Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life—John Lubbock, “The Pleasures of Life.”
The Philippines, with its more than 7,000 islands, still has many hidden paradises waiting to be discovered. With a population in the millions, it also boasts numerous hidden talents that its people are eager to showcase to the world.
But what would happen if nature, artists, and the community came together? People would discover new places, artists could create unique pieces, and a solid foundation for the community would be established. This is precisely what occurred in the third year of the Anakbanwa Art Exhibition.
Headed by Congressman Christopher “Toff” de Venecia of the fourth district of Pangasinan, Anakbanwa is an art residency program that provides grants to select artists across the country. This year, five multi-disciplinary artists—Lala Monserrat, Russ Ligtas, Eduard Gabrillo, Alanis Avenilla, and Dale Magsino—were chosen to stay in Dagupan, Pangasinan, for a month. During this period, these young artists had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture of the province, learn from mentors, and share their knowledge with a younger generation of creatives.
According to Cong. Toff, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and in accordance with the Republic Act 11904, also known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, this year’s iteration marks the first fully government-funded Anakbanwa.
“Art residencies is a way for creatives from different regions and communities to get to know each other. I am a believer in decentralizing creativity because there's such a huge saturation and concentration of creatives in Manila. And we need to empower creatives in the regions and that's what these residencies are able to do,” Cong. Toff said. “Sometimes, it's really about giving grassroots regional creatives the opportunity to be able to showcase. And it means a lot for their work to just be seen by people, especially people that they look up to and admire.”
Arts and tourism in one map
More than just empowering creatives, Anakbanwa is also vital in promoting tourist destinations in Pangasinan. Part of the residency program is for the artists to go to different spots in District 4 to learn more about its culture and history. Apart from this, the local government unit also actively merges the arts and tourism industries. As a testament to this, the LGU commissioned artists to convert an abandoned building along Tondaligan Beach into an art destination filled with Instagrammable artworks.
“Sobrang laki ng impact nung exposure with the community. (The impact of exposure with the community is really significant.) We were able to understand the culture, get inspiration, and meet local craftsmen that I could work with for my art pieces,” 28-year-old Dale Magsino told the Manila Bulletin. “Art residency is a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and culture among artists. This made me realize that my province, Quezon, and District 4 of Pangasinan have much in common, and it made me appreciate my culture and origin more.”
Dale also said that some of his unforgettable experiences were when he met the local basket weavers, salt artisans, and candle makers from Manaoag.
Meanwhile, the beauty of Tondaligan Beach in Dagupan inspired architect and artistic-ecological director Alanis Avenilla to create a functional installation called “50 Percent Reclaimed.” This artwork not only serves as a proper waste disposal unit, encouraging people to dispose of their waste properly to prevent it from ending up on the coastline or, worse, in the ocean but also functions as a shelter for lifeguards.
“When I went here, I didn’t have a set process in mind for what I’m going to do. But then after the first week, I noticed the amount of plastic wastes that we were generating from our food. That’s so many plastic bottles, and I told everyone that I will start collecting everything and I will use it for my project,” she said. “Also, there’s no visible trash bins nearby, so if you’re a visitor you will not know where to throw your trash, aside from taking it home. Along the hem of the beach there’s no another visible structure and a life guard post. So it’s such a convenient collection point for plastic waste because it’s visible.”
The exhibitions
After a month of residency, the five artists finally revealed their works at the Anakbanwa Arts Exhibition at MacArthur House, Dagupan. Inspired by their month-long exposure and immersion in the province, Dale unveiled his dolls heavily inspired by Pangasinan’s legendary warrior princess Urduja. Meanwhile, Russ Ligtas’ multi-media work, "A Brief History of the End,” is a journey to Pangasinan from the Hundred Islands to a memorial to General Douglas MacArthur.
In Dagupan City, artist Eduard Grabillo’s “Pagdalaw sa Sta. Isabel” talks about his childhood dream and the role of society in honing every person’s identity. “Ito ang idea ng paglimot at paghilom. Para sa akin may mga bagay na kinalimutan mo lang pero actually hindi ka naghilom doon (This is the idea of forgetting and healing. For me, there are things that you may have forgotten, but you actually haven't healed from them),” he said. “Para sa akin yung tunay na paghilom ay kahit balik-balikan mo yung memory, hindi mo na mararamdaman yung galit at lungkot. (For me, true healing is when, even if you revisit the memory, you no longer feel the anger and sadness.)”
For the continuation of her works, Alanis showcased more of her ecological art pieces, including “My Birthplace Found Me,” “Safe na sa Tondaligan,” and “Binasuan.” Lastly, for Lala Monserrat, aside from showcasing her artworks, she also facilitated a workshop titled “Collective Narrative in Transitory Objects.” It is designed to “teach the fundamental materials related to artist practice in sculpture and archiving.”
During the opening day of the Anakbanwa Art Exhibition, some artists in the field of fashion design were present to show their support, including Esme Palaganas, Kelvin Morales, RJ Santos, and Nicolo Perez.
“The dream is for our artists to learn to be more entrepreneurial and organizational. Anakbanwa, which literally means people coming together, at some point, the community has to come together to make enough for art festivals,” Cong. Toff told the Manila Bulletin. “We just really want to empower our local creatives, to be able to dream, to be able to self-organize, to be able to make ripples in their communities, and to positively disrupt systems through arts and creativity.”
Apart from the five artists' art exhibitions, Anakbanwa also holds the Pandaragupan Art Exhibition, where 15 young artists from Pangasinan, aged 15 to 30, showcase their works after a week-long mentorship program in partnership with Linangan Art Residency. Their works are on display at Casa Mira, Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
Anakbanwan Art Exhibition will reopen today, Jan. 3, 2024.