Johnny Manahan on a New Year Day's Evening (Evidences)

Johnny Manahan on a New Year's Day Evening is from the artist's Evidences series, featuring images of the titular artist in ordinary situations, from singing and sitting to glancing at a watch on his left hand. Here, the artist is photographed lighting sparklers on New Year's Day. Manahan highlights the camera's function as a device to record perceived reality in real time by presenting the photograph with film perforations.

Manahan was a conceptual artist from the Philippines active from 1970 to 1982. He worked in a variety of media, from abstract paintings to sculptures using ready-made objects, and is also considered the first Filipino artist to have made a video artwork. His works in video and photography are particularly significant, as they represent how Filipino artists at that time employed new media in their conceptual works.

This photograph was featured in the Gallery's 2016 exhibition A Fact Has No Appearance: Art Beyond the Object.

From Perspectives Magazines' Editorial team, wishing our readers a happy New Year.