WATERFRONT Insular Hotel Davao launched the Visual and Wearable Art Exhibition on August 8 to accentuate the importance of arts in the city’s growth in time for the Kadayawan festivities.
The exhibit features the fusion of three renowned artists: visual artist Elenita Dumlao, accessory designer Kathryn Fanlo, and florist Jade Polizon. Each had distinctive stories to tell about their art forms.
Kadayawan Festival is best depicted through colorful display of the 11 tribes’ rich culture. These are the same elements that are shown in the imageries and composition of most of Elenita Dumlao’s art work. Neither fully abstract nor purely figurative, she balances these two qualities of expression in her techniques to come up with paintings that “uplift and inspire” the soul. Her paintings are presently displayed in the hotel’s lobby for the guests to revel (and buy). A couple of her works were already sold during the launching.
For those who want to wear art, Kathryn Fanlo’s creations are worth a check. This artist who won last year’s Habi Kadayawan uses polymer clay to create wearable art pieces. She has been working with indigenous communities like the Mandaya tribe of the Davao del Norte Highlands to produce fabrics to match her creations. The community program not only provides for their livelihood but motivates the young local weavers to enliven what could have been “a dying art”.
To all flower enthusiasts and lovers, Jade Polizon’s Kadayawan installation is nothing short of a masterpiece. Titled “Tahamaling Ug Mahomanay,” he presents homage to the "Diwata" of Philippine Flowers.
“Kadayawan, above anything else, is an expression of our locality,” hotel manager Bryan Yves Lasala said. He added that the exhibition was about the lives of people -- their outpouring of joy, the narratives they believe in and the value they put in their work.
Completing the celebration, guests were treated to a dinner at Café Uno prepared by Chef Niño Ante and his team. The buffet previewed a Kadayawan Corner inspired by Davao’s 11 tribes. The hotel’s Kadayawan celebration will run until August 31.