Contemporary Art Quiz: Philippine Art History

Study Notes

Traditional Philippine Art and Culture

The Talip, a courtship dance, mimics the movements of wild fowls.
The Inamong dance of the Matigsalugs and Kadaliwas (T'boli) represents the comedic movements of a monkey.
The Tinikling dance evokes the movements of a crane balancing itself on stilt-like legs or flitting away from the clutches of bamboo traps.

Sculpture

The Bulul is a granary god that plays an important role in rituals in the Cordillera region.
The Hagabi is a wooden bench that marks the socio-economic status of the owner among the Ifugao people.
The Sarimanok is a stylized design of a bird holding a fish in its beak and/or standing on a base in the shape of a fish.
The Naga has the form of an elaborate mythical serpent or dragon with numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its scales.
The Pako rabong is a stylized growing fern with a broad base gracefully tapering upwards.

Pottery

The Manunggul Jar is made out of terracotta (reddish-brown porous clay).
The Maitum Jar is an anthropomorphic burial jar found in the Ayub cave in Maitum, Saranggani.

Textiles

The Pis syabit is a head covering made from cotton or silk, square in shape, and provided with geometric patterns.
The Malong has exquisite tapestry panels called langkit woven by the Maranao of Lanao Del Sur.

Weaving

The Tepo Mat is a colorful double-layered mat made of pandan leaves, used by the Sama of Tawi-Tawi.
Ovaloid Baskets are made of nito and bamboo, used as a head sling to carry harvest.
Bubo is a fish trap made of sturdy bamboo strips, used in the Ilocos region.

Tattoos

The Visayas region was known as “Islas de los Pintados” due to the widespread practice of tattooing.
Other Philippine ethnolinguistic groups that practice tattooing include the Kalinga, Kankanay, Ibaloy, and Ifugao.

Jewelry

The T'boli are known for wearing brass chains, bells, and colorful beads.
Lotoans are betel nut boxes of various shapes.
Brass Ketur and Gadur are used in ceremonies and are cherished as status symbols or heirloom pieces.

Contemporary Art

Contemporary art is the art of the present, continuously in process and in flux.
Characteristics of contemporary art include being site-specific, process-based, collaborative, and interactive.

History of Philippine Art

Pre-conquest period art was integrated within rituals and everyday expressions.

Theater/Rituals

Mayvanuvanua is a ritual that opens the fishing season of dibang (flying fish) in Batanes.
Cañao or Kanyaw is a ritual officiated by a shaman or mumbaki in the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
Kashawing is a ritual to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting in Lake Lanao of Mindanao.
Tagbanua is a ritual where every thirteenth moon, three goddesses descend from heaven to bless the planting of rice in Palawan.

Musical Instruments

Pipes, flutes, drums, zithers, kudyapi (a three-stringed ethnic guitar), kulintang (an array of bossed gongs), and gangsa (flat gong) are traditional musical instruments.

Native Dance Forms

Pangalay is a mimetic dance of seabirds from Sulu.
Kinabua of Mandaya performs swooping movements imitating the movements of an eagle.
Banog-banog is a courtship dance that portrays the flight of birds, performed by the Higaonon and B'laan.
Man-manok (Bagobos) imitates the movements of predatory birds.

Description

Test your knowledge on contemporary art, self-expression, therapy, and the history of Philippine art from the pre-conquest period. Explore the characteristics of contemporary art and its significance in society.