Years of Art and Culture at the CCP", featuring a curated selection from the country's premier arts institution's archive of over 2000 posters of exhibitions, performances, and other events. 

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Accompanied by a timeline of CCP’s history, the exhibition gathers ephemera of what can be ascribed as a national cultural agenda, tracing the institution’s various artistic directions—from the pursuit of a modern and international Filipino aesthetic in the 70s, to a more nationalistic search for a new Filipino identity after 1986, to today’s celebration of the diversity in Filipino cultural traditions and histories.

Unraveling the poster’s potential as a platform for communicating art and culture to the public, the exhibition also provides an opportunity for the study of Philippine modern graphic design. As a medium of its time, posters reflect not only political and social conditions, but also the coming together of art and design through the creation of new visual languages and technologies. While they circulate less in print and more through digital formats, posters continue to be an essential tool for visual communication while remaining a unique historical and artistic document.

 

'gallery right' 'gallery right'
'gallery right' 'gallery right'
Photo 1 of 5 Inaugural Music Festival (1969)
Photo 2 of 5 Inaugural Drama Festival (1971)
Photo 3 of 5 Filipino Literature Festival (1979)
Photo 4 of 5 Swiss Chamber Ballet Conference (1976)
Photo 5 of 5 CCP Independent Cinema and Video Competition

The exhibition is curated by Ringo Bunoan, in collaboration with B+C Design headed by Baby Imperial and Coco Anne. "The title of this exhibition is clearly a play of words: by breaking it into two words 'poster' and the suffix '-ity', it pertains to 'the state of being a poster' and that is reflected into the exhibitions attempt to educate the young people on how a poster is made—from conception to distribution. Also, it can be read as 'posterity' which is the other purpose of this exhibition: to make the art of poster-making and these surviving posters of CCP continue to live throughout future generations," Imperial said.

Bunoan also shared that due to the lack of careful and proper preservation of most of the early posters (printed on thin sheets of paper and with earlier form of printing techniques), there arose the urgent need to preserve these. "Posters are useless after it serves it purpose. Hence, most people would throw it away afterwards or keep it as a souvenir, but not in a meticulous manner. But more than that, it is a ubiquitous and commonplace form of communication, not only it is an important primary source of information, but it is as well a medium for visual expression."

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Above Thirteen Artists (1970)

Many of the early CCP posters were produced under the direction of artists Roberto Chabet and Raymundo Albano, who headed CCP's Museum and Art Gallery. Known for their conceptualist art practice, their posters became a vehicle for their explorations in painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, photography, and design.

Numerous artists and designers produced posters for the CCP throughout the years, including B+C Design, Franco Patriarca & Frey Cabading (Girl Friday Design), Cesar Hernando, Fernando Modesto, Nonon Padilla, Ige Ramos (Tomato Graphics), and Leo Rialp. The state-owned National Media Production Centre also produced posters for some of CCP's main programs in its first two decades. Exhibiting artists, residents and guest companies also generally designed and/or produced their own posters, which would then be circulated by the CCP. "However, since it is not customary for posters to be signed, many creators of the CCP posters have yet to be properly identified," CCP Visual Arts & Museum Division Head Rica Estrada said. 

The exhibit "POSTER/ITY: 50 Years of Art and Culture at the CCP" will have its opening reception to the public on 21 March, Thursday at 6pm in the Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery). The exhibition will run until 26 May at the Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery), Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino (3F Hallway Gallery), Library and Archives, and Buffeteria. Exhibit viewing hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Hours are extended until 10pm on days with evening performances at the CCP Main Theater. For more information, contact the Visual Arts and Museum Division, Production and Exhibition Department at (632) 832-1125 loc. 1504/1505 and (632) 832-3702, mobile (0917) 6033809, email ccp.exhibits@gmail.com or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.