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Vis-a-vis, Rhine’s 9-hour durational performance at London Bridge with Jonathan Cohen
(Photo credit: Rhine Bernardino)

By Jeamy Navarro-Schrank

Rhine Bernardino has stamina. Her most recent 鈥榙urational鈥� art performance involved her sitting down, sewing a continuous thread of toilet paper using her own hair whilst listening to the Philippine National Anthem – for eight hours straight.

Rhine is currently based in London. She was the first Filipino artist to receive an MA in fine art, sculpture at the Royal College of Art (RCA), and has since curated and exhibited her artwork internationally, especially within Europe and Asia.

Rhine uses her art to create conversations around issues like the 鈥渋nvisibility鈥� of many Filipinos in UK society. Although she always carries her identity with her, she believes that a lack of Filipino artists has led to difficulties.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just there and a part of me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f anything, I鈥檝e definitely felt very isolated. I鈥檝e experienced a lot of racism: like microaggressions, subtle racism and sexism.鈥�

Where I鈥檓 Coming From

Rhine鈥檚 recent eight hour performance – 鈥楾o Suffer and Die for Theemonyo鈥� – was part of the online exhibit, (#WICF). Rhine co-curated the event with Linda Rocco, as part of their organisation . The project aimed to open up conversations on the exclusivity of language in accessing arts and culture.

鈥榃here I鈥檓 Coming From鈥� involved four different languages and cultures that are found in active but 鈥渉ighly invisible鈥� migrant communities in the UK: Filipino, Taiwanese, Yoruba and Berber. It featured three Filipino artists: Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Vanessa Scully and Rhine Bernardino herself.

Rhine explains that including Filipino culture was important to her, because aside from being Filipino herself, she thinks that there is an under-representation of the Filipino diaspora.

鈥淲e鈥檙e everywhere! Especially in the UK, there鈥檚 a big community of Filipinos contributing to not just culture, but its economy. But we don鈥檛 seem to be very much present in arts and culture. We鈥檙e not really able to break through,鈥� she says.

鈥楢 language that鈥檚 universal鈥�

Rhine says she originally wanted to become a lawyer, became an artist in order to speak up against injustices and 鈥渁mplify voices in a more marginalised community鈥�.

She started off studying Political Science at university but described it as a lot of reading, writing and theories. She believes that with art there鈥檚 鈥渁 chance to have a language that is universal鈥�.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of interesting issues and topics to explore when you work with communities. Not to romanticise it 鈥� it鈥檚 very difficult as well and I don鈥檛 really recommend it for people who don鈥檛 have a lot of resilience.鈥�

To Suffer and Die for Theemonyo

Rhine鈥檚 ongoing work was first created for her 2017 installation 鈥楢bout 7000鈥� and was inspired by the original number of deaths in Philippines鈥� 鈥榳ar on drugs鈥�. She says that she uses toilet paper to question value and present how both objects and lives are treated as arbitrary. 

鈥淣o one really gives any importance to it [toilet paper] and then suddenly there鈥檚 a pandemic and it鈥檚 the most important commodity.鈥�

Another aim of the artwork was to allow the audience to be able to visualise the number of deaths. 

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important to give physical representation of these things, so that we could have a connection and we鈥檙e able to comprehend it.鈥�

Rhine has continued to develop this art piece as the number of deaths has risen, believing that the original 鈥楢bout 7000鈥� could now actually be 鈥楢bout 30,000鈥�. In December 2018, the Philippine鈥檚 Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that the number of drug war deaths .

The Philippine National Anthem played continuously in the background while she sewed. In the event鈥檚 guide, the anthem is described as highlighting 鈥渢he essence of patriotism to the extent of sacrificing one鈥檚 life for the country.鈥� 

Rhine says that the idea was to question this 鈥渙bsession鈥� with dying.

鈥淚n the national anthem it鈥檚 really crazy how you put emphasis on 鈥榯o die鈥� for the country. There鈥檚 actually a famous musician in the Philippines who played around with it 鈥� why is it 鈥榯o die鈥� for the country when it could be to love for the country?鈥�

Also at the exhibit, artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen exhibited her 2001 documentary , which focuses on her time spent with her grandmother in the Manila slums. The film presented three days of interactions and emotions between 鈥渢wo women of conflicting value systems鈥� that were brought together inside the small home.

Filmmaker Vanessa Scully displayed a series of GIFs designed for social media, which highlight racial slurs and 鈥渃onfronts the language used to describe and classify 鈥楢sians鈥�.鈥� Her work 鈥楤lack Hair. Brown Nipples. Purple Lips.鈥� was in collaboration with Filipino sex workers to challenge stereotypes.

Exhibiting, digitally

鈥榃here I鈥檓 Coming From鈥� was initially created to be an in-person project based in South East London at . Covid-19 meant that the exhibit had to be worked out digitally, which Rhine says they were originally sceptical about.

鈥淚t鈥檚 only interesting if the mentality and approach that you use is different from how it is in an actual space.鈥�

The move to a digital platform resulted in them having to cut down on artists, figure out the format and timings and understand cross-platform sharing. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a completely different world: suddenly we鈥檙e on social media, we feel like we鈥檙e trying to be influencers! But it is quite exciting for us because now it has this reach that we couldn鈥檛 have had before.鈥�

Rhine adds that the digital exhibit allowed them to make it more accessible, which they did through easy-read guides and audio descriptions. 

Find out more about Rhine and her work on her .