Innocence 2 Painting

Ziggurat Ziggurat reaches for the heavens, the realm of the divine. Yet, as humans ascend to godly perfection, the ties to the earth unravels. Instead of achieving omnipotence, humans started disconnecting, breaking down and apart, and disappearing into the dream of the almighty. In his latest series Ziggurat, Mideo M Cruz explores human degeneration through the embrace of capitalism. The developing world, including the Philippines, is mired in the oppressive neo-liberal policies imposed upon by power-holders. Though opulence and grandeur are often displayed through excessive consumption, continual debasement of the quality of human life lies underneath the glitter. Block by block, the idea of development devours humanity. As humans consume the illusion, they are the ones who are inevitably consumed. Cruz references social-activist Naomi Klein’s “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” in his works for Ziggurat. He recognizes defeat underneath success, such as in the recent conflict in Marawi. Though the government brandished victory in the war against terror--the loss of lives, destruction of homes, and breaking of spirit are innate in such triumph. The bullet marks remain as a testament, as the government showers in the confetti of perceived conquest. Cruz’s paintings for Ziggurat echoes the disengagement of humans to the world, in their desire to reach the top. The legendary Tower of Babel, the most familiar of the Mesopotamian ziggurats in stories, unmask the narratives of human disconnection as they attempt to move closer to the gods. Such desire for godliness unthread the ties that bind and the ziggurat managed to devour their weakened human creators. The boxes in each of the eleven paintings demonstrate the capacity of humans to create their own prisons by dissolving into the illusion. The grey figures stares emptily into the abyss, dreaming inside the boxes of their own creation. They are swallowed slowly into the colored boxes. Perhaps they are actualizing their dreams, but achievements are simply colorful prisons partitioned atop each other. Each box is a step that gives the appearance of moving up while in reality locking the dreamer in. The realization of being captured may or may not come, but it does not change the fact that they are prisoners of the towers they built. Neo-liberal policies create these traps of human achievement—social, economic, political, and cultural. Resistance seems futile as capitalism encourages the dream of being above and beyond, of excessive consumptions, and of empty triumphs. Ziggurat scrutinizes these stories. “Green Pasture” narrates the stories of disjointed families as they toil to find their own green pastures, often in other lands. “Obedient” shows the fading hearts of authorities who are forced to obey the powers beyond them. “Lucid” chronicles the heartbreaking disappearance of the mind into the boxes, losing their own lucid thoughts. “Cube” plainly shows the trap of the cube, belonging to the race for success and losing oneself in it. The crisis of capitalism is present and for many, it is much easier to dream within and merge into their individualized ziggurats. Ziggurat is a dream of perfection that comes at a great cost. Capitalism translates the ziggurat into boxes of human achievement, attained by succumbing to neo-liberal thought. Reaching the top translates to losing not just one’s self, but also losing human connections. Mideo M Cruz attempts a narrative of caution, hoping to prevent the banishment of self in the process. About the Artist Ziggurat is a continuation of Mideo M Cruz’s exposition on the contemporary capitalism and excessive consumption. He merges found objects to create a discourse on crises, while using poetic patterns for his portraits. Cruz is a cross-disciplinary artist whose background in activism manifests in his performances, inter-media, and installation works. He has actively exhibited his works locally and globally and is also an active participant in his community. Cruz currently runs Bangan Art Space in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:39.5 W x 56.5 H x 2 D in

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