Thursday, August 28, 2008 Canadian stone sculpture displayed at IP exhibit
A STONE sculpture made by a Canadian visual artist is one of the highlights of the 3rd Annual Indigenous Peoples' Visual Art Exhibit in Davao City that was opened at Magsaysay Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Kalingawa Art Foundation Executive Director Raquel Palma Gil said the "Insuksuk" is a sculpture used as a landmark of the Inuit people of Canada to indicate a fishing or hunting ground.
The visual art will be displayed at Magsaysay Park until September.
"There are small stones placed around the sculpture representing the 20 tribes who helped build the Inuksuk," Palma Gil said during a press conference Wednesday morning prior to the exhibit opening.
The stones were brought by leaders of local indigenous tribes to the city during last year's Kalimudan Festival spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
DOT-Southern Mindanao Director Sonia Garcia, who was also present Wednesday, said this event is an inspiring example of a "coming together" of indigenous people for different sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Kalinawa senior advisor Carlton Hughes, on the other hand, said this is a beautiful way to introduce the visual artwork of indigenous people from all over the world.
"The Inuit, for example, has been carving art out of stone for a thousand year, but it was recognized only recently and not until art experts from other places saw their creations. Now, Inuit art is collected in museums worldwide and the main exhibit of Canada's art museums. This could happen for local groups," Hughes said.
Aside from the Inuksuk, artwork made by local IPs will be exhibited at the Institute of Indigenous Peoples Education near the Davao City National High School.
This is the result of the hands-on training and workshops for IP visual artists initiated by Kalinawa artistic consultant Nestor Horfilla.
"They are exposed to conventional art forms to do some public art. These are art forms such as sculptures and paintings that simple people can relate to and appreciate. It is teaching them to sell their story," Horfilla said.
Three of the seventeen visual artists come from Cotabato, while others were from various areas in the Davao Region. (GLP)
