UPCOMING EXHIBITION
Pula at Bughaw: Mga Kulay sa Pag-usbong ng Bayang Pilipinas

A new exhibition is set to open at the National Museum this November.

As part of the Museum’s 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines and in observance of the Year of Pre-colonial Filipino Ancestors, your #NationalMuseumPH presents an interdisciplinary exhibition entitled “Pula at Bughaw: Mga Kulay sa Pag-usbong ng Bayang Pilipinas (Red and Blue: Shades of an Emerging Philippine Nation) will be installed at the National Museum of Fine Arts’ Museum Foundation Hall.

The exhibition will feature selected objects from our national collections that will demonstrate our ancestors’ and ethno-linguistic groups’ enduring preference for red and blue pigments and colorants. Moreover it will show indigenous and local representations of these colors as reminders of our common roots and shared identity.

A highlight of this exhibition is the launch of a large-scale acrylic on canvas painting (2.4 x 4.8 m) by contemporary artist Elmer Borlongan entitled “Battle of Mactan”, giving more focus on the locals’ perspective of the historical defeat of Ferdinand Magellan by Lapu-Lapu in Cebu. The artist used predominantly red and blue pigments for this artwork. Eventually it will travel to the National Museums in Vigan, Iloilo and Zamboanga City, where he will also be interacting with local artists and young people through workshops.

Pula at Bughaw is being organized in partnership with the Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development (CANVAS) and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Textile Research Institute, Natural Dyes Center.

Watch out for updates on this upcoming exhibition at the National Museum on this page and by following our official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Image credits for the composite banner:

Upper row, left to right
Rafflesia speciosa photograph by John Rey Callado, 2020, Miagao, Iloilo
Watercolor study of “Battle of Mactan” (2021) by Elmer Borlongan
Hydrangea febrifuga photograph by Danilo Tandang

Lower row, left to right
Maitum anthropomorphic head | National Archaeological Collection
Detail of Bontoc wanes (loincloth) | National Ethnographic Collection
Detail of Buhid Mangyan tapis (skirt) | National Ethnographic Collection
15th century crescent-shaped blue and white porcelain kendi, Santa Cruz, Zambales Wreck Site | National Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

#YearofPreColonialFilipinoAncestors
#canvas
#DOSTPTRI
#BattleOfMactan
#ElmerBorlongan

Text and poster by Cyril Sabio | NMP Ethnology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)