ABOUT THE COVER

A vibrant collage featuring assorted flowers, birds, fruits, and coffee cups with several people in various poses, surrounded by colorful swirls and bubbles, creating a lively, surreal scene.

Three women representing the tri-people of Mindanao

situated amidst all the riches found on the island and embraced by indigenous flora made through their paint strokes.

This amazing piece by @womancreate was commissioned by Balay Kasamtangan as the website landing image to showcase the inextricable role of art in creating beauty, highlight the naturally maximalist style of the archipelago, and represent the blossoming of feminine power and voices in society.

Mixed media collage of a woman with dark skin, adorned with pearls, jewelry, and colorful fabric, surrounded by vibrant paper cutouts and embroidered elements on a white background.

A young woman with long dark hair smiling, wearing a pink crocheted crop top and light blue drawstring shorts, standing against a plain white wall.

Marika Callangan

a.k.a Woman Create is a collage artist, muralist, and maker based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Her vibrant works explore feminist themes such as identity, body, femininity, and female rage. Inherent to her art practice is the intention of resonating feminist ideals to women’s experiences through exploratory collages, weaving fragmented narratives that visually narrate transformative empowerment within conditioned patriarchal backdrops. In doing this, she uses art as a means to provoke autonomy and emancipation in women.

Five people hiking along a rocky trail in a lush green canyon with steep cliffs and dense vegetation.

Tea being poured from a teapot into multiple cups on a floral-patterned tray.

Philippine Coffee Alliance

The Philippine Coffee Alliance was formed in 2011 with the primary objective of promoting and protecting the interests of the Philippine coffee industry and empower smallholder Filipino coffee farmers. The alliance spans through 46 locations and counting.

The background image used in this piece was taken from a trip through Pinatubo, while the coffee mugs were taken at Doña Remedios Trinidad. Photography by Dash Araya of Basilio Coffee.

A painting of large, vibrant yellow and orange flowers with green leaves against a black background.

Person wearing a black niqab and a beige trench coat, sitting on a white stool against a plain beige wall.

Rabiah Aparis

is a visionary Muslim artist from Bukidnon. Through her art, she brings stories of nature, culture, and identity to life hoping to inspire and connect with others. Her dream is to share her work with the world. When not painting, she enjoys creating content, photography, and exploring creativity.

A painting of a forest scene with a large, detailed mushroom in the foreground, and sunlight filtering through trees in the background.

A young woman squatting on a gray shaggy rug, wearing a gray beret, black sleeveless top, blue denim overalls with embroidery, black sneakers, a yellow watch, and a silver necklace, against a background of white and blue walls.

Mabelle Ora

is a contemporary artist born in Bukidnon that always loved creativity. Growing up, she leisurely ventures into many art forms, expressing various emotions and stories through every piece. She deeply believes that everything is art.

With this, she aspires to boost her artistic flair, carve out her place in the art setting. Not only captivate, but also inspire others to shine artistically in their own way.

Painting of a white orchid with green leaves in the background.

Janice Ganzon

is an expressive cubist from Bukidnon. Since she loves storytelling, her works portrays various untold stories of every Filipino's forgotten culture. Her goal is to bring back everyone into their golden nostalgic memories through her pieces.