The Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon word kabuganaan, meaning “abundance” or “plenty,” aptly captured the aesthetic spirit of the Rahmag Art Group exhibition, ANIngalan: A Harvest of Art. With emphasis on ani — “harvest” — the exhibition formed part of the second Aningalan Arts Festival held in the upland barangay of Aningalan, San Remigio, Antique, from 17 to 19 April. The show gathered works that drew from fruits, flowers, and vegetables found in Aningalan and across tropical Philippines, presenting both a celebration of natural bounty and a reflection on its fragility in the Anthropocene. The works gained urgency not only for present audiences but also for those who would encounter them in the future.

Featured artists included Amer Mira, Raz Laude, M. de los Santos, Hoppo Ricarze, Joan Sarmogenes, Jonathan Bunker, Nestor Cancan Jr., Krisna Marielle Morales, Morris Lavega, Tinee Delgado, Red Haraya, Pritz Norella Samillano, Sarû, Cheenie Luces and Shekinah Sibugan. The exhibition was mounted at Ambon Mountain Resort, nearly 1,000 meters above sea level. The modest gallery space opened to expansive views of mountains and forests, situating the works within the very landscape that inspired them.

Ricarze’s Bugana (Abundant; acrylic on canvas) offered an almost abstract rendering of the Aningalan mountainscape. The familiar contours of Mount Opao and Mount Napulak emerged through dense color and textured strokes, while an impressionistic foreground of blooming flowers suggested an overflowing landscape.

A familiar local scene — farmers bringing their harvest to market — appeared in Mira’s Bakintol (To Carry on One’s Head). The oil painting centered on a figure balancing a basket of leafy vegetables, rendered in translucent, impressionistic tones that lent both weight and quiet dignity to the act.