Art Meets Fashion: Jane Ebarle and Philip Rodriguez celebrate friendship and shared artistry with ‘Bisti’

Rodriguez was fixing his apartment last year, wanting to add a few modern elements rooted in tradition to his interiors, when he suddenly came across Ebarle’s hibla art on social media. This led to the designer inviting the painter to watch the Ternocon to immerse herself further into the world of Filipiniana attire.

Rodriguez and Ebarle were formally introduced in December 2023 at the Bonifacio Global City during the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ culminating show for its workshop cycle for modernising terno. Their friendship naturally blossomed, with Rodriguez setting his sights on mounting an art-plus-fashion show with Ebarle. However, it was clear to Rodriguez that he wanted Ebarle to make her visual art renderings of traditional Filipiniana attire—a step further from the fabrics and patterns-focused hibla art—while avoiding making literal translations of each other’s pieces for the show.

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Ebarle admits that prior to this project, she was not that fluent in Filipino fashion, as evident in her hibla art, which was only zoomed-in perspectives of textiles’ crisscrossed patterns. Painting figurative compositions of them was far from her mind at the time, and she felt daunted by the project’s immensity. Her enlightening journey of appreciation led her to a sense of pride in the works of fashion designers and weavers throughout our fashion history.

To her surprise, Rodriguez liked Ebarle’s initial paintings, so the project continued to develop. “Philip is a very good person, gracious, generous, and truly humble, given that he came from an illustrious family,” Ebarle comments.

Rodriguez recalls working with Ebarle as smooth sailing, especially because they had the freedom to explore their creativity for the project.

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Rodriguez spearheaded the Cebu side of the Bisti project—coordinating with the venue, searching for sponsors, working on promotional photography, and more. Meanwhile, Ebarle ensured the production from Manila.

But Ebarle was not unknown to the Cebu community. Besides having patrons and clients from the Queen City of the South, she also once spent a significant chapter of her life there.

“When I knew that she was an Ebarle, although, by marriage, I already felt the connection because my former model, who was Miss Cebu at the time, was an Ebarle. The family was well known in the region,” Rodriguez says.

Ebarle realises that their paths must have crossed in one way or another, quite literally, as she would see Rodriguez’s family atelier Piere Angeli along Ramos Street almost every day. But as destiny would have it, they would have their art forms weaved at a poignant time in their careers.

“It’s exciting to see how art and fashion, Jane and I, could blend,” Rodriguez shares, recalling the year-long process for them to mount this show. “This kind of collaboration was not new to me, but working with Jane was just easy,” he adds.

Rodriguez shares that they hope to promote the global resonance of Filipino fashion through this show and highlight that contemporary Filipino artistry rooted in heritage can excel internationally.

“The important thing fashion designers must remember is that it is crucial for our clients to feel confident wearing our designs,” Rodriguez says.

Ebarle graduated in Fine Arts, majoring in Advertising, from the University of Santo Tomas. However, it took her decades to pursue a career as a full-fledged visual artist. She had her first show at the Philippine Heart Center in 2008 and has since become known as an abstractionist inspired by the artistry of the Indigenous groups from the Cordilleras to Mindanao. Mainly represented by the Galerie Joaquin group, Ebarle has exhibited her works in local group and solo shows, as well as international settings, such as the Asian Civilisations Museum in 2011 and the Philippine Center in New York in 2013. Her works were also exhibited in 2015 at the National Museum and were commissioned by the Malacañang Palace to be distributed as token gifts during the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN Summit in Manila in 2017.

Being a wife and later a single mother with three children propelled her to enter the corporate world. For 19 years, she has explored different aspects of a marketing career, which includes working for the defunct Channel 9 network, Mattel, and Crown Supply Corporation, which made her engaged with brands such as Faber-Castell, Dong-A, Deli Stationery, and Copic Markers. This dabbling into the artistic realm—but coming from the material production side—surged her longing to express herself through visual art.

With the support of renowned artist Jose “Bogie” Tence Ruiz, Ebarle pursued a style that resonated most with her—abstractionism—to mount her first solo show.

“I was really, very happy to fulfil my longtime dream to become a painter,” Ebarle recalls.

Compared to other abstractionists who deliberately transform representational figures, Ebarle finds comfort in the tedious process of repetitive motions with textures and patterns subjected to her instinct.

“It’s very spontaneous at the beginning, and then along the way, I discover the composition it is taking me to with all the colours and shapes that have sprung up while being in the moment,” Ebarle explains, reflecting her humble approach to the acrylic medium and the limitless possibilities of abstraction.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has a more established presence in his discipline yet also dares to carve out new paths for traditional Filipiniana. Regarded by many as “Cebu’s fashion czar”, Rodriguez was actually a Management graduate from the University of the Philippines Cebu until the political events in the Seventies impeded him from furthering his studies abroad. Instead, he took care of his mother’s fabric and dress shop. This pivot led him to expand their family business, with him sketching designs—a skill he learnt from high school, initiated by his grandfather, who gifted them miniature houses that would serve as subjects of his sketches.

Rodriguez’s career as a full-fledged designer began when they opened Piere Angeli, the atelier named after his youngest sister.

In 2020, he was tapped as one of Ternocon’s lead mentors alongside Lesley Mobo and Ivarluski Aseron.

“I think the impact of Ternocon is evident in how there is now a new consciousness of wearing something intrinsically Filipino,” Rodriguez says. “We don’t want to lose our heritage,” he adds.

This passion to present traditional attire and fabrics to today’s generation sparked from his show in Korea back in 1984. Since then, Rodriguez has been one of the forerunners of modernising Filipiniana for contemporary wear, through his shop Filippo.

Ebarle admits that her art process is laborious. “But when you appreciate your finished work, you are relieved with joy and fulfilment of how visually appealing it is. Sometimes, I get surprisingly amazed by how I managed to finish a work, to a point of disbelief.”

“The only thing that can make you relevant is when you keep on changing and developing,” Rodriguez says. “You just have to be a sponge to absorb everything that may add to your creativity and be courageous to explore.”

Bisti is a momentous show that marries painting and fashion, two visually striking art forms, to present possible innovations in traditions through abstraction to the people. With this, the versatility of Filipino artists shines through.

“I do not want to be constrained by one style. The universe, even artistic mediums, is vast, and there is much to explore,” Ebarle concludes.

Bisti exhibition runs until November 30 at The Mall | NUSTAR Cebu

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