11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Marrz Capanang (above) and Marge Chavez (below) paint collaborative murals in IIoilo City, 2022 / Images courtesy: The artists / Photographs: Kristine Buenavista (above) and Arsen Vargas (below) NOTES 1 Kikik Kollective, artist statement, 2023. 2 Kikik Kollective. 3 Kikik Kollective. 4 Henry F Funtecha, ‘Nay Isa, the bravest woman fighter of Iloilo’, The News Today , 20 October 2006, <www. thenewstoday.info/2006/10/20/ nay.isa.the.bravest.woman. fighter.of.iloilo.html>, viewed June 2024. 5 The Bakunawa is considered to be related to the Naga deity, a hybrid human-serpent, in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain beliefs and mythologies that are prevalent throughout South-East Asia. Amid the bustling marketplaces and public spaces of Iloilo, on Panay Island, the Philippines, street-side murals by Kikik Kollektive can be found. Core members of the collective — Kristine Buenavista, Marrz Capanang, Marge Chavez and Noel Epalan Jr — connect with locals, artists and grassroots organisations of the region with the goal of drawing attention to social and environmental issues through a community lens. The collective create their large-scale murals ‘as a means to preserve the past and be an active instigator in the dialogue for decolonisation’. 1 The name Kikik Kollektive signifies the artists’ connection to Iloilo province. The Hiligaynon language is spoken in rural areas of Iloilo, and ‘kikik’ comes from the Hiligaynon word for cicada. Naming the collective after the insect’s loud chatter is symbolic of the way in which the artists stimulate dialogue and exchange in the community. 2 For the Asia Pacific Triennial, Kikik Kollektive celebrates significant stories of Iloilo in a vast mural across the walls of the Gallery of Modern Art. Tul-an sang aton kamal-aman ( Bones of our elders ) 2024 honours Panayanon culture, indigenous to Panay, through a tribute to local figures, community traditions, ancient cultivation practices and spiritual beliefs. In creating this mural, Kikik Kollektive assert: What is truly lost — in a highly globalised world lured to believe that the parameters for national wealth are mass production, extremely advanced technology, extracted terrains, corporate capitalism and towering buildings — is the freedom to connect with the Land. Through this connection, we reclaim the power of our many-voiced local earth — its myths woven through the curiosities and imaginaries of our ancestors, its abundance and healing in the presence of food, ethnopharmacology and regenerative seeds. Decolonising ourselves must move forward in the direction of our Land’s diversity and generosity, so we can revere the places that hold us. 3 Teresa Magbanua, a teacher, farmer and military leader born in Pototan, Iloilo, is a central figure in the mural. As a veteran of the Philippine Revolution (1896–98), Philippine–American War (1899–1902) and Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1942–45), Magbanua is a symbol of colonial resistance. 4 In paying tribute to Magbanua, Kikik Kollective highlight the hidden contribution women have made to Iloilo and Philippines history. In their mural, Magbanua is portrayed steadfast in protecting the mangunguma (farmers) behind her, who tend to the bounty of the land, as well as the Aeta, its original inhabitants. Values of collectivism and the concept of bayanihan (communal unity) are celebrated in the depiction of a community moving a house — a common occurrence in the past when village dwellings were built with lighter materials. Indigenous spiritual beliefs and the importance of rituals in contemporary life are also foregrounded in the mural with a babaylan (a shaman with the ability to mediate with the spirit world, perform rituals and healing therapies) carrying out rituals near a lunok tree, which is said to be a dwelling for supernatural beings. Weaving through and around these symbols is the Bakunawa, the Visayan serpent deity whose movements determined the ancient Panayanon calendar. Serpents are revered creatures in the Philippine folklore, playing a role in farming and spiritual rituals, 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. 5 With their immense, collectively painted mural, Kikik Kollektive present a cacophony of narratives, symbols and characters, forming a bold visual representation of Iloilo that emphasises the stories that have created and shaped its land, people and history. Tul-an sang aton kamal-aman ( Bones of our elders ) amplifies these integral aspects of Panayanon life and culture at great scale. JOCELYNFLYNN ESTABLISHED2017, ILOILO, THE PHILIPPINES KRISTINE BUENAVISTA BORN 1984, BAROTAC VIEJO, ILOILO, THE PHILIPPINES MARRZCAPANANG BORN 1986, ILOILO CITY, ILOILO MARGECHAVEZ BORN 1991, ILOILO CITY NOEL EPALAN JR BORN 1988, ISABELA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, THE PHILIPPINES LIVE+WORK IN ILOILO KIKIKKOLLEKTIVE ARTISTS+PROJECTS ASIAPACIFICTRIENNIAL 124 — 125