Voices of Freedom: The Creative Muse of Avant-Garde Video Artists

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On Saturday morning, I was completely unprepared for just how fascinating the conversation among Nick Deocampo, Ellen Pau, and Zhang Peili would be.

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The avant-garde video art created by these three masters serves as a sharp blade against all societal and state conventions. In other words, it cannot be called avant-garde art without this determination to break societal constraints. Just like Nick's rebellious spirit, which has been blazing since his days of studying abroad in Paris, his video art not only questions the legitimacy of military dictatorship and economic imperialism but even manages to penetrate the Catholic mindset that has been ingrained in Filipinos through several generations, pioneering queer cinema that breaks gender stereotypes.

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Interestingly, despite diverging from Nick's embrace of communism, Zhang Peili's defiant spirit leads him down a similar path, questioning the unspoken rules of Chinese society with his countercultural videos. The two directors are of the same mind in their use of eccentric methods to provoke reflection on established systems. Even though the targets of their rebellion are seemingly antithetical, both have become iconic figures in their respective locales for questioning the status quo through video art.

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On the other hand, Ellen Pau's insights made me consider avant-garde video art from a broader perspective. As a curator, her avant-garde creations are primarily presented in the form of exhibitions. Videotage, founded by Pau, not only houses her works but also provides a space for public discussion and reflection on various social phenomena. If we are to describe Zhang and Nick as artistic weapons that pierce through systems directly, then Pau is more akin to a coagulating agent that encourages the public to think independently in order to achieve change.

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Thus, the incisive and iconic nature of avant-garde video art lies precisely in its unconventionality, as well as its bold and independent spirit.

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This article is based on reflections that arose from the Trailblazers Talk with Nick Deocampo, Ellen Pau, and Zhang Peili moderated by Silke Schmickl, CHANEL Lead Curator, Moving Image, M+.

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