Hila-bana Street Art

As you can see, Venazir Martinez makes dramatic street art in Baguio City, Philippines. This Filipino muralist describes herself as a visual-anthropreneur, and her striking portraits of people from the Cordillera region of the Philippines are more than just a beautiful sight.

The project is called Hila-Bana, a Tagalog term that means “temporary stitching,” or basting, implying that a common thread runs through each of these cultural identities, connecting them as a nation.

Her portrayals of Filipinos with different cultural identities represent people living in the same inland area but who may never have the chance to learn about each other. “In the Phillippines, education is a privilege,” says Venazir. “The majority of our people lack the opportunity to study, to be able to appreciate our local history, culture, and literature. I believe in the power of street art as a supplementary learning tool, helping to immortalize the local culture bearers. They represent each culture from our diverse regions. This project can create a detailed visualization of a unified nation, as our people constantly seek to define a unified national identity.” The Ifuago, the Bontak, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Kalinga, Apayao, Gaddang, and the Tingguians might be completely unknown to each other if not for Venazir’s work.

This Awesome Without Borders grant will help with the basic expenses of painting large outdoor murals: latex paints, spray cans, brushes, scaffoldings, food, and more. Venazir is not just creating art with paint, she’s weaving a tapestry of her country’s people. See what she paints next by heading to her website and Instagram.