A feminist activist involved in many advocacy works using art as a medium, as a visual artist, she engages marginalized women and children in her projects as collaborators and co-creators, expanding the visual experience of the participants to create a collective work that challenges the traditional as well as the patriarchal way of making art. Her projects, mostly labor-intensive art forms using foam, fabrics and needlework, represent the sexually abused children in an empowered position as can be experienced in her tapestry works and soft sculptures.
Her “Soft Dreams and Bed Stories” project was exhibited at the 8th Havana Bienale in Cuba in 2003 and was later selected for an exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Norway in 2004 together with 25 other works selected from the Havana Bienale. She again represented the Philippines in the 2nd Yokohama Triennale in Japan with her “Ayayam”, a project that involves not only women from KASIBULAN and abused children from the Philippines but Japanese women artists and advocacy workers as well.
She was president of KASIBULAN (Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan or Women in Art and Emerging Consciousness), a collective of women artists active in advocating women’s empowerment through the arts.
As an art educator, she headed the Philippine Art Educators Association (PAEA) which is committed to promote an art education all over the Philippines grounded on strong Philippine art perspective. She has developed modules and conducted numerous art workshops in different schools, museums, alternative spaces and centers for marginalized children. Since 1995, she has been conducting arts for healing workshop for the young female survivors – victims of sexual abuse at CRIBS Philippines.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Studies and took up masteral units in Art Studies major in Art History and undergrad units in Studio Arts at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.
Source: http://arthoc.org.ph/trauma-interrupted/alma/alma_about.html
Photo by Rica Estrada
Curved House 