‘100 Pieces’, ‘Museum Watching’ and ‘In Storage’
By Ian Tee

Midpoint is a monthly series that invites established Southeast Asian contemporary artists to take stock of their career thus far, reflect upon generational shifts and consider the advantages and challenges of working in the present day. It is part of A&M Dialogues and builds upon the popular Fresh Faces series.

Annie Cabigting, ‘La Chambre Bleue (After Alexandre Jean Baptiste Hesse)’, 2018, oil on canvas, 153 x 206cm (painting), 195 x 245cm (framed). Collection of Singapore Art Museum.

This month’s guest is Annie Cabigting. Born in 1971 in Makati City, Philippines, Annie is best known for her photo-realist paintings of people looking at artworks. In this body of work, she puts the audience in the spotlight, flipping the conventional relationship between subject and object. Her practice reflects on the ways art is produced, as well as the exhibitionary contexts in which they are viewed. Extending this line of inquiry, Annie has also created total environments for her work. They include replicating the ornate interiors of a European museum within a commercial gallery, and presenting her paintings inside their crates as if they were just unloaded from a shipping container.

In this conversation, Annie speaks about the beginnings of her career, the conceptual underpinnings of her practice as well as her observations of the regional art scene.

Annie Cabigting, ‘100 Pieces, Tearing to Pieces (After Roberto Chabet)’, 2005, oil on canvas (99 pieces) and book, dimensions variable. Installation view at Finale Art Gallery, Manila. Image courtesy of the artist and Finale Art File.

Could you share a decision or event that marked a significant turn/moment in your path as an artist?

This would probably be my first one-person show in 2005. Earlier, I was invited to show at Finale Art File by the gallery owner, Evita Sarenas, but I declined the invitation because I felt I was not ready. Then, a year later, Finale sent me another invitation to exhibit. This time, my professor and mentor, Roberto Chabet, the father of Philippine contemporary art, interceded and accepted the invitation on my behalf. He knew I had declined the previous year. When I was informed of the news, I was petrified. I had no choice but to proceed. I was still unsure of my capability and identity as an artist, but things had been put in motion, so I bravely rode the tide. I rolled my sleeves up, faced forward and started to paint for my first solo show.

This exhibit, entitled ‘100 Pieces’ (2005), received good reviews in the newspapers, and was one of the three winners of the Ateneo Art Awards that year.

“ I was still unsure of my capability and identity as an artist, but things had been put into motion, so I bravely rode the tide. ”

Could you describe your studio and how it has evolved over the years to become what it is today? What do you enjoy about it, and what do you wish to improve?

I have been juggling between my studio spaces in Singapore and in Manila for the past decade, and now have added a third studio which is in Dhaka. Since the pandemic, my husband and I have been spending more time back in his home country Bangladesh.

Being transient the past decade, my studios have been an extension of my living spaces. So when I do not have a scheduled exhibit, everything gets put away. It was only recently that I have two separate studios. My husband had arranged for a whole apartment unit below our condo home, for me to use as a studio. In Manila, I recently rented a townhouse unit close to my residence. I am excited to see what works I can produce with these new spaces.

Flying in and out has its challenges. It affects my mood. I must prepare myself mentally before I start painting. Any disruption in routine takes me out of the rhythm. It takes time for me to recalibrate after every trip. I am very easily distracted and disturbed, which I cannot afford when I am in the middle of making a painting. So, I have been working mostly at night, and sleeping during the day. I keep my workspace as clean as possible. All my oil paint tubes are organised by colour, and brushes must be grouped by size.

Annie Cabigting, ‘Sir Looking at Nona’s Painting’, 2010, oil on canvas, 121.92 x 99.06cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Finale Art File.

Annie Cabigting, ‘Private Viewing, 2017, exhibition installation view at Finale Art File, Manila. Image courtesy of the artist and Finale Art File.

What do you think were the unique advantages and disadvantages you had when you were an emerging artist, and with establishing your place since then? How do you think that compares to the set of opportunities and challenges that artists from the Philippines/ wider Southeast Asia have today?

This may not be entirely unique here in the Philippines, but I observe that we have many successful female artists. To name a few: Nona Garcia, Maria Taniguchi, Marina Cruz, Liv Vinluan, Martha Atienza, Nicole Coson and Wawi Navarroza. I can go on and fill this page with names. These are women artists who have strong and clear visions of their art. Some are practising and living abroad, and are doing very well in the local scene as well as internationally. We also have a sizeable number of gallery owners who are women.

Why is this? Who knows… There could be several factors like support of family and the art community as a whole. It could be culture, religion, education which have far-reaching effects as a result of waves of historic migrations from China and Europe as well as hundreds of years of colonisation by the Spaniards and Americans. Whatever it is, it seems to have given us that extra leg up to traverse the world. It has helped us to navigate the societal norms and duties of a daughter-mother-wife, and still be able to do art as a profession.

In recent years, I have noticed there are a lot more women artists among our Asian neighbours. With the help and support of the art communities firmly behind us, we should be able to overcome the challenges and push through the barriers of social expectations and duties, and continue with our practice.

Annie Cabigting, ‘Museum Watching’, 2018, exhibition installation view at Finale Art File, Manila. Image courtesy of the artist and Finale Art File. Photo by At Maculangan.

Annie Cabigting, ‘In Storage’, 2022, exhibition installation view at Finale Art File, Manila. Image courtesy of the artist and Finale Art File.

Could you talk about your recent solo exhibition ‘In Storage’ (2022) at Finale Art File?

This was my most recent exhibition. Before that, my previous show was in 2018, where I transformed the main gallery at Finale Art File into a museum, making it into a large-scale installation. That show, entitled ‘Museum Watching’, was a continuation of my series of people looking at paintings. I made the viewers actively participate in the act of “looking at art”.

‘In Storage’ was the total opposite of ‘Museum Watching’. I turned the main gallery space back to its original form: a warehouse before it was a gallery. Inside the vast space was a huge shipping container, and custom-sized sealed wooden shipping crates. These crates were arranged in a way that the viewers are uncertain if the boxes are in the process of being unloaded or loaded into the 20-foot container. While the ‘Museum Watching’ was about the act of looking, in this show, the paintings have been packed in crates and concealed from view. In the absence of any label and information, I had instead pasted stickers that show very rough sketches, more like squiggles, of what the paintings inside may look like, leaving the audience to imagine or decipher the images for themselves .

This body of work is similar to my series of wrapped paintings. They are much smaller in scale though. These paintings are framed wrapped in fabric, and never to be opened or revealed. My intention is for the audience to experience the art differently. I want to challenge the viewer’s mind to “look” and see the endless possibilities, to pause and wonder how the painting inside could be.

“Often, you only get one chance to communicate a new idea or concept the right way.”

What would be a key piece of advice to young art practitioners?

This was imparted to me when I was just starting out, and I still practise it today.

If you cannot present an idea or project to its proper and fullest extent, then don’t. Do not execute it half baked. You have to wait until everything is well thought out and can be executed. Often, you only get one chance to communicate a new idea or concept the right way.

Are there upcoming projects you would like to share?

I have a show at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila towards the end of this year. It will be on view from November 2023 to April 2024. The show, although still untitled, will feature my series of paintings of people looking at art. Most of the works will be borrowed from collectors, but I am making a few new works as well. I am also preparing some works for the Finale Art File booth at ALT 2024 in February at SMX Manila.

This interview has been edited.
Access the full Midpoint series here.