Cian Dayrit's Berlin Exhibition Critiques Philippine Colonial History and Militarism

Cian Dayrit's exhibition 'Schemes of Belligerence' at Nome in Berlin runs from 14 September to 4 November, presenting an antiauthoritarian counter-history of the Philippines. The installation 'Imperial Puppet Regalia' (2022) features carved wooden figures, embroidered crests, military shirts, peasant hats, and carved canes, blending traditional craft with military aesthetics. Stitched phrases like 'Deception' and 'Dominion' adorn crests alongside gunsights and all-seeing eyes, while sandbags encircle costumes. Dayrit critiques five centuries of colonization under Spain, the United States, Japan, and a military dictatorship, noting the current president Ferdinand Marcos's son reflects this legacy. The artist describes the Philippines as a 'neocolony' with covert US control, highlighting enforced COVID lockdowns and crackdowns on activism. Mixed-media works include ambiguous military badges, such as an 'Expert Rifleman' award and a satirical 'Evidence Planter', with a faux recruitment banner reading 'Let God Sort 'Em Out! Kill 'Em All'. Dayrit employs a tricksterish approach, using deception to challenge state narratives, with stitched texts ending in 'hahaha' to mock authority. The press release frames the exhibition as a model of fascist regime proliferation, relevant to Germany's rightward political shift. The show emphasizes impatience with artworld niceties, shifting tone from anger to sarcasm.