If the purpose of art is to inspire thought and stir passion in its viewers, then Toym Imao’s large-scale installation work “Barikada” has succeeded, even before it was finished.
Days before its completion, “Barikada” served as the unintended backdrop for a confrontation between a ragtag group of pro-Duterte “youths” attempting to hold a rally in front of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Oblation Plaza, where the installation was being mounted, and members of the UP community who blocked their path.
The bone of contention: the Department of National Defense’s (DND) ditching of a three decadeold agreement to keep police and military out of the state university, purportedl…
Keep on reading: Art over authoritarianism: Toym Imao’s ‘Barikada’ marks 50th year of Diliman Commune