Kidlat Tahimik Exhibits Philippine History in Spain
National Artist Kidlat Tahimik unveils his work on Historical Colonialism in the Philippines in an exhibit held at Palacio de Cristal, Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain, from October 28, 2021 to March 6, 2022.
Museo Reina Sofia, the host of the art exhibit named it “Magellan, Marilyn, Mickey & Fr. Dámaso: 500 Years of Conquistador RockStars”. It highlights the representation of the Philippine indigenous resistance and the contamination of imperialist cultures. Apparently it were the European and North American continents who introduced it.
He wrote his proposal to the director of the museum, Manolo Borja Vilial. He said that it is an opportunity to highlight a historical moment in our history as the first resistance against colonialism. Consequently, the chieftain Lapu-Lapu slain Ferdinand Magellan at Mactan Island in 1521.”
Tahimik chose Palacio de Cristal as the ideal milieu for this exhibit. The building significantly reflects the ‘General Exhibition in the Philippine Island in 1887’. Most especially, this epic setup is the quincentennial of the first encounter between Spain and the Philippines.
Tahimik proudly quotes, “The exhibition is from the point of view of the colonized islanders to be presented, 500 years later, in the land of the colonizers! Finally!“
Eric Oteyza de Guia, a.k.a. Kidlat Tahimik (Silent Lightning), was born in Baguio City, Philippines in 1942. He is an actor, performer, writer and film director who is famous for his critical productions of Neo-colonialism. He is the Father of Philippine Independent Film. In 2018, the NCCA recognized Tahimik as the National Artist of the Philippines for Film category. Furthermore, he is the most influential director in the Asian film industry.