Art from the Philippines displayed in Dubai

Images from the Pintados series by Susan De Guzman. Courtesy Susan De Guzman

The ancient art of tattooing among tribal women of the Philippines is celebrated in a new exhibition in Dubai. The Kalinga tribe, also known as the Pintados (Painted Ones), is a tribe in the Cordilleras area of the island country who use traditional methods of tattooing to preserve their culture.

Susan De Guzman, a Filipina based in Dubai has made a collection of paintings about this tribe that tells their stories that are explorations of lines and colour.

She has used terracotta colours and tribal markings on the abstract canvases as well as gold leaf for embellishment and to emphasise the richness of her culture.

She has also painted the portrait of Whang Od, a female elder considered to be the oldest tattoo artist in the Philippines. Choosing to use shadow and colour instead of traditional portraiture, De Guzman has kept the overall theme of the exhibition.

De Guzman currently works in the Applied Communications Department at the Higher Colleges of Technology UAE and the exhibition opens on April 26 at 7pm the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai.