About Us

About BAMBOOVILLAGE Publishing

Founded in 2023, BAMBOOVILLAGE Publishing is an independent press dedicated to providing a wide range of publications, from monographs, coffee-table books, and zines to other conceptual and experimental forms. It aims to document the creative practices, projects, and other ventures of individuals, collectives, and institutions from different fields across the country. With its headquarters situated in Cebu, it is committed to serving and bringing light to the vibrant culture, talent, and diversity of voices from the Visayas while participating in collaborative efforts and activities outside the region. The name “BAMBOOVILLAGE” is drawn from the direct English translation of the founder’s family name, 竹村 (Takemura)

   

About the Founder

Sayoka Takemura (b. 1992) is a Filipino-Japanese writer, curator, and cultural worker. She is interested in understanding Asian perspectives through different art practices and processes of making, particularly those that are informed by craft and material exploration. Takemura studied at Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art & Design and The Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. She started her career in the Philippines at 856G as a gallery assistant. She worked with its programming arm, Tropical Futures Institute (TFI), which also functions as a design strategy studio. Takemura heads the Projects Team at MONO8, a Manila-based contemporary art space. Her writings have appeared in monographs, anthologies, and exhibition catalogs. In 2023, after writing and working on several commissioned publications, Takemura founded BAMBOOVILLAGE to foster, through publishing, the growing community of artists, creatives, and storytellers in her hometown of Cebu and its neighboring provinces while engaging in collaborations with local and international platforms