BONES AND ALL

The Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia spans across 27,000 square meters and houses a cinema, a cafe, a descendant of the Bodhi Tree, works from indigenous and contemporary Australian artists, a few Picassos, pieces from Degas and Toulous-Lautrec and from 30 November to 27 April, a large-scale mural from Iloilo-based Kikik Kollektive entitled “Tul-an sang aton kamal-aman” (Bones of our elders).

Located at the upper level, the mural was created from the ground up at the venue, in a wing where sunlight streams softly, imbuing the space with a dream-like aura. The sheer size of the piece is arresting, stretching across the entire hallway. Then the figures come into focus: fluid and lush, a serpent winding its way through thick foliage, passing by a babaylan mid-chant before anchoring itself near the central figure, resistance fighter Teresa Magbanua.

“‘Tul-an sang aton kamal-aman’ (Bones of our elders) honors the history and indigenous culture of Panay island in the Philippines through a tribute to local figures, community traditions, ancient cultivation practices, and spiritual beliefs,” shares Kikik Kollektive founder Kristine Buenavista.

This is the second time the group has featured Magbanua, whom Buenavista describes as a symbol of colonial resistance thanks to her efforts during the Philippine Revolution, Philippine-American War, and the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Regal and determined, she is depicted protecting a group of farmers and the land’s original inhabitants, the Aeta.

“The concept of bayanihan (communal unity) and Indigenous spiritual beliefs are foregrounded through the activities of the people and the presence of a babaylan (shaman) carrying out rituals near a lunok tree, said to be the abode of supernatural beings. Weaving through and around these symbols is the Bakunawa, the Visayan serpent deity whose movements determined the ancient Panayanon calendar,” adds Buenaventura.

a “Serpents are revered creatures in Philippine folklore and are considered a physical manifestation of anito (ancestors) in the broader Visayan region, including Iloilo. The coiled figure of the Bakunawa symbolically connects the people, the land and the spirit world. Through their mural, Kikik invokes knowledge and values of the past, while acting as instigators in the dialogue for decolonization.”

“As artists, we function similarly to a scribe, recording our observation of our time and consequently answering the obligation of preserving our culture.”

Meeting the members of Kikik Kollektive, formerly Artivism Iloilo, whose alliterative name is the Hiligaynon word for cicada, and seeing their work, then in-progress, was a happy coincidence for our group. We were there for a media trip sponsored by the Brisbane Economic Development Agency, so a visit to QAGOMA, the two riverside art museums in the city’s vibrant South Bank district was part of the itinerary. As we were being toured, our guides surprised us with news that a group of Filipino artists from Iloilo was currently working on a piece for the upcoming Asia Pacific Triennial. As an Ilonggo, I was personally very excited. Although I was born there and could speak the language, I didn’t know much of the culture, its richness and depth. Meeting them, Buenavista, Marrz Capanang, Marge Chavez and Noel Epalan Jr., however short, was enlightening. Their passion was infectious, and as was their exciting perspective on art and community involvement.

They shared more in a follow up interview via email, telling the story of how they came together, explaining their ambitious goals and the context of their works, and how they came to Australia.

The group got together officially in 2017 and have since been engaging their local communities with their art that now decorates numerous places in Iloilo. Their aim, apart from making art accessible to everyone, is to “reinforce the important voices of the unheard and the undermined and decolonized white-normative viewpoints.”

“Every project centers around the people; the collaborators, the concepts and the intent. This commitment nurtures a culture of reciprocation and is actively passed on to the next generation through youth engagements, mentorship, and volunteerism with the Kikik Katalysts,” shares Buenavista.

Their methodology and the subject of their works, often unsung heroes and local mythology, are clear reflections of their goals and their values as artists. They have painted the dragon boats of the Iloilo Paddlers Club, created murals celebrating the local heroes, from writer Magdalena Jalandoni, to anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano, and Nang Maria, a market vendor and kakanin maker. Buenavista, an accomplished writer in her own right (her work, “LAKAT: a Walk to School, a Pilgrimage to Dreams” is taught in schools) documents their works with poetic eloquence on their website and social media accounts. During our meeting at QAGOMA, they were friendly and engaging, patiently accommodating our requests for interviews and photos, and even letting some of us take part in the painting.

How did their group, so focused on engaging and educating their hometown communities, find themselves in Brisbane preparing for an international art festival? Simply put, the QAGOMA slide into their DMs. In 2022, Kikik was contacted by Abigail Bernal, associate curator at QAGOMA, via Instagram after reading about their work “Marka Merkado,” a series of portraits of vendors from Barotac Viejo. Not long after, the curator flew to Iloilo to meet with them and see their works firsthand.

“We managed to show her around our murals by walking around Downtown Iloilo where they are mostly located. After that communion, she kept in touch to inform us that we were one of the selected artists for the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 11,” says Buenavista.

The foursome found themselves in sunny Brisbane, with a full team ready to help them bring their vision to life. They noted numerous names, among them Bernal and local artists Steven Falco, Amihan Aquilizan and Imogen Corbett.

“Our first day of work consisted of elevated work platform training with workshop officer, Darcy Fox, as safety and proper usage of equipment was of utmost priority. It was only after that did our mural start in earnest,” shares Chavez. It would be gruelling work, as they had a deadline. On the day we met them, Capanang gestured to the work that was just a little more than halfway done, noting that they had to finish the day after. The image of Magbanua loomed large over us, watching patiently. There’s a version of her and the serpent, entitled “Si Magbanua kag ang Bakunawa” in their hometown in Muelle Loney Street in Iloilo, a popular work highlighted by the mayor, spawning similar works from other artists and mentions about the resistance fighter in social media. Hopefully, this version will also inspire more conversations and recognition, not just of the subject or the artists, but of the culture.

Kikik Kollektive, Buenavista shares, has three main goals: “To create collaborative community-engaged art such as murals and participatory events centered on localization, public space revitalization, and communal reciprocity; to connect local artists and grassroots communities to tackle social inquiries and have dialogues around decolonization; to provide an experimental, experience-based, and innovative platform for young artists and aspiring community-engaged organizers and visionaries.” It’s a vision that will serve them well as they continue to create and inspire Filipinos and artists alike, beyond Iloilo.