Cian Dayrit

Cian Dayrit’s work investigates notions of power and identity as they are represented and reproduced in monuments, museums, maps and other institutionalized media. They often respond to different marginalized communities, encouraging a critical reflection on colonial and privileged perspectives.

His projects which combine archival references, protest imagery and grassroots counter-mapping show how empire scored out the maps of the modern world, how its aftermath perpetuates industrial development, and how alternative territories might be imagined from the ground-up. Informed by the experience of colonialism from the perspective of the Philippines, Dayrit’s work nonetheless resists being fixed to a specific position or location.

Dayrit studied painting at the University of the Philippines. He was a recipient of the Ateneo Art Award in 2017 and Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award in 2018.

Some solo and group exhibitions include “The Crack Begins Within”, Berlin Biennale (2020); “Beyond the God’s Eye” at Nome, Berlin (2019); “Part of the Labyrinth”, Gothenburg Biennial (2019); “Allegories of Nation-Building” at Kaida, Manila (2018); “A Beast, a God and a Line”, Dhaka Art Summit (2018); “Songs for Sabotage”, New Museum Triennale, New York (2018); “Busis Ibat Ha Kanayunan (Voices From The Hinterlands)” at Bellas Artes, Manila and Bataan (2017); “The Bla-Bla Archaeological Complex” at U.P. Vargas Museum, Manila (2013).

Cian Dayrit will be presenting his works at Yeo Workshop.