Contemporary Philippine Art: Traditions and Modern Practices

Music

• Uwang Ahadas (Yakan, Basilan) – Master of traditional Yakan instruments (kwintangan, gabbang, bamboo gongs).

Importance of Tradition

• Protects heritage & culture.

• Combines functionality + creativity + cultural identity.

• Passed on to younger generations (schools, workshops, community).

• Tradition is Contemporary – adapted for modern use, remains relevant today.

Challenges Faced by Traditional Artists

1. Tourism – Rituals/dances altered for tourists; synthetic materials replace natural.

2. Mining & Infrastructure – Displacement, environmental damage.

3. Militarization – Insecurity prevents gatherings/knowledge transmission.

4. Conversion to Christianity – Some native practices abandoned.

5. Accessibility – Archipelagic geography; remote/militarized areas hard to document.

Contemporary Art Practices in the Philippines

Performance Art

• Uses body, sound, space.

• DioKno Pasilan – Painted body green in eco-art festival.

• Lani Maestro & Poklong Anading – Digital Tagalog (bamboo, sound, digital audio).

• Agnes Locsin – Reimagined Moriones Festival in contemporary dance.

Local Adaptations

• Rody Vera – Ang Post Office (Filipino adaptation with taho & sampaguita).

• Aanak di Kabiligan – Fugtong: The Black Dog (Cordillera play, multiple languages).

Community & Youth Theater

• Rey Angelo Aurelio – Bakata: Battle of the Street Poets (rap, dance, Smokey Mountain youth).

Installation Art

• Lani Maestro – Limen (France, industrial vs. Natural).

• Mark Salvatus – The Secret Garden 2 (interactive, prisoners, recycled materials).

• Felix Bacolor – Waiting (2012) – airport terminal, time & travel.

• Maria Taniguchi – Abstract grid paintings.

• Ikoy Ricio – Trump Card Game (card game accidents).

Art + Science

• Ian Carlo Jaucian – Robotics-based art (Liquid Robot).

• Anonymous Animals (2013) – Terracotta “specimens” blending art, science & fiction.

How Art is Experienced

• Direct / Artifact – Paintings, sculptures, buildings.

• Recorded / Documented – Films, photos, music.

• Live / Performance – Theater, concerts, installations.

• Digital Experience – Online exhibits, interactive technology.