Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Emmanuel Garibay yearns for the necessity to unswervingly be conscious of our roots that form a significant facet of our identity as a nation. He espouses the idea that our dissociation and disconnection from our history induce our individualistic tendencies rather than our collective aspirations. This detachment subverts us under with the abuse of those in power, wherein they employ a modern-day “divide and conquer” tactic used by the colonizers five centuries ago to subjugate us under their authoritarian rule. “In those days, people were willing to make sacrifices,” he said. “This is what’s missing in society right now, the concept of ‘karangalan.’ We’re always at the edge of some kind of crisis. There’s no sense of urgency, no sense of concern. This bahala-na attitude, then we cry in anguish. That’s mostly the problem as some leaders see it as an occasion for them to capitalize.” Garibay sees José Rizal as an embodiment of the genuine devotion to the motherland. In his essay El Amor Patrio which he wrote in June 1882, Rizal considers this devotion as “the most powerful force behind the most sublime actions.” For that reason, he regarded love of country as “the greatest, the most heroic, and the most disinterested.” Garibay’s homage to Rizal is not only conceived from his appreciation of the latter’s influential works but his wholehearted admiration for him as a person. “I think we should keep reminding ourselves of how we are connected to him,” Garibay said. “We often take pride in Filipinos that make it in the international scene, such as in sports or entertainment. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is that shift in the iconography, and we don’t celebrate people enough based on the merit of their virtues. Take Rizal, we can’t say he’s a saint, but the point is what made him commit to his beliefs. These are no longer the virtues we celebrate.”