DeCoSEAS

Virtual Exhibit Kaagi: Tracing Visayan Identities Through Cultural Texts

Following the 2021 Annual Philippine Studies Conference at SOAS, University of London, PI Cristina Juan curated the virtual exhibit Kaagi: Tracing Visayan Identities Through Cultural Texts. The exhibit explores the ways in which texts, objects and performances negotiate, mediate and translate the ‘Bisaya’ as a collective identifier of culture, language and artistic practice.

Drawing on archival sources on the Visayas, dating up to the 17th century, most specially the Arte de la lengua bisaya hiliguayna de la Isla de Panay (circa 1628) now kept at the SOAS Special Collections and Archives, the exhibit explores the connections between colonial archives and cultural practices from the Visayan region. The exhibit’s interactive portal features ten categories of early contact cultural heritage and extends the exploration by accompanying these with works by contemporary Filipino artists who adapt, transform, and subvert these representations in their practices.