Kinabuhi: Suyam and Ompo of the Agusan-Manobo, an exhibition on the cultural heritage of the Agusan Manobo ethnic group, was recently showcased and gained wide recognition at the Université Internationale de Rabat in Morocco.
Featured artist Carlito Camahalan Amalla, a member of the cultural community, unraveled the interconnectedness of social, cultural, and visceral ecologies through narratives from his homeland.
Amalla, founder and leader of the Agusan Artists Association in Butuan City and the Balangay Artists Association in Metro Manila, gave a public lecture in which he presented an impressive collection of ceramic sculptures — puppets and dolls of important characters, including chieftains, shamans, and warriors. Depicted in a historical panorama, the pieces had their own traditional embroidery or suyam. Characterized by various geometrical designs, the pattern is seen as an extension of the body and a form of art grounded on their rituals, unity, and life.
The exhibition, which ran from 12 to 14 October and in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Month, featured Amalla's paintings and textiles, which provided glimpses of the life of the Agusan Manobo, as well as recent writings from his scholarly work and creative practice.
Amalla is a performer, dancer, chanter, musician, puppeteer, ceramist, and researcher, who participated in exhibitions in Wales, Belgium, England, and the United States. He holds a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, with a major in Sculpture, and a Master's Degree in Art History, both from the University of the Philippines. His Agusan Manobo embroidery art thesis, paintings, and puppetry in Sinuyaman: Awit ni Baylan were part of the Mindanao: Cartography of History, Identity, and Representation presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 2019.
Kinabuhi: Suyam and Ompo of the Agusan-Manobo was curated by arts and lifestyle writer and Benilde Arts Management Program chairperson Alain Zedrick Camiling, who also maintains an active curatorial practice. It was presented by the Philippine Embassy in Morocco in Rabat. The exhibit was in partnership with the Université Internationale de Rabat and with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.