If there’s one question echoing through the corridors of our creative community, it’s this: how can we better immortalize our art spaces, ensuring they don’t slip into obscurity? As our cultural milieu continues to evolve, we must create even more opportunities to celebrate and remember these spaces.
Following the launch of the HALA: Art & Design Folio on Sept. 28, 2024 at Atua Midtown, the publication addresses a crucial documentation gap in the island’s artistic ecosystem. Artists interacting with these archived materials become part of a broader story — one that celebrates a continuum of creativity beyond their individual works.
Gap
HALA seeks to focus on the peripheral and disruptive, ensuring stories are told and preserved in a tangible record that holds its significance and explores its impact on larger society.
“Emerging artists and designers here tend to be lowballed or are unheard of beyond their circles. That many creative spaces close down in three years or less is also a cause for concern,” said Lara Eviota, managing editor and acting editor-in-chief.
As Cebu proudly holds the title of UNESCO City of Design, emerging artists and writers increasingly find inspiration in the works of their predecessors, screaming the importance of access to these creative legacies.
For example, the works of literary giants such as William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf and Gabriel García Márquez have inspired countless writers throughout the centuries. In this way, archiving acts as a bridge that connects the creative endeavors of the past with the aspirations of the present.
Content
As Cebu’s creative landscape evolves, the narratives of contemporary artists and alternative spaces frequently linger in the shadows, overshadowed by more established figures and institutions.
According to the editorial team, HALA’s maiden issue has 16 long-form stories organized in four thematic pillars: Intersections, Seams, Wilderness and Defiance. Readers can expect the behind the scenes of visual artist Ronyel Compra who co-creates with termites; the cultural richness of quilts from Caohagan Island; self-organized drag shows by Haus of Rena1ssance queens; an artist-run gallery miles away from the metro, and more.
In discussing the significance of archiving, Jon Medalla — an architect and furniture designer among the 25-plus featured creators — said, “proper archiving is invaluable.”
“HALA preserves not only the enduring aspects of the creative community, but also the ephemeral. Even the fleeting moments of Cebu’s fast-paced landscape are recorded, leaving a lasting impact and legacy,” wrote the editorial.
Dedicated to amplifying regional voices, the folio brings together a team of writers, editors, photographers, partners and subjects, all of whom are Cebuanos or have a genuine affinity for Cebu. Notable contributors include art curator Jay Nathan Jore, up-and-coming visual artist Lucky Mitra and climate artivist Ava Arnejo.
Atua Midtown — situated on the corner of F. Manalo and Queen’s Road, Cebu City — is a creativity and community re-imagined space in Midtown Cebu featuring local food, accessories and art. HALA Art & Design Folio Edition 01 is now available.