QUIET IDENTITIES IN THE PRINTMAKING PRACTICE OF IMELDA CAJIPE-ENDAYA

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, or "Meps" to those who know her, is an endearing figure in Philippine arts. Starting her career in the 1970s amid the political turmoil caused by the dictatorship at the time gave the potency of her work that resonates until today. But aside from her sociopolitical critique and installation works, she is also known for her printmaking practice—a facet Silverlens decided to focus on in their inaugural exhibition to announce their representation of the artist. Cajipe-Endaya's Rigodon runs until May 25.

On the surface, focusing on print may have been a missed opportunity to present her installation works in a commercial gallery space. After all, the distinct choice for Silverlens to represent a live, female, political, and senior artist breaks a glass ceiling we have come to expect in the art world. The inaugural exhibition had the potential to make an indelible shift in artistic and social discourse.

Instead, Silverlens went for subtlety.

Abstraction and Politics

Cajipe-Endaya began her artistic career in the 1970s through printmaking. During the show, she talked about how print was both affordable and reproducible at the time. Her prints referencing the Boxer Codex and the Doctrina Christiana and reexamining the Filipino identity were the most known in her body of works.

But it is important to note that she also engaged in the conceptual works emerging in the said decade. Relative to the global art landscape, abstraction and conceptual works appeared late in the Philippines. It came after the technique emerged in Europe in the early 20th century, with some abstractionists reacting to World War I. Then, it became popular in the United States in the 1950s after World War II. Meanwhile, abstraction in the Philippines resonated with the instability of the 1960s and the 1970s. Abstraction appears apolitical in contemporary lenses, but historically, its defiance of convention in experimentation gave it potency. 

The Silverlens press release quoted Cajipe-Endaya back in 1987: "Almost always I was burdened with guilt at doing abstracts," as she was widely known for her socially engaged art. She was also a founder of KASIBULAN, together with Julie Lluch, Brenda Fajardo, Ana Fer, and Ida Bugayong, where they highlighted women’s practice in the arts by engaging with the community. The expectation for Cajipe-Endaya to continually engage the dynamics of society is ever-present—something that might be deemed missing in her early abstract works. 

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Possibilities in Print

Looking closely at the pieces and correlating them with the titles Cajipe-Endaya gave them 50 years ago, it can be observed that her abstractions are attempts at both telling a story as well as making commentaries of the world around her. "Kayamanan ng Lupa" (1974, dye resist on oil transfer, Edition 1 of 1) gives a vibrant coloring suggestive of ube or purple yams, with the popular and beloved root crop in the country.

"Ube" (1975, dye resist on oil transfer, Edition 1 of 1)

Another piece, "Ube" (1975, dye resist on oil transfer, Edition 1 of 1), appears to be part of a series. The circular and horizontal purple lines suggest kakanin or snacks atop banana leaves.

Similarly, "Tugtog ng Banda'y Halu-halo" (1975) with the same medium, evokes a fiesta or celebration where food is shared among host and guests, traditionally with various items served on banana leaves. The shapes, lines, and colors purposely lean towards abstraction, but references to traditional culture are clear enough to see, supported by the title provided. 

The exhibition note suggests that the show "embraces play, experimentation, and joy." On the surface, the prints definitely reflect these themes. Yet in the context where they come from, where national identity is a narrative explored in the social sciences and humanities—as well as social critique and historical framings are re-examined, there is a resonance beyond the superficial in the artist's early prints. Her early abstraction goes beyond the preoccupation with national identity, delving into the possibilities of representation and artistic interventions. 

Filipino Identity and Experience 

Among the prints, "Ambon at Sinag Sa Enero" (1975, collagraphy and dye resist, Edition 4 of 12) is a piece more familiar than the rest, as editions are part of some major collections in the country. Like Cajipe-Endaya’s other pieces, the attempt at abstraction is present, but the imagery visualizes the print’s title. The cool air and occasional showers in January make for idyllic weather in the tropics. The piece is the most contemplative in the collection, inviting a shared memory at the beginning of the year.

"Ambon at Sinag Sa Enero" (1975, collagraphy and dye resist, Edition 4 of 12)

The title of the exhibition, Rigodon suggests a colonial dance from the Spanish colonial era. The artist also has a work of the same title produced in 1974.

Rigodon as a dance is still present in social engagements, debuts, and proms, where selected participants—usually in the middle and upper classes, would dance in a row as they did in the colonial era. More than movement and music, rigodon is an exchange and a demonstration of social class and positions. The print is of blues, greens, and purples—squiggly but in a row as if engaged in the dance. Was it simply a reflection of the joys of the dance? Or is something more simmering on the surface? 

"Rigodon" (1974)

Journey of Printmaking 

Print was on the rise in the 1970s, including Cajipe-Endaya's early works. 50 years later, print is seeing a resurgence in the post-pandemic Philippines. Though it has never truly disappeared, printmaking is seen in exhibitions and workshops around Metro Manila and the regions.

In the 1970s, it was a medium open to experimentation without prohibitive costs. It was also reproducible, which made it effective for social critique and democratic movements. At present, the movement in printmaking is still unclear—is it experimentation, critique, community connections, or something else entirely? 

The exhibition shows another piece: "Neon" (1975). If movies, photographs, and posters from the 1970s are any indication, Manila was filled with them at night. The piece, yet again, invites us to think: was the artist playing around with her medium, simply referencing the objects around her, or is there something more? After all, the bright neon lights defined the city, suggesting a vibrant life after dark while enveloping a problematic underside of prostitution, gambling, violence, and disappearances that unfold after the sun sets. Manila in the '70s has all of these and then some. Perhaps this is a play on neon lights and nothing more, or at the very least, it starts a thinking point. 

Continuing Hopes 

In a way, a solo exhibition of Cajipe-Endaya’s early prints from 50 years ago is a good reminder of her journey as an artist—a female artist in the political turmoil of the 1970s, making do with the materials available to her at the time, making social commentary as well as experimenting in forms. The strength in her practice is a strong dedication to art, critique, research, writing, and community, amidst the challenging shifts through the decades. For a long time, youthfulness in the arts took precedence. Cajipe-Endaya getting representation late in her career is a significant change in the art world—for women, senior, political, and experimental artists.

It's true that the CCP Retrospective Pagtutol at Pag-Asa (Refusal and Hope) in 2022 was unforgettable and that Silverlens' take on Cajipe-Endaya's inaugural exhibit with the gallery may pale in comparison.

However, the focus on her practice, an almost soft relaunch—reviewing a quiet facet of her career after 50 years reminds us of where she is as an artist and where we are as a society. The quiet installation of the work invites contemplation on the beginnings and continuing resonances of her prints. Yet there is hope that Silverlens would take a bolder step in exhibiting her more powerful works, despite the current sociopolitical climate we find ourselves in.

Rigodon runs until May 25 at Silverlens, 2263 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati.

Portia Placino is an independent arts writer and gallery administrator based in Manila, Philippines. Her writings appeared in ArtAsiaPacific, ArtReview, ArtSG, Art+ Magazine, Spot.ph, and a number of local and international academic publications. She won the Ateneo Art Awards-Purita Kalaw Ledesma Prize in 2021. Her writing projects examine the position of contemporary art in an embattled society.

2024-05-08T10:10:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd