Gerilya artists Janno Gonzales and Mar Rios with their work in progress. The mural aims to bring awareness to the Lumad crisis in Mindanao. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
Members of Gerilya, an art collective composed of street and digital artists, recently participated in a street art gathering to promote awareness about the Lumad culture, the tribe’s plight, and to protest against the killings of the indigenous group’s members recently.
Gerilya, composed of seven artists who each have day jobs besides their group, has followers among the comics and digital art community.
During Manilakbayan 2015, where more than 700 Lumads from Mindanao camped at the Liwasang Bonifacio, Gerilya artists Janno Gonzales and Mar Rios worked on an 8 x 16 feet wooden panel given to them by the group. The two UP Fine Arts graduates thought of creating a collage that would give a shout out on the struggles of the Lumads.
A member of the Lumad group plays the ‘kudyapi,’ a two-stringed musical instrument used by particular tribal groups in Mindanao. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
(Read related InterAksyon story on the Surigao del Sur Lumad crisis).
The artists worked quickly on their canvas since there was news that the Kampuhan will be dispersed.
In a few days, APEC leaders and delegates were schedule to arrive in the country for the economic summit and security measures by Malacañang were to be implemented. Later, the indigenous group moved their camp to Baclaran church.
The creative hands of these Lumads who have set camp in Manila are stringing beads to make their colorful jewelry. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
There is a certain nobleness to graffiti art as it carries a temporary quality along with the fast-paced changes happening in urban areas. Left, a 2012 Gerilya mural depicting Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan, and at right, the mural defaced in 2013. Photos by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
(Check the Ang Gerilya Facebook page to view their impressive creations.)
According to Gonzales, the street artists are inspired by history, agriculture, and politics when creating comics illustrations and digital art works. Their genre and medium are popular among the youth, which makes their message readily acceptable by their target audience, the millennials.
Gonzales shared, “Nagsisimula kami sa content then we interpret it through digital works—dati sa komiks, sa diyaryo—and after almost 10 years since graduation, heto nagpipinta kami sa kalye.”
Rios added, “Our art form is part of the community. It doesn’t veer away from the community’s everyday life, the daily struggles. Through street art, we can send share our message without bothering others and we are also part of the generation of millennials.”
A Lumad elder dressed in traditional attire takes a break after performing some traditional songs with his ‘kudyapi.’ Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com
http://www.interaksyon.com/lifestyle/gerilya-artists-lumads-band-together-for-street-art-exhibit-to-fight-for-a-cause
This exploitation of the arts in support of lumad protests/demonstrations appears to be associated with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) backed Manilakbayan 2015 agitation-propaganda activity. Note the negative portrayal of the military in the mural.
ReplyDeleteThe commies leave no stone unturned in their propaganda war against the Philippine government/military. Exploitation of the arts is reflected in the establishment of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), a CPP-associated front group that often works in concert with the main CPP multisectoral front organization, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-New Patriotic Alliance).
CAP maintains a Website at the following URL: http://www.concernedartistsphil.org/