Culture

GULWA: A Solo Art Exhibit on Coming Out

Desiree Carabio hopes that through her art, people would be more accepting and most importantly, feel more accepted.

Photo by Denzel Yorong

Desiree Carabio, a Fine Arts student of the University of the Philippines, has always turned to art as a symbol of her self-expression. When she grew up in a family who does different forms of art such as sculpting, carving, and screen printing, it kindled her ardent desire to create art, more specifically venturing onto the artistic frontier of digital art.

As she is a self-taught artist, spending loads of time learning through video tutorials, she soon started to develop different art styles and techniques. Desiree is curating her first ever solo exhibit, her own expression on the issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Dubbed as Gulwa, a Cebuano term which means to “come out”, the solo art exhibit is a dedication to everyone who feels different, and encourages them to come out and be their true selves.

“It is sad to know that some people imprison who they are just to fit in to what society dictates,” muses Desiree, as she describes the empowering embodiment of the exhibit and mentions its goal to inspire people to break free from holding back who they want to be.

Her digital art creativity brought her to great heights. During the 2016 49th Shell National Students Art Competition, her digital painting titled “Marlon Monroe”—an artistic take on the transformation and the complexities of gender—won 1st Place in the Digital Fine Arts category. Not only does the artwork focus on the advancements in the process of artmaking in this generation, but more importantly sheds ample light on the exceptional beauty of gender.

Photo by Denzel Yorong

An advocate for gender equality, Desiree says that one of the most challenging things about her art and the exhibit is that the subject makes most people uncomfortable because of the conservative nature inherent in the Philippines. What drives her to continue her craft is that she wants people who go through “coming out” to feel that they are okay and that there are people who understand what they go through.

“I myself am gender confused. And in my own circle, there are several who are undergoing the same, who are depressed about it, even running away from home because of it”, Desire says when asked about her strong advocacy. She hopes that through her art, people would be more accepting and most importantly, feel more accepted.

Her vision for this exhibit is to express through the canvas the struggles of finding one’s identity. As the artist herself relates to such experience, she continues to discover her true identity, one which is divergent from norms. Born into a conservative family, coming out was an experience that brought confusion, difficulty, bullying, and shame.

While many people still frown on or isolate the LGBTQ+ as they don’t fall into certain sets of societal norms traditionally assigned, the exhibit plays a pivotal role in highlighting the plight of the LGBTQ+, especially its youth as they face possibilities of homelessness, violence, and the internalized hate among the LGBTQ+.

Wrong, a sin, and an abomination. These are the words that the conservative mind runs to when faced with the LGBTQ+. With this, the artist calls for the LGBTQ+ community to be provided with utmost support and an environment inclusive of who they are, which is a crucial part of their personal development.

Gulwa will run at Artissimo Art House in Banilad, Cebu City from May 11-25. It will highlight not only awareness and visibility on the plight of the LGBTQ+ to the public, but more importantly serve as an avenue to share the stories that never get the chance to be heard or told.

Culture

The Uncommon Traditions that Mexicans and Filipinos share when celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Dia de los Muertos

By Allain Dumon Fonte

The 2nd of November is All Soul’s Day, a holiday that is very important to many Filipinos to remember our loved ones who passed on. This is also widely celebrated in Mexico as “Dia De los Muertos” or in English, “The Day of the Dead”. And Mexicans celebrate the 2nd of November grander than they celebrate Christmas. Well, you can witness it from the Disney movie, “Coco”.

As All Soul’s Day or Dia de los Muertos is about to end, here are some interesting traditions and superstitions that Filipinos and Mexicans share:

1. IT IS NOT ON THE 31st OF OCTOBER

Dia de los Muertos or All Soul’s Day is not practiced on October 31st or on the Hallow’s Eve as many other western cultures practice; but we celebrate it on the 2nd of November. We celebrate November 1st as All Saint’s Day or the Day of the Holy, while in Mexico they call it Dia de los Innocentes or Dia de los Angelitos to commemorate the children who died too early in life.

2. THE RITUAL

Both in Mexico and in the Philippines, we visit the grave of our loved ones and we clean it well. This is a ritual to honour their resting places and to let them know that they are never forgotten.

3. FLOWERS INVITE SPIRITS

In Mexico, they believe that the scent of flowers attract spirits. So the flower offerings are invitation to their dead loved ones to visit the living families. While in the Philippines, we believe that flowers offered to the dead exalt the souls and somehow fill in the sadness that we feel when missing our dead loved ones.

Most of the time, Filipinos choose all-white flowers to offer because white is the absence of colour, which means the absence of Joy and happiness. White also symbolises purity of soul which we hope our dead loved ones will attain as they journey to heaven. While in Mexico, they have the yellow Mexican marigolds as the official flowers of the dead that will guide them in their journey to the afterlife.

4. THE LEGEND OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

Both cultures believe that monarch butterflies are dead loved ones who visit us and show their appreciation that we have not forgotten them. A presence of monarch butterflies also means that our dead loved ones are always there guiding us and looking after us.

5. A PICNIC IN THE GRAVEYARD

Spending a night at the graveyard and picnicking with the rest of the family may sound very creepy to many; but to both Filipino and Mexican cultures, picnicking and spending a night at the cemetery is a must to show our love to our dearly departed. It is the only time in the year that families gather and tell stories of the dead loved ones and how colourful or how great their lives were.

6. FOOD FOR THE DEAD

In Mexico, they have what they call “ofrendas” or an altar where the pictures of their dead loved ones are displayed and offered with flowers, candles, and their favourite food. Very similar to the Filipino culture of cooking the favourite food of our dead loved ones and everyone in the family enjoys the food for dinner.

My family tradition involves me driving all the way to Colon street and buy that famous Snow Sheen’s “pancit canton”. This is my granddad’s favourite snack. Sadly, the old Visayan Restaurant is no longer there. My late uncle and my late grandpa love their sweet ad and sour fish. We also set up an “ofrenda” on their graveyard and eat their favourite food while picnicking in the cemetery. We do not spend a night in the cemetery; but while we are picnicking there, we usually play the songs of Pilita Corrales and Susan Fuentes that my late grandpa used to listen every afternoon while enjoying his coffee, pan de sal, and pancit canton.

What about your family traditions? Share your thoughts by commenting to this article.

MODEL: Michael Joseph Mortola Enriquez & Alexis Wingfield
PHOTOGRAPHER: Gianne Paolo Anciano
HMUA/DESIGNER: Hazel Ocaba
STYLING: GPA Lifestyle + Clothing

Culture

Catch Ted Lasso the Emmy Award Winning Comedy Series on Apple TV+

Catch Ted Lasso the Emmy Award Winning Comedy Series on Apple TV+

Rating: *****/ *****

The multi award–winning comedy series airing on Apple TV+ is one of my favorite shows. Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis is about a fun good-natured American football coached hired by a British soccer club (AFC Richmond in London) to become their new coach. In spite of the fact that Ted has no experience or knowledge about British football/soccer, his positive demeanor and charm helps him overcome the animosity of the team’s players, staff and fans. Eventually Ted wins over the team and the locals as they fight for position in the English Premier League.

The show won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and 7 Emmy Awards in its 2 seasons and Season 3 is just around the corner. You can catch Seasons 1 & 2 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+

Culture

PANDEMIC DIARIES: Twelve Months Later

Photos taken by Pablo Quiza around Cebu City during the months of March, April and May 202

AS WE APPROACH ONE YEAR under pandemic times, we look back at March 2020 with fascination. And awe. We had 12 months of lockdown and survived the so called new normal. We lived with masks and alcohol even today. Carless roads and dark malls. Those were the early days of March, April and May.
It stretched to October and past Christmas. No Sinulog. Virtual parties on Zoom and virtual mass on You Tube and FB Live. We debated on the best meds to take if we get sick and whether to wear masks (please do!). We scampered for face shields and anti-viral sprays. Vitamins C and D and zinc. Later, we survived being swabbed and we learned the difference between a PCR and an anti-gene test. The latter cost less.

We dreaded the declarations of IATF mandated from Manila. And we got mad at the police chief who had a birthday party while his people were busy locking up everyone violating the lockdown. Most horrifying of all, we needed to produce IDs! Are you a resident of Barangay Lahug or Banilad? Are you employed and why are you still working? Everyone suffered thru endless checkpoints. Most sad of all are those using motorbikes, they seem to get the raw end of the deal since those with cars are not as scrutinized. We managed to trick the system by putting a big handwritten note in front of the car: COMPANY CAR, and zipped tru the police desks in the middle of the road. Don’t even think of travelling, by plane, boat or bus. The collection of the required documents is enough for one to get exposed to Covid.

We learned to shop online, order groceries and necessities thru delivery. We slowly moved towards cashless payments. Gcash and banks like Union Bank and China Bank with friendly apps are heroes for making life easy for most of us to spend what little cash we have to spend on Lazada or pay the VECO bill. Oh and we binged on K dramas on Netflix and You Tube, kamsaminada.
As 2021 enters, there are some good news. For those obsessed with news, you already know that 7,000 vaccines arrived last March 2 in Cebu, with more expected in the next few weeks. The death rate is not as high among those who caught this pesky virus, which tells us that doctors in the hospitals have some proven expertise in dealing with Covid. More cures should be in the horizon.

Meanwhile, lets continue dreaming of the day when we can cross borders again, even if its just Bohol or Boracay, Bangkok or Hong Kong. Ready those luggages and bags bought during the 3/3 sale in Shopee in preparation for the day when we can take the ferry or the plane for new adventures.