Medalla, David (1938-2020), was a Philippine artist. Medalla’s art resists categorization. His works include sculpture, kinetic art (art that moves), installation art (art that transforms a space into an emotionally stimulating environment), and performance art (a form of theatrical performance that combines dancing and acting with other art forms). In addition, he created works that require the voluntary participation of crowds of people for their effect. He called these works participation-production-propulsion. They also reflect his commitment to democratic socialism.
David Cortez Medalla y Mosqueda was born on March 23, 1938, in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. At the age of 10, he spent time with the Igurut, a mountain people, translating some of their epic songs into English. At the age of 14, he began to study philosophy and drama at Columbia University in New York City. He also began to paint and held his first exhibition in New York in 1955. In 1960, he traveled to Europe by way of Indochina, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Africa, and the Middle East. He met many prominent artists and was soon a leader of the artistic avant-garde (experimental movement).
In 1963, after settling in London, he began experimenting in kinetic art. From 1964 to 1966, he ran the Centre for Advanced Creative Studies, later called Signals, and edited its magazine. He founded a group of creative artists called the Exploding Galaxy. With the group, Medalla began devising dance dramas that were performed throughout Europe. In 1968, Medalla founded the Buddha Ballet and traveled with several members of Exploding Galaxy through Europe, Africa, and Asia. In India, he became fascinated with Kathakali, a classic religious dance drama of India performed only by men.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Medalla became increasingly involved with the political uses of art. He was influenced by the writings of Karl Marx, V. I. Lenin, and—most notably—Mao Zedong. Medalla believed, like Mao, that art is for the people. In 1974, he cofounded Artists for Democracy, an organization “dedicated to giving material and cultural support to liberation movements worldwide.” His own work focused upon conceptual, kinetic, participation, and performance art. He used participation-production-propulsion art to explore social relationships. A typical example was Stitch in Time (1972), exhibited in Utrecht, the Netherlands. It consisted of a piece of canvas adorned with hanks of differently colored wool. Using the wool, observers were invited to embroider their own designs on the canvas.
In 1994, Medalla founded the Mondrian Fan Club. Medalla staged an exhibition of his own and other artists’ most recent work in London under the title The Secret History of the Mondrian Fan Club, Part II. Medalla helped found the Arts Council of the Philippines in 1969 and became chairman of the International Committee for Freedom in the Philippines in 1973. He lectured at academic institutions in the Philippines, the United States, and the United Kingdom on a variety of subjects besides art, including general studies, oriental culture, and Chinese culture and civilization. Medalla died in Manila on Dec. 28, 2020.
