Invisible String: The Connection Between Nationalism, Filipino Identity, and Philippine Visual Arts

Journal 2

Filipino visual arts have long been uncertain of their identity. When in circulation in the global market, Filipino visual arts and design often mimic western details, a betrayal of the rich Philippine culture that could have been flaunted. Visual artist Leonilo O. Doloricon, and designer Leonardo C. Rosete, in the series UP Talks, tackle how the flourishing of Filipino visual art is tightly tied to two imperative ideas: nationalism and Filipino identity.

After more than three centuries of colonialism and decades of cultural colonialism by the West, there is no doubt that internalized oppression and colonial mentality have developed among many Filipinos and continue to seep through various crevices of Philippine societal organization and worldview. Because of these two constructs, the Filipinos' capability to realize nationalism and Filipino identity was paralyzed, sustaining people’s high regard for all things Western. From incorporating western elements and technicalities in advertisements and designs to the submission to the idea of being cheap labor exports, internalized oppression and colonial mentality have become quite a spillover that muddled our perception of our own capacity as both individuals and a nation.

In the video, Leonilo O. Doloricon asserts that nationalism is crucial in carving the true Philippine visual arts, one that can foil internalized oppression and colonial mentality on one hand and elevate Philippine visual arts on the other. He asserts that nationalism is that from which Filipino identity in deisgn and visual arts springs, saying that embracing our culture and reviving traditions while proudly exhibiting them in the designs and promotion of our goods are constitutive in providing identity to our products and in awakening the Filipino's nationalistic spirit. Abandoning foreign and western elements of design and incorporating daily Filipino icons and symbols of living while recognizing their materialist roots can conceive the mark of Filipino visual arts. 

Carrying the direction of the discourse towards the importance of having a defined product identity in the global market in propagating sustainable means of production in the country, Doloricon encourages the utilization of products that embody Filipino identity in making our products globally competitive so as for our local production - which are heavily exploited by multinational companies - be truly for the masses. In doing so, local industries can hopefully thrive and be sustained, producing employment for the masses and hopefully severing ties with hostile global corporations. Harking back to the video "Traditional Art Nga Ba?," such action can also lead to the active lobbying of abrogating neoliberal and oppressive policies of imperialist countries that gain unlimited access to our natural resources, which leads to aggressive military presence in most of our indigenous communities such as the Cordillera. 

However, according to Leonardo C. Rosete, nationalism and Filipino identity cannot be instantly instilled in every artist and/or Filipino. He says that for these ideas to manifest, platforms that excite the Filipino's inclination toward cultural identity through the expression and practice of cultural arts must be erected. Such platforms must provide the artist with the correct equipment and the opportunity to immerse themself in the community and actively join communal projects that will further their understanding of Filipino art and community. Being equipped with the right tools as well as the understanding and knowledge of your community can be indispensable to the community's struggle, as it is necessary that design and art must be informed prior to delineating any issue or a community's needs. Rosete also adds that creating sustainable and reliable local industries such as textile and metal that provide the raw materials in the production of local goods is important in galvanizing the Filipino's nationalism and prioritization of local products. Furthermore,  Rosete encourages the formation of integrative cultural events that would celebrate and preserve cultural identities. 

For Filipino visual arts to be truly Filipino, it must be socially and politically reactive to the Filipino atmosphere in which it was conceived - it must not shy away from the nation's conditions. As the country continues to face socio-political and economic turbulence perpetually ignited by Western imperialism and neoliberal capitalism, it is highly important that visual arts aim to refract from ideas and creations that accommodate phenomenons that ultimately lead to institutionalized atrocities. When Filipino visual arts have completely taken the form of nationalism and Filipino identity, it can now proceed as how it is intended to be - emancipatory.

References: 

YouTube. (2017). Sining at Nasyonalismo. YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from

YouTube. (2017). What is Filipino Design? Or is there one at all? . YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from