The Women’s Month of March is made more significant by the Tandang Sora Women’s Museum in Quezon City. Now formally open to the public, the museum lies on the avenue named after “the mother of the Philippine Revolution”—a means to uphold the value of women and to perpetuate a culture where women hold significant roles...
Category: Culture
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Bringing art from the galleries to the streets of Naga City
PILI, Camarines Sur—People typically go to air-conditioned rooms, enclosed building spaces, and narrow hallways to experience art. One artist, Manuel Dondon Medenilla, has made a dramatic distinction. Medenilla is holding an exhibition of his paintings, acrylic on canvas, on a sidewalk of Magsaysay Avenue in Naga City, to literally bring art closer to other people...
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Filipinos are among avid readers of Korean literature
The announcement that South Korean writer Han Kang was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was nothing short of historic. Han Kang not only became the first Asian woman to win the award; it is also the first such distinction for a Korean writer. For avid readers of Korean literature, Han Kang’s win cemented...
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Rare paintings by Filipino masters on view in Iloilo City
ILOILO CITY—Paintings by Filipino masters from the Lopez Museum and Library are on view at the Museum of Arts and Cultural Heritage of the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas here, in time for the celebration of National Arts Month this February. The show, “The Patrimony of All: Ang Panublion sang Tanan,” features 16 rare...
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Kikik Kollektive’s Panayanon mural is on view at Queensland art gallery
The Ilonggo art group Kikik Kollektive has notched a milestone at the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art of the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) with a mural that shines a light on Panayanon history and culture. Measuring 7.5 meters by 25 meters, the mural titled “Bones of Our Elders” (or “Tul-an...
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Gastronomy book brings Ilonggo cuisine to the world
Iloilo City, long known for its rich culinary heritage, was declared a Creative City for Gastronomy by Unesco (or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on Oct. 31, 2023. To further promote Ilonggo cuisine worldwide, the city launched a book, “Gastronomic Expressions of Our City, Iloilo: Nature, Culture, and Geography,” last Dec. 14 at the...
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Vietnam is making waves in global pageantry
The last quarter of the year is proving to be a significant one for Vietnam in terms of international pageantry, with two global competitions in that country and an international crown for a resident of the capital Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon). It may appear unlikely for a communist country to take part in the...
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‘Miss Universe Asia’ is the Philippines’ latest beauty title
The Philippines may not have clinched the Miss Universe title at the recently concluded competition held in Mexico, but the country’s delegate Chelsea Manalo still made history as the first recipient of the “Miss Universe Asia” title. Manalo, also the first black woman to represent the Philippines in the most important international beauty pageant for...
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The flow from Mount Banahaw to the Venice Biennale
The inactive volcano that is Mount Banahaw functions in our Philippine social life in different ways: a natural fortress against tropical cyclones from the Pacific, the dwelling place of mystical, and a protected forest reserve. This mountain solidifies its enchanting presence in the heart of the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale with the exhibition Sa...
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Sea people and their buoyant ontology
Who are the sea people? What does it mean for people to embody the vastness of the sea? What happens when the sea’s massiveness measures up with the collectivity of the people? I view these questions as urgent with the return of Jon Cuyson to Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines Diliman with Taong...