The John Hope Franklin Center and Asian | Pacific Studies Institute are hosting Filipina street muralist Venazir Martinez to Duke's campus to feature selections from her work in the John Hope Franklin Center art gallery as part of Filipino American History Month.

street mural with various individuals in different actions

The exhibition, part of "Hilabana: Espasyo Temporal," delves into the dynamics of human interaction, dispersion, and identity formation across space and time. The intention is to create a psychogeographic map that captures the essence of contemporary Filipino indigenous and diasporic identities-within this temporal expanse, shared memories and collective experiences meld, forming the foundation of their shared identity.

streat mural of people looking and on stilts

Emerging from the Hila-bana street art movement that started in 2018 in Baguio City, Philippines, "Hila-bana" is rooted in the Tagalog term "hilbanahan," meaning temporary stitching. It embodies the symbiotic journey of individuals of diverse ethnicities. The pulang sinulid, or red thread, analogous to the DNA that runs through our veins, becomes a vital strand intertwining with our indigenous traditions, echoing the threads that course through the heart of our ancestral heritage. Across lived spaces, the subjects weave tales of cultural exchange, their footprints retracing the rhythm of urbanity and the ever-evolving movement of its inhabitants.

 

black background with image of artis, femal, with left hand resting on face with paint on her hand and dripping from her eyes as if tears

Venazir Martinez is a Filipino visual anthropreneur, and a street muralist. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines Baguio. She was awarded Best Thesis through her art and advocacy entitled Hila-bana. This street art hunt challenged the public's visual perception through cultural emblems to revitalize Filipino ancestral heritage.

The initiative known as Project Hila-bana gained prominence in 2018 in Baguio City, Philippines. The project's name drew inspiration from the Filipino term "hilbanahan," signifying temporary stitching. The street art movement is unified by a red thread that serves as a visual guide for the public in search of our featured Filipino identities across the globe.

She is the visionary behind Sining Eskinita, a multi-sensory street art festival that transforms mundane alleyways into creative platforms. Teaming up with The Search Mindscape Foundation, The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Davies Paints Philippines, and other private and non-profit organizations nationwide, her vision is to guide artists from all disciplines to set the streets in the Philippines as instant institutional grounds for creative development.

Martinez's creations are deeply influenced by the stories of people she encountered during her creative journey. Her artworks portray realistic depictions of individuals from diverse cultures, rendered in a fragmented and animated style. This approach, Progressive Abstract Realism, captures the intricate layers of our identities and the factors that have molded our fundamental values as a nation.

Venazir's profound fascination with identity formation became her spiritual quest and life's purpose, compelling her to redefine the myriad meanings of "Filipino" by interweaving the red thread, one wall at a time.