Prinsipe at Prinsesa, India Ink on Abaca Paper

“Tinta sa Abaka” is a collection of paintings by 24-year-old Filipina artist Jirah Millano. The artist debuted this style in October 2022, combining media that is long-lasting and reflects the Filipino heritage theme. Jirah is an active member of local heritage-advocate groups such as Renacimiento Manila, Urban Sketchers Manila, Philippine Botanical Art Society, and Philippine Fauna Art Society. Through visual art, she seeks to help raise awareness on the status of local built and natural heritage.

Singkil is a folk dance of the Philippines that has its origins in the Maranao people of Lake Lanao, a Mindanao Muslim ethnolinguistic group. The dance is widely recognized today as the royal dance of a prince and a princess weaving in and out of crisscrossed bamboo poles clapped in a syncopated rhythm. While the man manipulates a sword and shield, the woman gracefully twirls a pair of fans.