A major exhibit of Philippine art makes debut

By Victoria Gail-White
Advertiser Art Critic

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Art of the Philippines: The George and Nancy Ellis Gallery 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays Honolulu Academy of Arts 532-8700 A month focused on Philippine art November brings a Philippine celebration to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The theater will host: The Filipino Film Festival, Friday to Dec. 2. Many films are in Tagalog, with English subtitles, in the Doris Duke Theatre. Call for details. A free lecture by George Ellis on "Art of the Philippines: Diversity, Creativity and Excellence," 4 p.m. Nov. 16. PASKO!, a Philippine celebration of Christmas, will fill the courtyards with food, performances and games, 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 23. It's free.

It joins the art museum's permanent exhibits dedicated to the arts of Japan, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, India, Indonesia, Europe and Hawai'i, and it is also responsible for making a dream come true.

The gallery brings a recognition to the contributions of George Ellis, director emeritus, full circle.

"From a professional standpoint, this is the culmination," says Nancy Ellis. "From a personal standpoint, we just can't imagine anything better." George Ellis is scheduled to give a lecture, "Art of the Philippines: Diversity, Creativity and Excellence" later this month (see related story).

As a graduate student at the University of California-Los Angeles and research assistant in its Museum of Cultural History, George Ellis noticed a lack of information on Philippine art and set out to do something about it. His extensive research and field trips to the Philippines and to museums around the world resulted in his organizing a major exhibition that traveled from California to Chicago. In 1981, that exhibit, "The People and Art of the Philippines," came to the Honolulu Academy of Arts, accompanied by a definitive catalog.

A year later, Ellis became the director of the Honolulu institution. In his 21 years in office, he changed the face, body and guts of the organization, overseeing major renovations, additions and improvements to the storage, conservation, security, collection, exhibit, endowment and educational programs.

His initial attraction to the art of the Philippines remained strong. In late September, after eight months of renovation and a vote by the board of trustees (with money raised by staff, friends and members of the community,) his 38-year fascination materialized into gallery reality. He curated the collection.

Tom Klobe's brilliant gallery and installation design is stunning. The gallery is divided into three areas; pre-Western contact, the Spanish colonial period and the indigenous arts of the Northern and Southern Philippines, identified by island.

Details about the Philippines are clearly printed on information cards throughout the gallery and illuminate many facets of the island nation's history.

Geographically, it is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands that stretch for more than 1,000 miles. Areas of northern Luzon were settled more than 200,000 years ago. By the 15th century, Islam was established as a dominant force in the south. In the 16th century Spanish explorers made contact and Christianity took root. All of this shaped and changed the art of its people.

The pre-Western contact artifacts include simple burial jars and pottery circa 1000-1500 AD, as well as jewelry and clothing ornaments made of gold and beads from the 12th through 15th centuries.

The Spanish colonial period introduced Christian religious images to existing Filipino animistic symbols. The wall filled with an abundance of home-altar sized santos (saints) figures in all their many interpretative styles is striking. Primarily made of wood, many are missing their hands. The life-sized, unpainted wooden statue, "St. Thomas Aquinas (18th century)" is extraordinary in its elegantly simple carving with a serene and beatific facial expression.

The textiles and clothing in the collection range from delicate and sheer pina (pineapple fiber) woven camisas (shirts) with embroidery from 1890 to op-art-looking double-weave cotton shaman blankets from the late 20th century.

Swords, spears and a swivel gun, are evidence of a people at war, while the baskets, blankets and carved wooden spoons are evidence of nurturing a home and a family.

The fantastic "Rice Granary Guardians (Bulal)" from northern Luzon, made of wood with sacrificial (animal blood) patina, remind us of the ritualistic element involved in their existence.

The Muslim influence, primarily in Mindanao and throughout the Sulu Archipelago, brought highly developed wood carving, weaving and metal work. The "Betel Box" of brass with silver inlay is decorated in a distinctive geometric "Okir" motif.

Contemporary Philippine art, represented by an assemblage of brightly colored miscellaneous objects (eyeballs, marbles, shells and antlers) by Alfonso A. Ossorio, is titled "Linea Alba" (1968).

Bordered alongside the display case housing the minutely detailed tiny shell, bead, and delicate fountain-like feather hair ornaments from northern Luzon, it screams. There is a sense that history has liberated itself before your eyes — beyond the boundaries of land, sea and religious beliefs.

The Ellises, as well as many local residents, contributed to the collection. With more than 16 percent of our community having cultural ties to the Philippines, the art museum and the Ellises hope that this gallery's collection will continue to grow, specifically to include contemporary artists and provide additional educational opportunities.