“The aim is not really to please any audience. Maybe not even
myself. But I guess it’s to be sensitive enough of the times. ”
Is the greater aim to create work that resonates with
an audience, e.g. social media, or work that sells,
e.g. in galleries?
Hmm, it depends. I think in real life, very few
things really go as planned. Sometimes they just
magically line up.
Yeah, so about politics, one thing I’ve been interested
in is conspiracy theories. I really looked up the 9/11
conspiracy theories, and found out in the end, that
most amazeballs conspiracy theories can’t really be true,
especially if it takes a huge amount of people to have
conspired together. It’s just too hard and people are
better than we think.
For “Circles”, I got to thinking if I want to go
in [artists] residency. I have to make works that are
conducive to that kind of setup. So, I had a time when I
was just researching about that, but nothing solid came
from it. Then, when I was frustratedly working a 9-to-5
job, having no time to create works, I thought of doing
[“Circles”] again. Then magically, it all aligned—I was
recommended to do the residency in Japan; that was the
work that got the attention of the host.
So...no, the aim is not really to please any audience.
Maybe not even myself. But I guess it’s to be sensitive
enough of the times. I find myself doing stuff that aligns
with my ideologies, then through feedback, find out that
work also aligns with what others are thinking.
Who do you call your mentors?
The Internet! Alain Briot’s articles about photography
and chasing your passion. John T. Unger’s podcast.
Lateral Action blog. Bad at sports. Veejay Villafranca, Roy
Voragen, Ben Shapiro and the Intellectual Dark Webs.
Online debate platforms like that of Oxford.
A lot! I’m thinking about the various communities
and people I'm involved with. In small and big ways they
influence how I think. 98B, Load na Dito, Green Papaya,
Sofia and Mita Santiago, Con Cabrera, Manila Biennale
Team, 1335 Mabini people, Lost Frames Community.
Maritime Flags, undated
See through Gerome Soriano’s perspective
on Instagram @geromesoriaknow.
View his works at geromesoriano.blogspot.com.
35