Bantugang Sugbuanon

To contemplate the idea of art as Cebuano is to re-examine the concept of art as Filipino. Writings on Philippine art and its canon captivated greater attention and interest in what has been produced in this part of the world. Filipino art historians and critics have painstakingly contended with the Euro-American framework that defined Philippine art using Western categories, colonial perspectives, and standards. These efforts were catalysts of seminal discourses that seriously considered the contextual conditions of art-making in the country, thereby documenting the history and forging the theory of art that comes close to being Filipino. Philippine art has gained a measure of confidence that compels its presence within the discursive consciousness of contemporary practices. As such, a terrain of contention exists to define art and to define the Cebuano. Is it necessary or even possible?

Art, as a manifestation of Filipino identity, is a position that continues to incite new insights. Philippine visual art is now fraught with criticism for its need for an inclusive understanding of peripheral cultures outside the national capital. “Bantugang Sugbuanon: The Art & Artists of Cebu” responds to this concern by re-imagining Philippine art from diverse contexts, which constitutes the cultural and social conditions of artists in the province of Cebu. In recent years, art and cultural institutions have increasingly become conscious of the need to recalibrate programs to include artists from the regions. However, these notions of inclusivity must be anchored to a concrete and profound understanding of regional art. More than just a requirement to evince inclusive programming, regional artists should be listened to with sincerity. This anthology intends to introduce the story of Cebuano art to a larger audience through the understanding of the lives of its artists and their practices. It is an attempt to offer a renewed viewpoint to see and experience the widening horizons of Philippine art through an expansive lens where the regions are at the forefront and no longer left behind.

Text by Jay Nathan T. Jore