The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya was born in 1949 in Manila, the Philippines. She first won recog­ nition for her prints which explored exper­ imentation in technique and Filipino visual imagery. Among the best known of her prints is the series 'Our ancestors' which brought together images from nineteenth-century engravings and novenae, the Boxer Codex [an early catalogue of indigenous Philippine costumes), and Damian Domingo's albums, in order to pose the question of national identity. In 1981, she shifted fromprintmaking to painting marked by an innovative use of materials. Her lively sense of history provided the bridge for her transition and led to her involvement as an artist with the issues and problems of today. She has focused on the plight of the Filipina in her various contemporary roles in a feminism that is articulated with the quest for national liberation. Imelda Cajipe-Endaya's work, which often alludes to events and social conditions such as militarisation, conveys the turmoil and passion that attend the dynamics of social change. Most remarkable is her use of indigenous materials and folk-symbolic elements to convey local textures and colours, along with their rich social and historical connotations. The woven sawali panels, for instance, commonly used as sidings for nipa houses, are materials which are both natural (organic texture) and cultural (the weaving tradition in handicraft architecture). The crocheted lace curtains collaged on the paintings convey woman's presence; through this craft in which woman traditionally spent her leisure hours between the household chores of cooking and child­ rearing, the artist introduces the theme of woman's condition. Spell tomorrow: A vision of health, abun­ dance and harmony for Filipino children cuts through Philippine social classes, from the rural poor, to citystreet children, tomiddleand rich classes. An attempt to 'flashback' to historical-cultural influences while at the same time conveying the current struggle towards the vision as felt in the contemporary milieu is also suggested. The components, handcrafted to a degree of permanence, consist of wall-works, installation pieces and a sculptural centrepiece. Wall-works of sawali panels or bamboo matting suggest walls, windows and doors of local dwellings. Some windows are made of shell grids and louvres. All these form an assemblage with painted THE PHILIPPINES IMELDA CAJIPE-ENDAYA Bond of unity 1985 Oil on bamboo mat and recycled materials reliefs of plaster-bonded cloth. Installation pieces are made of actual native toys, colour­ ful papier-mache animals and figures on the floor and hanging from the ceiling. These are supplemented by a sculptural centrepiece in the round, made of oversized papier­ mache toys, plaster-bonded clothand natural materials. In general, Spell tomorrow ... presents a composite of festive colours and textures: the colours are mostly complemen­ tary, inspired by children's games, crafts, clothes and toys; the textures aredrawn from the familiar environment. Alice Guillermo 33