11th Asian Cartoon Exhibition

Tulad ng karaniwang linyang “Pictures tells a thousand stories” at para sa mga editorial cartoonist may mas malalim pa itong nais ipahiwatig bukod sa mga opinion section at editorial ng mga news paper gayun din ang mga cartoonist na ang presentation ng kanilang mga artworks is more on social satire.

Same day last February 21, noong nag check ako ng Oscars Photo Exhibit sa Shangrila Plaza I make sure na dadaan din dapat ako sa The Gallery ng SM Megamall to check on paintings at sa activity area ng SM Megamall Atrium sa exhibit or any musical activities meron sa kanila and this time it was the 11th Asian Cartoon Exhibit organized by Japan Foundation, Manila. It’s a collection of cartoons done by editorial and social satire cartoonists from the Philippines (Lyndon Gregorio), Malysia (Tazidi), Bangladesh (Shirshir Bhattacharjee), China (Xia Dachuan), India (Jayanto Banerjee), Indonesia (Benny Rachmadi), Japan (Suo Kohma), Sri Lanka (Dasa Hapuwalanage), Vietnam (Lap) and Thailand (Kosin Srilidtipradit).

The exhibit theme was about the Asian youth culture na kung saan nag-focus ang mga artworks sa epekto ng media sa youth and how technology changes the life ng mga kabataan. Tulad sa mga gawa ni Xia Dachuan sa China pinakita kung paano ang kabataan ngayon ay nag-iisip ng mga short method in terms of learning and work without the appreciation of doing the hard way. For India, Jayanto Banerjee shows how call center work like in the Philippines became sa fad to all as an easy way to have work. For Japan Sri Lanka and Thailand it shows how technology and media affects the every day life of the youth. And with Vietnam, Lap shows the slow death of the oriental culture where the youth adopts the western culture much without balancing it with the Asian tradition.

To be honest everything shown in the exhibit has sense at tatama talaga kung ano ang nangyayari ngayon and maybe it can be an eye opener for the your kung ano na ang kalagayan at estado nila ngayon and maybe through them who sees it can actually do something different.

The exhibit is currently staged on SM Megamall Atrium until the 27th and will be transferred to SM Mall of Asia Main Atrium on the 28th until the 13th of March.