Sa Balota! delves into Philippines politics, particularly, the 2022 elections where politicians typically use tarpaulin posters (a ubiquitous material in Filipino life) with idealised portraits to appeal to voters. Ardeña subverts this by covering these figures with elastomeric paint, using Instagram-sourced orchid motifs, revealing fragments of the original portraits through the cracks.

Ardeña’s experimental art seeks an ideological framework, reimagining the potential of paintings through the use of tarpaulins and elastomeric paint. The works provide a non-Western perspective,
counter the traditional power and portraiture genre, and challenge Western norms, offering a nonmoralistic take on politicised narratives within this distinctive category.

Venue: Art Porters Gallery, 64 Spottiswoode Park Road, Singapore 088652

When: 5 Jan - 18 Feb 2024,

By: Art Porters