This second work in my entry in the 2004 Sungdu-an National Travelling Exhibition by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Committee on Visual Arts, titled “The Question of Traditions” is inspired from the group pictures of the past where the members of the community after a ‘kalilang’-festivity, posed for the camera against the backdrop of an imposing ‘torogan’-palatial homes, dressed with the best clothes and the most elaborately made malong, this piece is focus on a performing ensemble: ‘dabakan’ and ‘kutyapi’ players, a shy ‘onor’ with her fan, a regal ‘bai’ draped by a blue malong, a melancholic ‘kulintang’ performer with a ‘sipa manguis participant at her back, as the representation of the exuberance and vitality of art forms. With the intent look from their gazes, others are somewhat hesitant and wary of impending threats from all sides: a dead hand from the left (coming from the dead person in the 1st panel) saddens the ‘dabakan’ player who grieves for a dead relative while another is prepared to leave the festivity to join the struggle; to the right are two worried faces looking to the opposite panel helpless and endangered of a rising fundamentalism that attempts to prune out these ‘bid-a’—innovations, that is to them pollutants to a pristine state of Islam. A noble lady connects to the other side while a ‘Sagayan’ dancer looks down in desperation against the backdrop of fluttering purple parasol and looming bright red ‘pasandalan’. At the upper center is a proud ‘panolong’ with its intricate ‘magoyoda’ design tracing its ancient heritage while looking down on a modern mandala-like disc to the left its varied colors are slowly fading into grayish hues. This implies the desire and struggle of preservation and promotion of the vibrant and colorful culture that is slowly dying each day, as personified by this work, that like the group pictures, painting can also be employed in cultivating and encouraging this rich heritage and become a legacy for generations.
But the Islam in the region for centuries has engaged with other faiths, adapting and adopting the cultural traditions of the diverse peoples who practice them. Islamic expression is overwhelmingly moderate, tolerant and progressive. And most of the Muslim populations in the region have no problem in dealing with the demands of the modern world.
These facts are evident mainly due to the history of the region where the spread of Islam was won not by conquest, but by peaceful trading and eloquent preaching. Also, there is yearning for development, education and reform: both moral and political.
