Palabas lays bare the mechanisms of control embedded in the media systems that dominate our lives. The exhibition highlights how mainstream mass media, far from being a neutral source of information, actively participates in shaping public consciousness, distorting reality to serve the interests of the powerful. Through constant surveillance, whether in our streets or through the devices we carry, and an unrelenting stream of content that blares into our ears and eyes, we have been conditioned to passively accept the narratives that define our understanding of the world. The result is a society desensitized and disconnected from critical engagement, reduced to a consumer base rather than active participants in a democratic process.
What emerges from Palabas is the recognition of how this media environment fosters a form of soft totalitarianism, masquerading as democratic freedom. The continuous barrage of information and entertainment distracts and pacifies, while the underlying system ensures compliance through subtle manipulation. In this exhibition, the artists urge us to see the media for what it is—a tool of control that distorts truth and reality. The question is not just what we see on the screens, but what we fail to see as we are drawn deeper into this performative spectacle.
