Cordilleran art finds a home in Kalinga

KALINGA, Philippines – February in Kalinga is a time when gongs echo across the mountains, calling tribes together to honor the Bodong Festival, an old ritual that reaffirms the peace pact tying communities across the province. 

Amid the rhythmic beats and colorful ceremonies in Tabuk City, a quieter, but equally historic, first was taking shape on Monday, February 9. It was the opening of “Rugi: First Ground,” Kalinga’s first formal art gallery and exhibition space.

Housed within the cozy walls of Aki’s Café Gallery in Purok 7, Bulanao, “Rugi” is a meeting point for Cordilleran creativity, bringing together artists across generations and disciplines – painting, sculpture, textiles, pottery, and mixed media – under a single roof. The name, meaning “the beginning,” signals a journey, the first step toward giving Kalinga art a home of its own.

The idea was sparked by Windy Capuyan, whose relatives Cesar and Maxie Capuyan embraced the vision of establishing a dedicated exhibition space, recognizing the absence of formal art exhibits in the city. 

The gallery opens its doors daily from 9 am to 9 pm, inviting locals and visitors alike to step into a space where tradition and contemporary expression meet.

Generations in one room

The exhibit features established and emerging names from across the Cordillera.

Among them is Willie Magtibay, a founding member of the Baguio Arts Guild and recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Award in 1992. Known for his intricate pen-and-ink works shaped by immersion in Cordillera indigenous rituals, Magtibay revisits ancestral symbols and material culture with contemporary rigor.

Cabanatuan Catholic Bishop Prudencio Andaya Jr., who is Kalinga-born and longtime advocate for indigenous peoples, also exhibits his paintings, bringing into the gallery a practice that has long accompanied his pastoral and cultural work.

Representing a younger generation is Jayson Duclan, a self-taught Kankana-ey artist known for portraiture rooted in Cordilleran folklore and lived experience, and SiLan, whose fabric-inspired visual language explores women’s strength and mother-child bonds through a distinctly highland lens.

They are joined by Lope Bosaing, Dejon Taguyangon, Carlo Villafuerte, JA B, and other featured artists, forming a cross-section of voices negotiating memory, identity, and place.

More than a café wall

Kalinga’s cultural life has long thrived in ritual grounds, weaving looms, tattoo sessions, and community gatherings. What “Rugi” introduces is structure: a curated, sustained space where works are not incidental décor but the center of attention.

Opening during Bodong season sharpens the symbolism. The peace pact defines shared territory and responsibility. “Rugi” does something similar for art, marking a first claim to cultural ground, asserting that Cordilleran creativity deserves permanence, professionalism, and public investment.

‘A permanent home’

Kalinga Governor James Edduba described the gallery as “a declaration that Kalinga art, culture and creativity deserves a permanent home.”

“Through color, form, texture, and narrative, these works reflect our traditions, our rituals, our landscapes, and our collective experiences. They show us that culture lives not only in ceremony and oral history, but also in contemporary artistic expression,” the Tabuk Public Information Office quoted Edduba as saying.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Grace Baluyan was also quoted as emphasizing the role of promoting crafts in preserving cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible. 

She cited the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, which aims to protect artists’ rights, foster employment, and strengthen financial mechanisms for sustainable growth in the creative sector. – Rappler.com