For more than 15 years, Project Headshot Clinic have been conducting photoshoots for various advocacies
"The exhibit title, Tanggulan, is to pay homage to our forefathers who fought for our freedom. My great-great grandfathers were Katipuneros. My mother was born in Tanggulan, a street in Kawit Cavite, which was a fortress during the Filipino—Spanish war.”
Visual artist, conceptual photographer, and Project Headshot Clinic (HSC) founder Niccolo Cosme shared this message at the recently concluded “Tanggulan” photo exhibit held in Kondwi at Poblacion Makati.
The exhibit displayed 11 artworks taken from the World AIDS Day “Defend” photoshoot. The pieces depict the continuing fight for accessible healthcare, as well as defending the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).
The art pieces were inspired by the concept of warriors. Cosme, together with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, envisioned the subjects in the exhibit to be likened to heroes and fighters. The subjects were styled and fashioned with Filipino and Southeast Asian-inspired clothes and wore accessories like sarong fabrics and salakot headgears—interpreted by designer Myke Oropesa.
Some of the models also posed with the kampilan, a single-edged sword used by native Filipinos before the Spanish colonization.
HIV awareness
HSC was founded by Niccolo Cosme back in 2007. A year after the conception of Project Headshot Clinic, Cosme discovered that his close friend, Wanggo Gallaga, was HIV positive. Niccolo then asked Wanggo if they can create a headshot clinic campaign that will raise awareness to World AIDS Day.
Cosme also co-founded The Red Whistle, an organization dedicated to health and human rights, supporting those with mental health concerns.
"Just as how the Katipuneros fought for our freedom in the past, we must fight against stigma and misinformation. As warriors and soldiers with the commitment to uphold our Filipino value of Bayanihan, let us support each other and aim for an AIDS-free world together!"
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