Mindanaoan women exhibit in Italy

MANILA, Philippines - As part of the 113th Philippine Independence Day celebration of the Philippine embassy in Italy, Bae Mindanao or Opere di donne sulle donne di Mindanao, a contemporary group exhibit featuring works about women by women of Mindanao was held at the Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini” in Rome.

Ambassador Romeo Manalo lauded the exhibit saying, “This art exhibit done for the world is not only for the Filipinos. It shows Filipino talent and allows foreigners a little window to see who we are.” Manalo also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Museo Pigorini for its accommodation of the exhibit.

On the part of the Museo, anthropologist and section director Ito Lattanzi said, “It is our pleasure to introduce this exhibit in our museum. The women artists from the Philippines presented a new method for this work in our globalization. As our museum presents collection of the past, this exhibit is a bridge between the past and the future. The artists presented visual expressions from the heart and we welcome this.”

Bae Mindanao features works by sculptor and Thirteen Artists awardee Julie Lluch, Zamboanga’s bests Lorna Fernandez-Jumalon and equally talented daughters Amihan and Jana, former art teacher Casiana Torralba, Iligan City artist and gallery owner Lea Padilla, multi-media artist from Tubod, Lanao Del Norte Michelle Lua, Dipolog City’s Elena and Karen Gamalinda, Emma Prima, young Mindanaoan artists Lea Prima and Farrah Grace Estabaya, singer-songwriter Cynthia Alexander, and Bukidnon’s Talaandig artists Onanoy Saway Estrada and Salima Saway Agra-an.

Twenty-four art pieces in various media — from oil and acrylic to tapestry and cloth cut-outs, even soil — comprise the exhibit, which will move over to the sala A of the Casa Internazionale Delle Donne in Rome.

Says Mabel Acosta, curator and exhibit organizer, “The works draw inspiration from the many roles that women take on and perform as they go about their lives, not limiting themselves to just caring for their families but also nurturing their identity and recognizing their sense of self and the awareness of their role in a growing society.”

Ambassador Manalo views the exhibit as an “homage to our women. Not just the women of the past who fought for independence but also the women of today who are heroes who sacrifice and toil in order to improve the lives of their families and also of the whole country.”

Bae Mindanao aims to present a face of Mindanao and Mindanao women that is relatable across countries, continents and faiths.