MINDWORKS is an annual event by the UP Cebu Fine Arts Program that aims to highlight the social dimension of art by raising awareness about pressing social issues relevant to the country. Now in its 38th year, Mindworks returns with the theme “Boang Boangon ang Boang”, which compels young artists to reflect on the nation’s social reality.
These are not ordinary times, thus, we cannot react ordinarily. MINDWORKS 38 encourages artists to explore, rethink, and reimagine the craziness—to provoke, frustrate, or even allude to a sense of hysteria in these dire times through activities like art workshops, zine making, contests, installation art making, performance art presentations, and more. This year, young creatives across Cebu were invited to gather and mingle through the Cebu Art Students Meet Up and collectively feel the absurd.
Mindworks 38 Crazy Day Parade + Rampahan
The annual Crazy Day Parade is a creative protest that doesn’t adhere to a prompt. Students and faculty members can participate by dressing as crazy as they want and carrying placards with the advocacies they believe in. Gathering at the Undergrad Bldg lobby as its starting point, the route of the parade passes around the whole UP Cebu campus, exits and passes by the pedestrian lane to the AS Building, and returns to the entrance gate back to the main campus.
Meanwhile, the Crazy Day Rampahan Contest is a platform where students can flaunt their outfits and talents through an unscripted showdown. The categories range from solo, duo, and group costumes, with each participant preparing a performance prior to the contest and on the spot as well. Winners get to enjoy certificates, cash prizes, Anjo World tickets, and merch.
Mural and Installation Art: Art that is Free for All
Highlighting the importance of non-object-based art production centered on the body and its space of interaction, Mindworks 38 fosters healthy creative competition among the students through the Mural and Installation Art Contests.
The Mural Competition is an avenue to express since it’s a wall painting and it’s for the public. Up to five members can team up and form a group, while others opt to go solo for their mural. Participants from within UP Cebu and partner universities from the Cebu Art Students Meet Up were provided with the “canvas” along the covered walk near the Undergrad Bldg, paint tubs of primary colors, and paintbrushes.
Shyete Collective (Densen Almeda, Dom Ricardo, and Joseph Rosell) bagged the 1st place award with their mural entitled “Cannibal Worker”.
John Manuel Legaspi, together with his work “Untitled” was also recognized as a Finalist during the mural competition.
A wide array of Installation Art entries can also be found across multiple sites within the UP Cebu campus. Members of the Fine Arts Student Organization (FASO) were required to participate in the competition by batch and most of the students incorporated their performance within or near their installations.
The 3rd Year Studio Arts students won First Place with their entry entitled “GABAAN KA“, an installation that utilizes garbage bags to simulate an eerie display of disposed bodies of the victims of state oppression. An excerpt from their artist statement reads:
“Conversely, injustices during this time have bred frustration and desperation, driving citizens to resort to extreme or irrational measures in their quest for change. Eventually driving them mad enough to speak out at the price of their lives. This volatile mix of madness and injustice not only undermines the integrity of political institutions but also erodes public trust, leaving citizens disillusioned and disengaged from the very systems meant to serve them.”
The Bustling Merch and Garage Sale + Boang Boangon ang Boang Zine/Poster Exhibit
Art junkies and enthusiasts alike had a two-day opportunity to buy and patronize the different art merchandise produced by their favorite local artists. The artist lineup includes The Con Artists, XANNE, Porplchic, guyabanoh, _mintbunnn, RIE, Angel, CIE, itstetique, Paperboat and Longcat, Gabby’s Creations, Xieduck, HIRAYA PH, BALODPH, BONSAI CRABS, Loaf & Blu, BBQUTIES, Krtz, SPUBS, Shun_Forest Friends, Jaionart, LeRed, pixelnapsu, Scrambled Collective, lunariacreates, Sleepy Sickness, Bastinuod, Studio applefroyo, Tapulz Tapestry, The Ramen Bucket, FASO, and It’s So K.
Artworks produced by both alumni and bonafide Fine Arts students were also included in the Garage Sale located in the CCAD lobby. For a discounted price, buyers can own artwork produced by the artists during their Studio Art classes in UP Cebu.
Lastly, several guest artists and students showcased their eye-catching and witty zines and posters in the Boang Boangon ang Boang Zine/Poster Exhibit. Prior to the exhibition, a Zine-making Workshop was conducted by Eclectic Haus as well.
Photography Kyrra Kho
