On a Wednesday evening, 21 artists presented “The 5th House,” and it’s more than just an art show.
This gallery opening served as a launch for what the curators seem to present as a redefining of the open house. So it’s appropriate that the event be in Aphro, a gallery in Makati that carries what they describe as “functional art,” or what they’d define as artworks that have a role in your everyday life that go beyond the aesthetic. This inaugural collection of The 5th House is titled “To Cast a Shadow There, There Must Be a Light,” where each piece in the collection has been crafted by a different artist in this theme of both light and darkness.
Hang on a second… What’s a 5th House?
The 5th House takes its name from Astrology, where houses are determined by a given time the calendar year and the position of celestial bodies within that given period. These celestial forces can lead to certain prevalent characteristics for the times when that house is active. The fifth in these houses is characterized by the pleasure of pure, childlike, fun. It is also a literal house that the couple behind The 5th House run.
Meet Jose Olarte, curator and artist of the collection. Olarte explains that this concept first began when he and his partner started opening up their house for a friend that needed a space to work on his art. They soon realized that they could continue to offer their house up for other artists needing a place to cultivate their practice.
“Conceptually, it’s an artist daycare,” Olarte explains. “Meaning, we take care of artists ranging from DJs to painters. We let them use our space to practice or live in for a certain amount of time. Like a residency.”
Knowing this, “To Cast a Shadow There, There Must Be a Light” seems to be an abstraction of that physical space they have. Light itself is thought of as the illumination. It is energy that is utilized in order to see through the darkness. However the light pieces in this show – with its playful changing colors, and distinct dramatic hues – does something else.
In the Collection
Aphro’s massive steps serve as the display shelving for the majority of the pieces in this collection. Situated among them are a pair of lamps dressed in a green, handmade, crochet-woven fabric created by the artist, Magenta. One of the two lamps is larger, and the green fabric that wraps it trails off, giving the impression of some sort of eyeball. The smaller of the two lamps, has a more modest adornment. It sits atop plainly colored balls of yarn directing its light at the larger lamp, illuminating it with pink and purple hues. It’s a lamp for a lamp? Perhaps a clue to its meaning is in the piece’s title: Energy Specimen 219; King of Pentacles.
Looking up “The King of Pentacles,” we discover that it is the name of a tarot card associated with material successes. Perhaps the artist is suggesting that success comes from a collaborative experience? Or maybe that one’s light is not always entirely from within.
At the foot of the giant steps, another object pulsates with light, slowly changing its color. It’s Garapata, Dex Ferndandez’s eponymous characters piled up together like a stack of deflated balloons. This sculptural piece is called Gara-Jelly Beans. Since this is “functional art,” we’re allowed to touch it. The piece turns out to be hard to the touch, subverting the expectation of it being a deflated set of balloons from a party. It is like a moment frozen in time, like the tail end of a party where nobody wants to leave.
On the wall hanging over the lobby of the gallery is a set of fluorescent tubes oriented to spell out the word “ULUL.” It’s a crude term in Filipino, roughly translating to insane or crazy. This bold statement is made by the artist Gino Javier, who has given the work a title equally provocative: Unacceptable Levels In Embracing Bullshit. The simple, two syllable statement made using a medium that calls focus to itself through the light is disruptive and makes you ask questions. Is the insult aimed at me? Is it asking me to call out the craziness by shining light on it? Is it both?
At the top of all the steps, was a DJ booth. Different DJs played sets throughout the opening, interpreting the theme while simultaneously driving the vibes for absorbing the visuals.
The After Party
DJs came down to eye level for the afterparty, where The 5th House headed over to Mono by Phono. A curious change to the standard DJ booth setup was that instead of having the performer facing the audience, this booth was facing the wall with all those present filling the stage behind the DJ. Brisa Amir, one of the artists and curators of the collections explained. “Natural samin yung house party katulad ng opening exhibit namin last night. Kapag may house party kami, meron dj sets and make shift lamps, for me yung opening last night best describes kung paano kaming dalawa naglalaro dito sa bahay namin.”
“House parties are natural for us, and they are just like our exhibit opening last night. When we have those parties, we have DJ setss and makeshift lamps. For me, this is how the two of us play at our own home.”
Brisa Amir, Translated from Tagalog
And that’s really the heart of The 5th House. While the show casts objects in a new light, playing with moods and perspectives, those artists that fill the house are intensely familiar with those lights and shadows and sounds. It’s where they live and it’s how they play.
Catch To Cast a Shadow There, There Must Be a Light at Aphro in Karravin Plaza, Makati until September 19, 2024.
Edits to this article were made on September 16, 2024 to correct a quote and its translation.
