Cover Video still from Piña, Why is the Sky Blue, 2021
Video still from Piña, Why is the Sky Blue, 2021
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Catch two exhibitions that explore pre-colonial and futuristic themes
Silverlens Manila ends April with two exhibitions from three renowned artists. Showcasing abstract prints from the ’70s, Rigodon is Imelda Cajipe-Endaya’s inaugural solo exhibition for Silverlens, highlighting works from her early years. The varicoloured exhibition of diverse works paints Endaya’s identity as an artist and person.
The second exhibition, Piña, Why is the Sky Blue?, features Stephanie Comilang and Simon Speiser, who combine past and future with a speculative documentary about the life of spiritual medium piña.
Art lovers may see the two exhibitions at Silverlens Manila from April 26 to May 25.
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Rigodon
Above Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Ambon at Sinag sa Enero 1975
Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Ambon at Sinag sa Enero 1975
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Hailed for her large-scale paintings and mixed media works, renowned feminist, activist, and community organiser Imelda Cajipe-Endaya explores her decades-long search for the Filipino identity in her exhibit, Rigodon. Early in her artistic career, Endaya created vivid abstract prints, but the world rarely saw this side of her. “Almost always, I was burdened with guilt at doing abstracts,” she said in 1987. The exhibition features the artist’s abstract work from the mid-’70s, conveying the themes of playfulness, experimentation, and joy.
Aptly named after a traditional court dance performed in the Philippines since the Spanish colonial era, the works in the exhibition involve price and elegant movements complemented by bold, intuitive strokes—capturing how Filipinos took the traditional dance, injected their cultural flair, and made it our own.
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Piña, Why is the Sky Blue?
Previously exhibited in major institutions such as the Tate Modern in London, UK and Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Canada, Piña, Why is the Sky Blue? merges ancestral knowledge with new technologies against the backdrop of an affirming techno-feminist vision of the future. The exhibition’s centrepiece is a virtual-reality installation that narrates the story of a spiritual medium known as Piña. She can receive and collect inherited knowledge, messages, and dreams from people worldwide to secure their survival.
The exhibition also features footage in the Philippines and Ecuador, where Comilang and Speiser have family histories. Through their emphasis on matriarchal lineages and modes of knowledge transmission, the duo touches on how pre-colonial customs have survived despite violent oppression from colonisers.
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Credits
Images: Silverlens Manila
About
Gabriel found his passion for writing through poetry in high school. He sharpened his skills at Ateneo de Manila University and hopes to write a play worthy of Broadway one day. A self-proclaimed geek, he loves to spend his free time playing video games and board games. When he's not clicking heads on Valorant or roleplaying as a barbarian in Dungeons and Dragons, you can find him exploring art galleries or watching stage plays.
Work
A creative writer who writes about anything and everything, Gabriel loves to dive deep into the arts and culture scene—as well as going on long road trips for travel pieces.
You can reach him on Instagram at @gbohol for any leads, casual conversations or game invites.
