I am fascinated with the process of man-made election in the realm of breeding, be it plants or animals, basically anything that can reproduce sexually. It’s interesting how different breeds evolved to cater to different functions, which in turn were perpetuated because of their innate instincts toward particular tasks. I wanted to try to transpose this idea to the act of painting and making art of all sorts. The reality of the setting of art is highly complex and political in nature, where there is also a sort of evolution taking place. Any person—be it an artist, gallerist, or collector, much more so than the average layman due to their direct involvement in the realm of art—influences via judging which labels art as art. The bigger the backer, the higher chance you get pushed into the limelight and responsibility of being the flagship definition of art. Factors like peer acceptance, gallery success, and institutional recognition ride on the acclaim one gets by putting up works for judging them; if no one really likes them, they are culled out of the scene. The society we live in now demands that time be made into money or else survival is in peril.

Painting and exhibiting [allow] me to produce something sterile compared to the chaos of my everyday existence of racing thoughts, loose ends, and impulsivity. It is a job for me, a fun job nonetheless, but still a job. We have to consider the factors that hold the whole phenomenon [in] place; thus, we must navigate it like a street dog—behold the humble cur that begs for scraps beneath the roadside eatery table. It gives just enough attention for a bone to be thrown its way, but not enough for it to be captured and processed into dog meat.

There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Same is true in art: there is no bad art, only bad artists.*

Lena Cobangbang

* All quotes are directly from the artist.