Page 66 - ART GIANTS issue of World of Art (WOA) Contemporary Art Magazine

ENZO CAMACHO & AMI LIEN:
OFFERINGS FOR ESCALANTE

MoMA PS1 presents Offerings for Escalante, the first major U.S.
museum exhibition of artist duo Enzo Camacho (Filipino, b.
1985) and Ami Lien (American, b. 1987). On view from October
10, 2024, through February 17, 2025, the exhibition highlights
their decade-long exploration of localized resistance within
global labor economies, focusing on the Philippine island of
Negros, historically tied to sugar production. Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien. Langit Lupa. 2023. Video (color, sound).
56:21 min. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Fund for the Twenty-
The centerpiece of the exhibition, Langit Lupa (2023), examines
First Century. Photo: Steven Panecassio
the lasting impact of the 1985 Escalante Massacre, in which
paramilitary forces opened fire on protesting sugar plantation Ami Lien & Enzo Camacho. Langit Lupa (Still). 2023. High-Definition Video
(color, sound). 56 mins, 21 seconds. Courtesy the artists and 47 Canal,
workers. Through survivor testimonies, landscape imagery, and
New York.
innovative phytogram techniques, the film reflects on historical
Installation view of Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien: Offerings for Escalante, on
view at MoMA PS1 from October 10, 2024 through February 17, 2025. Photo:
Steven Paneccasio

violence and its contemporary echoes, including the 2018 killing
of farmers advocating for land rights in Negros.
Beyond moving-image works, Camacho and Lien’s handmade
paper compositions integrate natural fibers such as cogon
Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien. Bird. 2020. Vegetable fibers. Courtesy the artists
and 47 Canal, New York. Photo: Joerg Lohse grass, pineapple, and seaweed, emphasizing the connection
between environmental and social struggles. Pieces like Social
Volcano (restless waves) (2024) reference Mount Kanlaon, a
longstanding symbol of resistance, while the Flame Garden
series incorporates organic materials to explore survival and
regeneration.
Inspired by Sylvia Wynter’s analysis of plantation economies,
the exhibition engages themes of land justice, food sovereignty,
and anti-imperialist resistance. A related installation in MoMA
PS1’s first-floor gallery spotlights Philippine and Queens-based
advocacy groups working toward equitable labor conditions.
Organized by Ruba Katrib, Chief Curator, MoMA PS1, with
research support from Andrea Sánchez, this exhibition is part
of a cross-institutional collaboration between Para Site, CCA
Berlin, and Glasgow International.

66 WORLD of ART