OLD-Lahing Makulay – Haring Ibon

Introduction

Lahing Makulay is an experimental project exhibit of wild bird photographer Alain Pascua. It features diptychs of his select photographs of endemic Philippine birds and painted artworks of Philippine indigenous peoples fabric designs.

As pieces of art created in two parts, each photograph of an endemic Philippine bird will be accented with fabric designs of a particular indigenous cultural community. The painted artworks will be done by different artists willing to collaborate with the photographer-exhibitor, and both will sign the canvasses.

Lahing Makulay was first launched in November 20-21, 2019 at the Green and Wild Expo in SM Aura.

Exhibit Name

Lahing Makulay, the first of its kind, explores the vibrant and colorful endemic birds of the Philippines, the variety and richness of Philippine indigenous peoples fabric designs, and the innate talent and artistry of Filipinos.

Lahing Makulay, therefore, refers to both colorful Philippine endemic birds and to the colorful Philippine indigenous cultural communities and the Filipino Nation.

2019 Collection

Methodology

Alain Pascua provided a minimum of 15-20 photographs of endemic Philippine birds with minimum sizes of 25 x 37.5 inches.

Ross Capili’s OneWorkshop Studio printed the photographs on heavy artist canvas using giclee ink. The printed canvasses were turned over to artists who painted and filled the allotted spaces for the fabric design. Reference material on the authentic designs of a particular ethnic group were provided the artists. The painted artworks were dynamic and flowing as if actual cloth is draped over that portion of the canvass. The canvasses were framed with 3-5 inch museum wrap, and were mounted with or without board.

Ideally, the original concept was to feature the indigenous cultural community in the area where the bird was photographed. However, not all areas with indigenous cultural communities were initially considered when the photographs were taken, thus there might be birds with no corresponding cultural community, and there might be communities with no bird photographed in the area. Notwithstanding, each indigenous cultural community was featured and care was taken to avoid duplications.

Continuing Project

As a continuing project, the number of canvasses and exhibit dates will increase as more endemic bird photographs will be produced. Works will be exhibited in batches of 15-20 until all canvases are sold. Limited editions may also be produced later.

Contributing Artists

Contributing artists will receive an agreed upon percentage of the net proceeds, and part of the income generated will be given to the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe of the Sinabadan Tribal Council in Sibulan, Davao City where the photographer-exhibitor was able to photograph the Philippine Eagle.

As part of general conservation efforts, proceeds will be donated for the revival of indigenous weaving in that tribe, starting with the purchase of weaving tools and initial materials, and the provision of proper training for the traditional fabric, inabal.

Collaborating Artists' Profiles

Angelo Aurelio

Angelo Aurelio is a Baguio-born, multi-disciplinary artist whose work ranges from theater, dance, conceptual art, mural art, to writing. He graduated from Saint Louis University and was awarded Most Outstanding Student Artist of the Center for Culture and the Arts in 2007. He won the coveted Aliw Awards for best Director in a Conceptual Performance for his play Anatomy of an Octopus Woman, an all-inmate cast staged inside the Baguio Female Jail Dormitory in 2017. He debuted his first one-man art exhibition in Rumours Baguio in the same year. He has received citations and awards for his community theater work and art projects in different communities. He collaborated and toured with different artists in Belgium, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and Italy for art residencies and cultural exchanges.

Jayson Duclan

Jayson is a kankaney and is one of the youngest members of the Tam-awan Village Artists (TVA). As an individual who grew up in a land rich in culture and tradition, a common theme in his works is to preserve this culture and heritage. Aside from painting and joining art exhibitions, Jayson is also active in outreach programs where he reaches out to younger generations through art. A few of the recent art exhibitions he participated in are "KALYE": kalye Lakandula Gallery, Pampanga (Oct.19-Nov.19, 2019) at "ART FOR SCIENCE'': Gateway Gallery, Quezon City (Sep.16-28, 2019)

Sirk Deuda

Sirk is a visual artist, tattoo artist, and a designer influenced by conceptual art. He took up product design at Technological University of the Philippines (Fine Arts Department). His principle is not being boxed by the standards of academic process. And though he wasn’t able to finish his course, his drive in pursuing his art life did not stop from there. With a passion to draw since he was young, he continued learning through self-study by visiting art galleries, joining workshops, symposium, and other art activities. These have helped him a lot with the expansion of his ideas, concepts, principles, and different visions of art.

Hoche Briones

Hoche graduated at the UP College of Fine Arts after having paint on his hands for five years. He went straight to a career of digital composition and retouching for more than twenty years with Photoshop as his only tool. But he missed having messy paint everywhere so he started painting seriously again in 2017. He currently works with watercolor and oil and held his second solo exhibit at the Museo ng Sining GSIS in 2018 with more than 50 paintings past and present, most of which are abstract. He is currently based in Singapore and working at TBWA, an international advertising company.

Manu San Pedro

Manu San Pedro is a visual artist by profession. He started full time in 2014 focusing on differently themed works, experimenting from different materials to different styles. He mainly does figurative works of mixed media on exhibits but is not limited to applying a touch of experimentation on each piece. He also considers mixing abstract and figurative themes at the same time.

He always considers doing collaboration works because it is a way of promoting and being united with fellow artists. This also serves as an experience as shared ideas are utilized which later on makes artists connected in some way or another.

Govinda Jean

A Cebuano artist born in Iligan City, Jean "Govinda" Marquesto is largely a self-taught visual and theatre artist and ethno-tribal musician. As a biology graduate, he is captivated by wildlife as well as by Philippine culture and thus often uses them as recurring themes throughout his work and music. He also cites Dadaism, cubism, figurative abstraction, and hyperrealism as his present influences.

Last April 2018, and May 2019 he received a recommendation award from Taipei's Art Consultant for his thread and nails work entitled Kayumangi & The Grip.

Ja B

Ja B is a self-taught Tam-awan Village Artist who was born in Mt. Province and raised in Baguio. He began his foray into the arts by drawing as a hobby. He is often inspired by his fellow artists in continuing with his passion. His artworks are often female forms with Igorot tattoos (inspired by his heritage) and faces rendered in acrylic or in ink.

As a native of Cordilleran he wants to preserve his culture, which leads him in joining various collaborations to promote his work using mainly using acrylic as his medium.

Tara Natividad

Talent surfaced in Tara Natividad while she was taking up a degree in nursing. She joined Tropang Paltok, a performing and visual arts group, further encouraging and honing her artistic expressions. One of the group’s founders, EV Espiritu, taught her paper mache, which she incorporates in many of her works.

Her art path continued to another group “Silayan” which she and several of her creative friends formed. It was this group’s first show that initially linked her to Tam-awan, where they held their exhibit. After constant visits to the place and reinforced interaction with the artists, she became a member, one of three women amongst Tam-awan artists.

Luisa Galang

Luisa Galang is a visual- conceptual artist, a performance artist, and an academic. She is a believer of the esoteric and studies the visual semiotics of tarot cards which she incorporates in her works of art. She is also pursuing a masters degree in Social and Development Studies at University of the Philippines, Baguio. She has performed and exhibited her works in Baguio City and other places in the country. Although more than a decade in art, she recently held her first solo exhibition titled KapiT-PagáL, a conceptual art exhibition.

Joan Honoridez

Joan Honoridez a.k.a. Joan of Art, is based in Bacolod City. She has been an artist all her life, having started drawing before school age and even having her kindergarten teacher recognizing her potential. In her schooling years, she became the artist of her class, doing most of the school art projects and joining art clubs and competitions. In college, she became the art director of her school publication. She had to set aside her art in favor of career, marriage, and family life. When her marriage failed, art became Joan’s therapy and kicked off to become her career.

Nature is a great source of inspiration for Joan, as well as people, their expressions, and interactions. A recurring theme in her art work are painting faces, expressions, and figures as well as bodily expressions. Natural patterns and textures also find their way in Joan’s work. She is motivated by the love of creating and the fact that her art also uplifts people’s spirits.

Venazir Martinez

Venazir Martinez, a street artist and muralist. She is a cum laude graduate, awarded best thesis production with the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines Baguio. A member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, a creative for Kuretake Zig, a Wanderartist, and a visual anthropologist. She has been commissioned and made huge connections to major companies, private institutions and primary government agencies in the Philippines.

Her famous series of street art is seen in Baguio City entitled Hila-bana, temporary stitching, which is a term used as the unifying concept of her works portraying the figures of the collective identities of the Cordilleras. She has been visually reformulating and developing this creative anthropological voyage in tune with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. She believes street art to be one of the purest forms of artistic expression and an effective supplementary tool for learning that exists in today’s setup given its democratic value where everyone has the capacity to access it.

Edmund Andrada

Edmund C. Andrada is an artist and a musician based in Baguio City. His works are mostly in line with Musical Art and Surrealism. He works mostly with oils and acrylic as the medium for his paintings. He is the founder and organizer of the Expressions Art Exhibit that is held annually in Baguio City which helps local artists showcase their own artistic style and creativity through art exhibitions. He graduated from the University of the Philippines Baguio with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts Major in Visual Arts.