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<REPOST FROM PURGE> It’s always a cause for celebration whenever a new Filipino photobook gets published. It’s a rare event, and I’m happy to report that in this instance, the excitement is warranted. Brian Sergio presents a wild gathering of characters here, free of inhibitions and all splayed to the camera’s unflinching gaze. Fantastic dirty riso printing too.

#brian sergio #pak!#dienacht publishing #2017

Brian Sergio Paks the world

[Possible NSFW warning]

I write my thoughts and formulate my ideas while I go through a book/zine/exhibition by establishing why I like what I see and I build from there. It’s basic criticism: what is the relationship I, as a viewer, form with a specific work and why should you see it too.

For some reason, almost a year since its release and after countless viewings of the book, I have the greatest difficulty concretizing my thoughts on PAK by Brian Sergio.

Problematic

The problem with PAK is categorizing the work as Filipino. Anyone with a lick of visual literacy will know that Kinbaku (Japanese Rope Binding) images, Godzilla figures, nudity with innocent eyes, and the “Provoke style” has more in common with Japanese photography than with Filipino photography. Perhaps the furniture or what little elements familiar to a Filipino household that we see in the pictures suffice? Or the fact that Sergio photographs Filipinos? However, to answer these questions is to answer what Filipino is in the first place — which is in itself a confusing subject to tackle (and probably not worth answering) at another time.

PAK is the type of book that will say a lot more about the person reading it than the author who made it. It is a rejection of conservatism instead of a challenge to it. The book is provocative; it wears its hedonism in its covers. That being said, the work misses a certain depth. By tackling identity without a solid foundation, the work is lacking in some regards.

Perhaps this scrutiny is what the subjects in the book are moving away from. They are more comfortable to be citizens of Sergio’s black and white world than of actual reality – full of judgement and criticism. They rebel against conservatism but are knee deep in it. Sergio photographs his people in a way that shows their comfort; yet jars the viewer, prompting questions about the circumstances in each image.

Perplexing

This is my point of confusion. I can go on and on about the flaws of the work, but I love that it exists. It presents questions and challenges. You can laud it as courageous material or dismiss it as pornographic. It can be subversive, divisive, or just plain dismissive. It reminds Philippine photoland of where we look — with high regard — for the influences of our photography. In my time surveying the Philippine photography scene, I’ve never encountered anyone who is inspired by another Filipino when they study photography. The usual names that come up are those of your classic Magnum photographers, NatGeo, and the Dusseldorf School, etc. It just shows that there is a lack of visual history in our very own photography.

As the case for this book, Sergio — who is heavily inspired by provoke — attempts to make it his own. If Japanese provoke was a rebellion against the prevailing Japanese idea of prosperity during the 70’s, Sergio embraces Provoke as a rejection of conservatism. He invites the reader to challenge their own views and compare them with his images. The book is his grand homage to Japanese photography aesthetics, but it embraces a Filipino contemporary issue: the deterioration of the country’s conservative values despite being the biggest catholic country in the world.

PAK!!!

PAK is meant to explode in your face and leave pieces here and there for you to decipher. When you do, you'll wish to see more from Sergio. Whether it’s to see how he embraces the aesthetic or the simple satisfaction from the visuals, much can be theorized. My biggest fear is that Pak has a simple intended meaning, but as the wheels of history turn and our point of view of the world is challenged, the book can easily be twisted to have an unintended meaning. Will this work have the same punch in the gut in a few years, or will it be seen as an example of something to be proven wrong?

Either way, the existence of this work will serve as a document of the moral challenge we have today. How we respond to the book or this turning point in our history will no doubt change the way we view the work. As for Sergio, may he keep on making me uncomfortable with his photography.

Title: Pak!

Photographer: Brian Sergio

Design: Calin Kruse/FLUUT Grafik-Design

Medium: Photo book, 1st Edition, 200 copies (128 pages, 120mmx260mm. RISO print. Book with open binding in a slip case) Published in 2017 by Dienacht Publishing

About: PAK! Pak! Is an onomatopeia which imitates the sound of impact. Inside these pages are the portraits of people I encounter everyday. What fascinates me about the is their collective rebellion against inhibitions and acceptable behaviour in what is largely a conservative Catholic Society. Some of the mare friends, some of them I had an intimate relationship with, and some are strangers, but I can identify with them within my environment. Just as the act of taking these photos have subjected me to the same criticisms that most of them have encountered.

In a way, it is an attempt to expose the world behind the facade that most Filipinos aspire to. - Brian Sergio

Written by A.g. De Mesa

Edited by James Lontoc

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