Superwoman: Empire of Care, 2021, music video and installation, color, sound, 12 min. 17 sec., dimensions variable. Eisa Jocson in collaboration with Bunny Cadag, Cathrine Go, Teresa Barrozo, Franchesca Casauay (aka The Filipino Superwoman Band). Videographer and editor: Brandon Relucio. Produced for the 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale. Courtesy of the artist.

Inspired by the migrant Filipino musicians who perform in hotels, bars, and cabarets around the world, Eisa Jocson launched The Filipino Superwoman Band in 2019. The project takes Karyn White’s 1989 pop song “Superwoman,” which describes the sacrifices of a lovelorn female, and reworks the lyrics into different languages, presenting varying interpretations through music videos, performances, and other media. While borrowing from the Filipino music industry and popular culture, the band also expands the context of the original song―in which the narrator sings that she is decisively not a Superwoman―to offer a biting critique of government policies that promote the export of labor and the effects they have on local identity. The band’s new project, Superwoman: Empire of Care, highlights how frontline medical and essential workers in the Philippines have been heralded as national heroes while being denied basic job security during the Covid-19 pandemic. A mash-up of Blackpink’s 2019 single “Kill This Love,” the project’s music video references the choreography and costumes of Korean idol bands in a creative reflection of the global reach of K-pop.

I Understand…, 2021, HD video, color and black-and-white, sound, 21 min. 32 sec. Courtesy of the artist

Hao Jingban’s video essay I Understand… relates the artist’s thoughts and experiences while staying in Berlin during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and at a time when Black Lives Matter protests were spreading beyond the United States to countries around the world. Set against both filmed and source footage, the narration begins with Hao’s reflections on the rising tide of anti–East Asian sentiment before going on to consider the possibilities and limitations of political or personal efforts to connect with those who hold different views from one’s own. Besides scenes from more recent protests in Berlin and elsewhere, I Understand… also features footage from an interview with singer and activist Nina Simone and a song by Bob Dylan, whose lyrics helped shape the civil rights and antiwar movements in the 1960s. With a delicate sensibility, Hao juxtaposes past struggles with current civic movements to examine whether difference and empathy can coexist in the complex world we live in today.

This selection was a unanimous decision of the five-member international jury, who express their gratitude to all the Biennale participants for presenting such wonderful works that offer piercing insights into our times. In particular, the works by the award co-recipients are decidedly timely in that they engage with how the current world is attempting to navigate the pandemic while also suggesting potential futures to the audience. Together with her group The Filipino Superwoman Band, the Manila-based choreographer, dancer, and artist Eisa Jocson turns the choreography and costumes of the pop music genre into a form of empowerment. The work highlights how frontline medical and essential workers in the Philippines have been heralded as national heroes while being denied basic job security during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hao Jingban’s video piece is a personal reflection on the possibilities and limitations of empathy. Set against both filmed and source footage, the video essay juxtaposes past and current civic movements to examine whether difference and empathy can coexist in the complex world we live in today.