21AM Digital Museum by CCP Launches on 25 Feb 2022

Time and again, we are reminded of how museums change lives. For a country with a colourful heritage like ours, the museums’ raison d’être — to preserve and remember history — is essential. 

On 25 Feb 2022, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) will commemorate its 50th anniversary by launching the 21AM Digital Museum. The event will also be just in time for the 36th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

Also read: Why You Should Visit Museums — Even If You Hate Them

What to expect from the 21AM Digital Museum

According to the CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division (CCP VAMD), the 21AM Digital museum will be “a dedicated space of critical inquiry and artmaking that confronts the 21st century.” 

Showcasing provocative and avant-garde Filipino art, the contemporary museum will challenge how the digital world reshapes truths — and how we, as consumers, interpret and accept them. 

According to the CCP, “21AM opens the domain of art to the global arena where complex ethical issues surface in light of massive, technologically-driven shifts in the contests over truth.” 

“The 21AM website is an online experience offering art created for cyberspace that takes in the present catastrophic moment and responds in an imaginative and responsible way to the demands of such a time.”

Also read: 18 World-Class Museums You Can Explore on a Virtual Tour

Current or upcoming exhibitions

During the launch, 21AM will be showcasing their inaugural exhibit entitled The Collection of Jane Ryan and William Saunders. The collection shows off 3D printed replicas of the infamous jewellery collection confiscated from the Marcoses in 1986. 

According to Pio Abad, the exhibition explores how these jewellery pieces have affected the cultural legacy of the former dictators. Artists Pio Abad and Frances Wadsworth Jones named the exhibit after the false identities of late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his wife, Imelda Marcos. The couple adopted these pseudonyms to register their private wealth with Credit Suisse Zurich. 

Also read: Dark Tourism in the Philippines: What Is It, And Is It Ethical?

How to access the 21AM Museum launch

You can witness the virtual launch of the 21AM Museum on 25 Feb 2022 at 3pm. On Facebook, visit the official page of the Cultural Center of the Philippines or the CCP VAMD; both pages will be live streaming the event simultaneously.

For more information, visit the official website of the 21AM Digital Museum here.

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Featured image credit: CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division | Official Facebook Page