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Gulf Today
03-08-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Philippine Consulate General hosts new art exhibition
There is a new art exhibition at the Philippine Consulate General in Al Qusais, Dubai. Under the 'Museo sa Konsulado,' this is the 'Kata I and Kata II,' an immersion of the public into the visual arts-cum-contemplative melody by a mother and son. It rocks and lullabies them to that time and space of how languages and peoples are interknitted altogether. Even as the vast deep, the gargantuan concrete jungles and the jagged summits mean separation and God-willing, reunion. The mother is Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah faculty member Susan Villanueva-De Guzman, recognised by public and private institutions in the UAE and overseas for her contributions in her advocacies through education. She has been globally recognised for her expanding portfolios of graphic designs and oil-watercolour-acrylic paintings and murals. Her son, whom she had requested 'to arrange' the contemplative melody, is Canada-based Patrick Zyrille, 'a storyteller, an instructional designer, an artist, and an animator.' In his welcome address at the Friday inauguration of the 'Kata I and Kata II' – the 'third public exhibition' of the 'inseparable' murals – both at 1.9X2.4 metres metallic/acrylic and foil leaf, Consul General Marford Angeles tackled a bit the semantics of 'kata.' He re-emphasised that among other mandates, the consular mission serves as the 'platform and amplifier' for the Filipinos' 'talent, creativity and resiliency.' The reason for the Museo sa Konsulado,' of which Villanueva-De Guzman is the seventh featured UAE-based artist. Especially so that the initiative is anchored as well on five of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – unbiased quality education (4), decent work and economic growth (8), reduced inequalities (10), sustainable cities and communities (11), and global partnerships for growth (17) – which all governments are striving to succeed in, through their own citizens and through bilateral and multilateral collaborations. Which points to the lifeblood of the 'Kata I and Kata II,' originally displayed at the main wall of the award-winning Mangrove Café of the Philippine Pavilion during the 'Expo2020 Dubai' – whose 'Bangkota' identification embodies the story of the adventurous Filipino people. They who have learnt to tenaciously move up through the ripples and billows of bounty and poverty, wherever their Bathala/Allah/God plants them individually and collectively. Interestingly, August, in the Philippines is the 'Buwan ng Wika,' as Spanish-Filipino Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon (August 19, 1898-August 1, 1944) had determined that colonised Filipinos, evolving as a nation and as a people, must have their own national language. Good to know that 'kata is an 'old Tagalog word that means 'you and I or we,' according to Villanueva-De Guzman who had thought of titling her 'inseparable 'Kata I and Kata II'' as such even before she started painting it 'upside-down.' Villanueva-De Guzman, who, whenever the muse strikes, principally does extensive research and mind mapping 'because I want that every visual expression of mine is purposeful and leaves a message.' That inquisitiveness on 'kata' let this reporter moreover learn that, like 'bangkota,' it belongs to the Southern Tagalog Region in Southern Luzon. However, that among the 182 documented Philippine languages, basically Astro-Polynesian in nature, 'kata,' according to the Austronesian Languages Page in Facebook contributor, Loida Lumawen, originates in the town of Baler, the birthplace of President Quezon and the capital of Aurora province in Southern Luzon. Lumawen wrote: 'Words like kata live there, not as decorations or throwbacks, but as part of daily life in Baler and still alive. I've heard it, and I've felt it.' Lumawen illustrated the 'kata' in use: Kata na – Let's go. Magwalis kata – Let's sweep together. Maganda kata – We are both beautiful. Mahal kata – I love you (the contextual meaning is We are us because of our closeness). On Friday, Villanueva-De Guzman acknowledged the freedom architect Royal Pineda, the man-behind-the-Bangkota ideation, architect Royal Pineda, had given her. Thus, 'Kata I and Kata II.' Two people approached her for the individual purchases. She did not budge: 'These, we cannot separate because it is one and it is the single soul that mirrors the journey of our nation and our people, who, in ways, thrive wherever we are planted. We are united with shared hardships. But we sustain on. We are together. Like corals, we reconstruct out of brokenness and transform distance into proximity.'
Gulf Today
29-05-2025
- Gulf Today
‘Philippine Heritage Collection' of Dubai-based artist unveiled
The past is taking place at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, particularly in Al Qusais, where excavations, according to records, have traces to the Bronze and Iron Age. Consider these: The thoroughfare of Magallanes in the 'Queen City of the South' of the Philippines which is Cebu Province in Central Visayas. The Philippines' 'Wall Street of Asia,' Escolta, which, despite the blitzkreig for the Liberation of Manila during World War II – buildings, constructed to magnificently display the wealth gained during the 1500 to 1800 Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, remain. Binondo, the world's oldest Chinatown, a witness to the rise of the 20th century Chinoy billionaires, away from the condescension their migrant ancestors went through, particularly during the Spanish Era when they were derogatorily labelled as the Sangleys. A total of 15, these are the 'Philippine Heritage Collection' of Cebu-born Dubai resident Edcel Cabalan, whose silently-creeping latent talent in watercolouring – that elementary art orientation schoolchildren learn to enjoy and embrace – yet arduous enough to be an expert on – was recently inaugurated. In time for the 'National Heritage Month' and only a few weeks to the 127th commemoration of the June 12, 1898 emancipation of the Filipino natives and Philippine-born Spaniards from the 300-year horrific rule of their Spanish conquistadores, the exhibition is the fifth instalment to the 'Labindalawa' or 'Twelve' cultural diplomacy programming of the consular mission. It is part of the 'Museo sa Konsulado,' which, since its January 2025 debut, has become the gateway for the novice – and the other conduit for the established Filipino artist across the UAE. Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Marford Angeles said: 'The 'Philippine Heritage Collection' of Mr. Edcel Cabalan is a tribute to the structures, places, and memories that shape our national imagination.' Commenting on the ingenuity of the architect who was able to overcome the restrictions caused by the trouble-maker Novel Coronavirus 2020, Angeles also said, 'Each piece captures the white dignity of ancestral homes, the rhythm of the colonial-era streets, and the character of churches and civic buildings that have now identified the Filipino's built-in paradigm.' 'His mastery of the watercolour, a medium difficult to handle, allows the viewer to experience heritage not as a static imagery; but, as a living memory portrayed with movement, light and atmosphere,' Angeles continued. Pointing out that as pages of the past have traditionally been locked in by way of the sepia photographs, Angeles expressed hope that with the expertise of Cabalan in breathing life into the photos of the 1800s, Filipinos would be inspired. Connecting the 'National Heritage Month and the 'Philippine Heritage Collection,' Angeles told Gulf Today: 'National Heritage Month remains to be a vital observance. Perhaps even more so in an era marked by rapid technological shifts. As humanity explores Artificial Intelligence and the cosmos, heritage offers a necessary counterbalance. It grounds us in values, traditions and identity. Far from being outdated, culture and heritage provide depth and context to progress. They remind us who we are and what we carry forward, regardless of how far we go.' 'Our heritage and technology need not be seen in opposition. On the contrary, they can strengthen each other. Honouring heritage is not a retreat into the past, but a conscious act of bringing our roots into every future we build,' he also said. Now a fulltime artist, Cabalan, whose 168 of his 210 paintings have found owners not only in the UAE but overseas as well, said: 'Through this collection, I aim to preserve the soul of Philippine heritage architecture. Those timeless structures that have witnessed our nation's rich history, cultural evolution, and enduring spirit.' 'Watercolour, with its delicate translucency and emotional softness, allows me to interpret these architectural icons not only with technical precision but with heartfelt reverence. Each stroke becomes a way of honouring the craftsmanship, history, and cultural identity embedded in these spaces,' Cabalan added.
