How Video Artist Paul Pfeiffer Transformed Justin Bieber Into Art

Transcription

1 Bautista, G. How Video Artist Paul Pfeiffer Transformed Justin Bieber Into Art. (2018, October 04). Retrieved from lfrm How Video Artist Paul Pfeiffer Transformed Justin Bieber Into Art The exhibit runs until October 6 at Bellas Artes Projects. by Gwen Bautista (SPOT.ph) "I always believe in never say never," says a teenage girl in one of the YouTube clips compiled by Filipino-American artist Paul Pfeiffer in a video installation for his one-man exhibition titled, Incarnator, at the Bellas Artes Projects Outpost in Makati City. The show runs until October 6. And yes, Never Say Never is a reference to Justin Bieber s hit. The Voice of the People In 2017, Bieber released a remix of "Despacito," contributing to the larger commercial success of the original Spanish version. Created by Puerto Rican music stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, the song racked up more than five billion views a little over a year from when it was released. Pfeiffer was amused by the fact that young children in many non-spanish speaking countries he visited would casually sing the song even though they don t understand its very sensual lyrics. But what truly binds them seemed very clear: The popularity of Justin Bieber.

2 A scene from Paul Pfeiffer's "Incarnator" PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA

3 A scene from Paul Pfeiffer's "Incarnator" PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA Pfeiffer s 30-minute video, also titled "Incarnator, begins with images of screaming fans (who call themselves Beliebers ). Many of them are young teenage girls who would usually frantically cry as they profess their love for the popstar. The clips, then, quietly transition to images of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, a super-typhoon that hit the Visayas region in 2013 and caused thousands of casualties. In the same year, Bieber traveled unannounced to Tacloban City and launched a campaign to help the survivors of the calamity. This visit was captured in Pfeiffer s work where Bieber happily entertained the crowd, carried small children in his arms, and played basketball with others. The celebrity s presence was no longer defined by the gap between digital screens and their faces.

4 Then, the mood changes again as the video presents a clip from one of his concerts in Mexico. The blonde lanky singer stands in front of a crowd of more than 300,000 people in the city s historic main plaza, The Zócalo. In the clip, Bieber pauses and looks to the screaming crowd and says, Who wants to be my baby? A scene from Paul Pfeiffer's "Incarnator" PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA (SPOT.ph) "I always believe in never say never," says a teenage girl in one of the YouTube clips compiled by Filipino-American artist Paul Pfeiffer in a video installation for his one-man exhibition titled, Incarnator, at the Bellas Artes Projects Outpost in Makati City. The show runs until October 6. And yes, Never Say Never is a reference to Justin Bieber s hit.

5 Paul Pfeiffer and the New Media Known for his clever and careful manipulation of popular media through video and photography, and oftentimes translating them to sculpture, Pfeiffer investigates and confronts the troubling relationship of new media and video-sharing platforms (such as YouTube) in influencing popular culture as we obsess over celebrities and the images they project. He also saw a resemblance between Bieber and the Sto. Niño, a Catholic image representing the child Jesus: taken out of its religious context, Pfeiffer observed that both the Sto. Niño and Bieber enjoy a similar admiration from their followers; in a sense, both are revered. Sculpture by Paul Pfeiffer in collaboration with Willy Layug PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA

6 Sculpture by Paul Pfeiffer in collaboration with Willy Layug PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA

7 Sculpture by Paul Pfeiffer in collaboration with Willy Layug PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA Pfeiffer collaborated with Kapampangan sculptor and ecclesiastical artist Willy Layug, who was awarded the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice in 2016 by the Vatican. In this show, Layug created fragments of Bieber s body head, torso, and limbs through the traditional sculpting technique called encarnación. This was first used by Spanish artist Juan Montañes in the 17th century to create lifelike sculptures by repeatedly carving, drying, painting, varnishing, and sanding for months. To Pfeiffer, the word "incarnator" is about the production of an image, particularly how we produce images in the 21st century amid global capitalism. Bieber, who started his

8 career uploading his covers on YouTube, shocked the world as he became one of the most popular celebrities, raking in millions and millions of dollars. Incarnator dwells on the power of an image to influence a generation and a whole population; how the market can turn the voice of the people into million-dollar profits or political influence. The show hints at the several ways mass media strengthens populism and giving the people what they think they want while still under the control and rule of capitalism. A scene from Paul Pfeiffer's "Incarnator" PHOTO BY GWEN BAUTISTA

9 In the middle of Pfeiffer s video work, the children of the woodcarvers and artisans of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan awkwardly stand in front of a 3D scanner. Their faces launch a grin or a clumsy smile. Their innocence is reflected onto the digital screen as Bieber s "Faithful" plays in the background. Their faces are then turned into wood sculptures a rendering of flesh and youth onto a sculptural bust. If people knew how to turn themselves into images, then, they too could learn how to translate that to influence and power. After all, those who say the people never win, should never say never. Incarnator runs until October 6 at the Bellas Artes Outpost, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. For more information, visit Bellas Artes Outpost's website.

10 Mercado, A. Lost and found in translation: Incarnator by Paul Pfeiffer. (2018, September 24). Retrieved from r-paul-pfeiffer Installation view of Incarnator by Paul Pfeiffer at Bellas Artes Projects Outpost. Photo courtesy of At Maculangan and Bellas Artes Projects, Manila Lost and found in translation: Incarnator by Paul Pfeiffer Paul Pfeiffer s latest exhibition, Incarnator, currently on view at the Bellas Artes Projects Outpost in Makati is an amusing and chilling take on the production, translation, and repetition of pop culture in the 21st century.

11 Incarnator was born out of Pfeiffer s January residency at Bellas Artes Projects in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan. Pfeiffer is an artist familiar with different mediums, including video, sculpture and photography, with a practice mostly involving the manipulation of mass media and a certain fascination with celebrity culture in examining collective consciousness. Encarnador is a Spanish term used for the carvers of the santos we see often in churches and processions. The encarnador is specifically responsible for the final stage of santo production, where they paint the figure to give it a lifelike quality. When we enter the space, we are confronted by various disembodied wooden body parts a leg, a torso, and a finished bust of Justin Bieber. At first, it feels a bit eerie and reminiscent of a church s museum filled with figures of santos. But at the same time, there s something very familiar and odd about pop star Bieber s presence. Alongside the wooden figures, Pfeiffer exhibits footage from his time in Bataan. In this video, we see children of woodcarving craftsmen interlaced with found footage of random people around the world singing a cover of Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee, which later on, was re-released as a remix featuring (again) Bieber. Pfeiffer likes to talk about Incarnator as an exploration of a foreboding power inherent in pop culture. As a pop icon, Justin Bieber seems to have control and influence over a wide range of people, even evangelizing young teens into joining Christianity. In his video, Pfeiffer takes notice of the Bieber-ish hairstyles of the children, and found footage reveals crazed, charismatic followers of Bieber s work. To me, however, Pfeiffer s work is interesting not just as an exploration of power, but as a discussion on repetition and translation. Incarnator is a translation that continues to be retranslated so that in the end, is distant from the original text. In Pfeiffer s footage, he uses computer imaging to capture the form of the children, which he uses to make busts. The busts seem to be glitched and incomplete, possibly as a result of the technology s inability to fully capture the image of a human perfectly. In the same video, he shows people around the world covering the Spanish-pop song Despacito, mixed in with a plethora of other foreign accents. Despacito itself as a Spanish-pop hit was translated and re-released as a remix to include Justin Bieber. Translation is never perfect, and Pfeiffer makes this clear in his work they re impure, unfinished, and

12 fractions of a whole. The errors and imperfections in translations become essential to the work and the process. In all the good ways, this exhibition reminded me of a quick Google Translate. In translation, often there are many aspects, words, cultural signifiers lost and unaccounted for. It is in these missing gaps that Pfeiffer s work sits and takes root. * * * Incarnator by Paul Pfeiffer is currently on display at Bellas Artes Projects Outpost, 2/F The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Ave. until Oct. 6. For information, visit: Read more at carnator-paul-pfeiffer#jry6u71ft4fwkfq7.99

13 !!!!!!!!!! Roque, J. (2018, September). 'Paul Pfeiffer: Incarnator'. Retrieved from ArtAsia Pacific September Issue!! 2nd Floor, Building C Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, Metro Manila,1231, Philippines! Tel: +63 (0) , info@bellasartesprojects.org, Web:

14 Carpio, A. N. (2018, July 11). 'Paul Pfeiffer: Incarnator' Asks Viewers to Reflect on Objectification and Populism. Retrieved from 'Paul Pfeiffer: Incarnator' Asks Viewers to Reflect on Objectification and Populism Justin Bieber as a Santo Niño? By AUDREY N. CARPIO 2 days ago Justin Bieber s dismembered body hangs in midair, his tattooed limbs, torso, and bouffant-topped head looking as lifelike as a piece of wood can get. And the Word became flesh, the Bible tells us. SONOFGOD is emblazoned across Bieber s ribs, and one wonders who son is referring to, given his notorious pop brat persona recast as redeemed Christian via his endorsement of Hillsong, the controversial megachurch with its celebrity congregants.

15 The Beeb s likeness was breathed to life by Willy Layug, a renowned ecclesiastical sculptor and encarnador from Pampanga. Encarnador, or incarnator, is the Spanish term for the artisan who paints fleshy colors onto santos. The centuries-old practice was looked down upon by the high-art crowd who mistakenly believed that classical Greek statues were left lily-white. Too-realistic looking statues were deemed garish, creepy, and ultimately threatening to the religious order. The American artist Paul Pfeiffer, who last showed in the Philippines at MCAD in 2015, draws his attention to the many-layered relationships between image production and mass communication in his all-new work Incarnator, the fruit of a six-month residency at Bellas Artes Projects in Bataan, where he collaborated with the woodcarvers at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

16 A series of children s busts, carved in a more unfinished style, is the unlikely site of new technology and its mediating role in production. Pfeiffer used 3D scanning and printing to create portraits of the woodcarver s kids, who often hung out at the workshop after school. The carvers then translated the digital reproduction back into the solidity of wood, chiseled by hand. The sculptures are accompanied by a film, consisting of YouTube videos of Belieber madness in Bangkok juxtaposed with footage Pfeiffer shot of the woodshop in Bataan juxtaposed with thousands of Buddhist monks in mass meditation at Wat Dhammakaya in Thailand, closing the loop.

17 In a sense, everything is a prop for the film, Pfeiffer explains. There s a kind of troubling relationship with objectification, which I was thinking about in Bataan. Justin Bieber as a Santo Niño both are children (in that Bieber was discovered at 12), but all powerful. These are just contradictions, and I m not trying to say anything, but to advertise the contradictions. The theme that connects the kitsch of polychromatic santos, Bieber and his 100 million followers, and megachurches, whether Christian or Buddhist is populism, a force on the rise here in the Philippines and elsewhere. The idea of speaking to the masses has become central now. In the most intimate ways, we are speaking to millions through Twitter and social media, Pfeiffer says. Religion, popular culture, and politics are more than ever deeply intertwined through technology, and Pfeiffer s artwork, with its deliberately fragmented structure, opens up all these associations, asking us to reflect on

18 how identity is produced in a globalized world, and how our beliefs are shaped through modern mass media, or through a 3D scanner darkly. Paul Pfeiffer: Incarnator runs until Oct 6, 2018 at Bellas Artes Outpost, 2/F The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Ave, Makati.

19 7 events to go to this weekend of July 6 to July 8. (2018, July 5). Retrieved from 7 events to go to this weekend of July 6 to July 8 By CNN Philippines Life Staff Manila (CNN Philippines Life) This weekend, visit the opening of Paul Pfeiffer s new solo exhibition, join talks on literature and cats, catch Filipino and Japanese films, learn how to write for theatre, hone your journalism skills, and enjoy brand new plays at the CCP. The Hidden Cinema: 100 Films for A Hundred Years Hidden Cinema: The Virtual Experience of Philippine Cinema s Centenary is an exhibition curated by film historian and film literacy advocate Prof. Nick Deocampo, featuring a rhizomatic art installation representing the non-linear development of the various genres of Philippine Cinema. Highlighted at the exhibit are genres like documentary, early cinema, experimental film, short film, archipelagic cinema, student film, music video, and other marginal genres.

20 The exhibition is open from July 3 to Aug. 5 at the Ayala Museum, while film screenings will be held this Saturday, July 7, as well as next Saturday, July 14 at Greenbelt 3 MyCinema. Short discussions will also be held after each screening. The Ayala Museum is located at Makati Ave. cor. Dela Rosa St., Greenbelt Park, Makati City. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. Paul Pfeiffer: "Incarnator" Opening Thi Saturday, visit the opening of artist Paul Pfeiffer s exhibition, Incarnator, which is said to expand from the artists internationally acclaimed eponymous video which is further brought to life through a series of life-size sculptures, all of which were produced during Pfeiffer s six-month residency at Bellas Artes Projects in Bagac, Bataan. Incarnator draws its title from encarnador, which describes a person who transforms paint into seemingly live flesh on sculptures. Pfeiffer s six-month residency at Bellas Artes Projects in Bagac, Bataan led him to collaborate with Las Casas artisans from the carving district of Paete, as well as explore Filipino wood carving. Incarnator will be exhibited at Bellas Artes Outpost, 2/F The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

21 "The Author s Hour" with Eugene Evasco The first in a series of talks with authors of CANVAS books, this Saturday s The Author s Hour features Eugene Evasco, author of Ang Aklatang Pusa, a story of a retired librarian who begins collecting cats rather than books. Ang Aklatang Pusa won the 12th Romeo Forbes Story Writing Competition. Aside from Evasco s talk, expect two mini talks about cats as well. The event, which starts at 10 a.m., will be held at the U.P. Vargas Museum. Admission is free. The Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center is located at Roxas Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

22 How to Write Scripts for Theatre This Saturday, learn the basics of playwriting with a six-hour crash course where students will learn the difference between film and theatre scripts, brainstorming for story ideas, and how to make a story feasible for stage performances. The class will be taught by eight-time Palanca winner Dr. Joem Antonio, and will be held at Love Monday Cafe, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Love Monday Cafe is located at San Rafael St., Kapitolyo, Pasig City. For registration details, tuition fee, and more information, visit the Facebook event page.

23 Eigasai 2018 Each year, in celebration of Philippine-Japan Friendship Month, the Japanese Foundation, Manila holds an annual Japanese film festival commonly called Eigasai. Now on its 21st year, Eigasai 2018 will showcase 15 films, along with lectures and talks by Japanese filmmakers. Eigasai 2018 is happening from July 4 to Aug. 26. Over the weekend, festival-goers can head to Greenbelt 1, Cinema 2 to catch various films, plus a talk by director Koizumi Nori. Nori will also be holding his talk at Ateneo de Manila University on Friday, July 6. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

24 ACFJ Workshop on Basics in TV News Reporting From June 11 to Aug. 11, the Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) is holding a series of talks and workshops open to all. This Saturday, aspiring broadcast journalists can join the Basics in T.V. News Reporting Workshop by CNN Philippines Ruth Cabal and ABS-CBN s Sherrie Ann Torres. ACFJ is located at Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

25 Virgin Labfest 14 Virgin Labfest 14: Silip continues this weekend at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The annual festival of one-act plays seeks to provide emerging and established playwrights with a venue to present unpublished, unstaged works to the public. This year s festival runs for three weeks and showcases 12 new featured works, three revisited plays (audience favorites from last year), staged readings, and works from the VLF Writing Fellowship Program. The CCP is located at CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. Visit the event page for show dates and more information.

26 Fernando, C. (2018, July 17). Why Are Justin Bieber s Body Parts On Display In This Makati Gallery? Retrieved from Why Are Justin Bieber s Body Parts On Display In This Makati Gallery? July 15, :10 PM By Carmela Fernando What does a world-renowned pop singer, a bunch of Filipino boys, and religious monks have in common? In Paul Pfeiffer s new show Incarnator, he opens with a short film featuring a young, teary-eyed Justin Bieber fan from Bangladesh who fervently pleads for the pop star to visit her country. It also depicts a bunch of young children from Bataan province, all of whom sport a Bieber-inspired haircut, happily mimicking the singer s gestures. The film is a digital introduction to the physical exhibit at the Bellas Artes Projects art space in Makati, which features life-size sculptures including Bieber s head, torso, and arms suspended in mid-air. There is also a miniature sculpture of a congregation of Buddhist monks and of the planet Earth.

27 Bieber s head and body parts were sculpted by one of our local santo makers, Willy Layug, who trained under encarnadores, or artisans, in Spain. He recreated the singer s features as parts of a religious icon, with the traditional wide-eyed and childlike facial expression, and accentuated tattoos (including a Son of God tattoo on the star s midsection.

28 It s a bit unsettling yet oddly fascinating to see Bieber s likeness immortalized as separate parts of a whole, with the same glossy painted aesthetic as our Catholic saints are modeled after. Like a Santo Niño for the millennial generation all grown up. And that s the point of this exhibition. To me, the word íncarnator is about production, Pfeiffer explains. The production of an image. The production of human flesh. He goes on further to say that in 21 st century global capitalism where the means of production has been radically separated from their natural function, innocence is just another profit-making scheme. In this case, Bieber is the product that s worshiped by young, impressionable fans all around the world. As exemplified by the Bangladeshi girl and the Filipino children in the video, poverty doesn t stop anyone from consuming as much as they can of Bieber or of whatever it is he has come to symbolize. By any means possible, they will see him and be him. And in this context, their innocence is merely leveraged by those who profit from Bieber s stardom, the same way the faith of the innocent is leveraged by those who profit from religious institutions. The Honolulu-born artist Paul Pfeiffer has held several exhibits all over the world including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Paula Cooper Gallery,

29 Thomas Dane Gallery, Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof Museum für Gegenwart, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. Several of his works are self-reflective pieces that tend to focus on people s preoccupation with desire, faith, and modern celebrity culture tackled from the audience s point of view. Just like with Incarnator, his work compels us to look past those whom we worship as saints and instead look into ourselves and explore why humans feel the need to do this: become the people we choose to idolize.

30 Religious icons and "Despacito" inspire this new Bellas Artes exhibit. (2018, July 03). Retrieved July 13, 2018, from Jul 3, 2018 TEXT PAULINE MIRANDA Love it or hate it, the song Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber was everywhere. From when it was first released in April 2017, it stayed at peak position in the Billboard chart for 16 weeks. It then stayed on the chart for a total of 52 weeks that s as long as an entire year. That s how powerful and pervasive the song had become, mostly owing to Bieber singing in Spanish. Some also say the track opened up the global chart to more Latino music. What s for sure though is the song just continued to cement Bieber s popularity especially among the youth. So much that these young people want to see him, and want to even be him (although the hairstyle perhaps is as far as many can go).

31 Artist Paul Pfeiffer, who has long been known for his pieces that display manipulation of digital media, uses Bieber s phenomenon status to open his film Incarnator. In the film, a young fan from a country so far detached from the popstar s origins cries and begs for Justin Bieber to come to her country, Bellas Artes shares in a release. The film also features kids in Bataan, where Pfeiffer spent his residency at Bellas Artes Projects, emulating Bieber s iconic haircut via hand symbols and imagining life with heightened Bieber-like powers and mobility. The video serves as a prelude to the rest of the exhibit, which features life-sized sculptures. Pfeiffer works with one of the country s most famous santo makers in the Philippines, Willy Layug, in creating an image of Justin Bieber in the style of religious icons.

32 Portraits of children of the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar s artisans also make part of the exhibit, which are hand-carved. Paul Pfieffer: Incarnator opens at the Bellas Artes Outpost on July 7, Saturday. Entrance is free to all.

33 Photos courtesy of Bellas Artes Projects