Intellectual Chick Print

In my paintings, empowered females are shown in various gestures and poses. Asked how the various women were conjured, "I started this series by depicting women from all walks of life which I found everywhere in Davao from the grocery, shopping malls, through alleys and streets, and the public market. The faces of these women bear stories: some narratives are etched in time and hardship as others go about their daily chores.” Most of the women carry a dignified expression on their faces. It is as though they have just returned the viewer's gaze at that elusive moment when they are noticed in passageways and transport stations. A curious addition in each of the paintings is the rooster as a recurring visual trope. Back when i was still conceptualizing a new series, it was a serendipitous encounter at Davao City’s Bangkerohan Public Market that gave me inspiration. I observed a lady gesturing towards a rooster, as though preparing it for a bulang (cockfight). It must be noted that those who raise and prepare roosters for cockfights are usually male, yet I found a woman asserting herself as a capable equal. I found my ‘Aha! Experience’ because it is the same image that I chose to animate in my exhibition. "An ‘aha’ experience is a moment of amazement wherein the world stands still and a motion of ideas flow. Thus, the roosters in The paintings stand glorious, valiantly holding their heads high and readying themselves for an arduous battle. Meanwhile, the women are self-assured matriarchs, nurturers, leaders, and trainers – unbashful yet in command of their avian warriors.