January 14 – February 4, 2022
Finale Art File
Makati, Metro Manila
Davao-based artist Judelyn Villarta is no stranger to festivals in Mindanao. She has been an avid attendee since she was in high school, finding joy in the general atmosphere energized by people coming together to celebrate their culture through performances, costumes, and parades. Sparked by her desire to promote indigenous cultures in Mindanao, her fascination with festivals led to her graduate thesis on Kaamulan Festival in her hometown Bukidnon, her first solo exhibition “A Glimpse of Bukidnon” in 2018, and now with “Never ending joy.”
A direct translation of the T’boli word helobung, this exhibition is the artist’s portrayal of the T’boli community’s Helobung Festival which usually happens in the second week of November. There is a great sense of detail sprawled across the canvases in the intricately drawn clothing patterns, sometimes mixed with scribbles of nature elements. The dominant colors echo the meaning imbibed in their textiles: red for courage and love, and black for soil that nurtures life. Apart from clothing, the embodiment of music in their culture is also illustrated through instruments such as the two-stringed lute hegelung.
On the whole, Villarta draws a landscape to represent the joyous spirit of the festivities and to depict the rituals performed to offer gratitude for their bountiful harvest.
From the smallest to the most apparent details, there is a never ending joy manifesting in both the appreciation and celebration of one’s culture.
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