SAULOG FASHION ART EXHIBIT AT THE KABILIN CENTER: ENCOUNTER, PILGRIMAGE, TRANSFORMATION

SAULOG FASHION ART EXHIBIT AT THE KABILIN CENTER:

ENCOUNTER, PILGRIMAGE, TRANSFORMATION

Cebu soaks in avant-garde at the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.’s (RAFI) The Kabilin Center with Saulog: Encounter, Pilgrimage, Transformation, a fashion art display bringing attention to the Filipino’s journey of Christianity, from the baptism of 1521 to the flourishing faith of contemporary times.

Saulog: Encounter, Pilgrimage, Transformation opens for public appreciation on Saturday, January 27, 2024. The exhibit, by award-winning designer Steve de Leon, highlights the Sinulog as the keystone of the Christian conversion of the Filipinos.

De Leon uses imagination, creativity and technique honed through years of work in theater, film production and fashion to weave his narrative with mixed media in wall-bound tapestries and huge altar-like installations and sculptural ensembles of textile. 

The artist’s avant-gardist aesthetic interrogates the five-hundred-year religious history of the Philippines with fabrics handcrafted by indigenous communities in the Cordilleras and Mindanao, piña, tinalak, hablon, banana fiber and cañamoso, combined with wood, natural stones and shells. The result is a harmonious ensemble of scenes and characters referencing historical and religious accounts and offering insights into Cebuano spirituality and social issues.

The first section, Encounter, emphasizes the melding of folk and Catholic religious cultures, indigenous systems and colonial power and local and European aesthetics.

Pilgrimage, the second part, depicts spiritual devotion through the Sinulog, a dance that venerates the Sto. Niño de Cebu, and juxtaposes it against secular festivities and advocacies. It tries to look into the human condition as lived by devotees, dancers and performers who participate in the festival.

Section 3, Transformation, is the climax of the exhibit. The artist showcases here the most significant icons of the Christian salvation story hoping to trigger personal transformation, moving from secular festivities to spiritual pilgrimage and a renewal of personal faith and social witnessing. Here, the viewer is drawn to the massive installations of the Crucified Christ and Mater Dolorosa, or the Sorrowful Mother, the Risen Christ and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Kabilin Center is one of the programs sustained by RAFI for the promotion of local heritage and culture. Together with the Casa Gorordo Museum and the annual Gabii sa Kabilin, the RAFI Culture and Heritage Unit encourage appreciation and facilitate immersive experiences of the rich Cebuano heritage.

Visitors to Saulog are encouraged to message The Kabilin Center’s facebook page for ticket reservations.

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