Exhibited: UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum, Walang Sinasanto: Emmanuel Garibay, Quezon City, February 13 - March 15, 2013

Literature: Flores, Patrick and Emmanuel Garibay. Walang Sinasanto: Emmanuel Garibay (Exhibition Catalog). Quezon City: UP Vargas Museum, 2013. Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name at the UP Vargas Museum in 2013. Full-color photograph and painting description on page 16.

ABOUT THE WORK

When Garibay did “Dakila” (Great) in 2012, the sesquicentennial of Rizal's birth had passed. But it was connected in some way to the earlier work “Bagumbayan” because despite the different contexts, there are similarities with the visual devices. Rizal reemerges again with his “dejected look.” According to Garibay, “his subconscious decided what it is going to look like. In my pantheon of heroes, Rizal is at the top. But this work celebrates courage, boldness and decisiveness in leading the resistance against colonialism. And that is why Andres Bonifacio is the guy who takes the center stage. Maybe Rizal is not too happy being relegated at the side.” True enough, the dominant image in this large work was President Bonifacio, the Father of the Filipino Nation and the Instigator of the Philippine Revolution. The sun design of his war standard acts as his halo. He is flanked by Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the First Philippine Republic on one side, and José Rizal on the other, holding his written works. Below Bonifacio is a crucified image, face covered with white which symbolizes a self-denying oblation, which for Garibay signified self-giving, the virtue of the offering of the self, or oblation. This is not just pertaining to Bonifacio but for all heroes of the revolution. This is heightened by the image of a hand with a piece of torn paper, perhaps the tax certificate or the cedula which was destroyed at the first cry of the revolution, a life and death decision for many of them as it was a requirement in checkpoints, and thus a visual manifestation from the people denoting that they were ready to give their lives to fight. Near the hand are the colors red, yellow and green, which look like fire. For me, it symbolizes the passion of our revolutionaries. The two women prominent in the painting, one holding a rifle and the other holding a flag, are symbolic of all women in the revolution and do not represent any particular figure. For Garibay, “History is always about brave men, women often are overlooked.” The figures were there “To emphasize that women have always played an active role.” So they can be your Tandang Sora, Gregoria de Jesus, Trinidad Tecson, Teresa Magbanua, Josephine Bracken and Marcela Marcelo. In fact, the revolutionary holding a rifle was reminiscent of his earlier work “Gabriela.” The flag, contrary to historical record, has a white field instead of red, and has the triangle design with a baybayin “K” inside. Although these were Katipunan symbols, they look more like the emblem of the 1960s Kabataang Makabayan. Apparently, in the mid-80s he was involved with a group called Artista Ng Bayan (People’s Artists). Garibay said that it forms part of his personal history and the recurrence of the symbol is understandable.” For me, it tells us that although the Philippine Revolution has ended, the fight for a better nation continues. In many ways, Garibay is a nation-builder. Towards the end of our conversation, he says to me, “There’s always a striving on my part to look for something that really defines our collective identity, looking for symbols, representations that could help in that direction.” by Prof. Michael Charleston “Xiao” Briones Chua 04 May 2023, Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay City