Book, art exhibit shine spotlight on Bacani’s life as 2nd generation migrant worker

Xyza Cruz Bacani (center) is joined by guests led by Consul General Antonio Morales (5th from left) in opening the art exhibit and book launching.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Xyza Cruz Bacani

Award-winning photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani retraces her steps as a former migrant domestic worker in the book, ‘We Are Like Air” which was launched at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wanchai on Nov. 30.

To put emphasis on how personal the book is, 31-year-old Bacani attended the launch with her parents, Villamor and Georgia Bacani, who she said were attending her art exhibit together for the first time.

Also present was Kathryn Louey, Xyza’s former employer, whom she called as “the most important person” and “biggest influence” in her life.

It was Louey, said Bacani, who virtually pushed her out of her house - and Hong Kong - so she would take up the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice fellowship at New York University when it was offered to her in 2015.

After reading about the scholarship offer in a newspaper article, Louey reportedly told Bacani, “You’re fired!” just so the reluctant maid, who had been in her employ for 10 years, would accept the offer.

That short stint in New York City opened many more doors for Bacani so that she now fondly refers to Louey as the one who changed the fortune of “the future generations of the Bacanis.”

But the book - and the photos in the accompanying exhibit – tell more the story of Bacani’s mother, Georgia, and the more than 200,000 Filipino women working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

Bacani titled the book “We Are Like Air” in reference to migrant domestic workers who she
said are important yet are often invisible.

The photos she took provide a glimpse into how migrant workers live- from when they first arrived at their employer’s home, the numerous letters they sent to their family, finding love and raising a family in Hong Kong, to protesting for their rights.



Part of the art installation was a narrow bed in a corner above which two shirts are hung, signifying the small space often given to domestic workers in their employer’s home.

A collage of photos on a wall show various migrant workers at work or on their days off, with the description for each written by Georgia, who left home in the 1990s to provide a better life for her husband-farmer and three young children, the eldest of whom is Xyza.



Among about 100 guests who attended the launch were Consul General Antonio A. Morales, representatives from the U.S. consulate, the Wanchai District Council, and the sponsors, WYNG Media Award (WMA).

The book launch and opening of the photo exhibit were the first in a series of activities for
Bacani’s new project which she created as part of the WMA Commission in 2016-2017.



On Dec. 2, the domestic workers’ group, Guhit Kulay, hosted an art jam at the Centre, and on Dec. 9, Bacani held a book-signing session at the newsstand in front of World Wide House, the favorite go-to place of Filipino migrant workers on their off days.

On Dec. 16, Bacani will be joined in a forum at the HK Arts Centre by renowned journalist Sheila Coronel, academic dean of Columbia University’s Journalism School.



Among Bacani’s numerous achievements is having a resolution at the Philippine House of

Representatives passed in her honor. She is also one of Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders in 2018, a Pulitzer Prize grantee and an Open Society Moving Walls grantee in 2017. In 2015 she was named among BBC’s 100 Women of the World, and as one of 30 Under 30 Women Photographers in 2016.

2 Pinay DHs short-listed for human rights arts awards

Maureen Villanueva’s painting “Innocent Hands” 

By The SUN

Gemma Abad’s dress
made out of the ubiquitous
straw bag (also known as “striped
bag” among OFWs).

Entries from two Filipina domestic workers have been short-listed for this year’s Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2018 competition whose winners will be known at ceremonies to be held on Dec 8 at The Hive Spring in Aberdeen.

Gemma Abad’s dress made out of the ubiquitous straw bag (“striped bag” among OFWs) and Maureen Villanueva’s painting “Innocent Hands” are among the 23 entries that have been short-listed for the awards, according to HKHRAP director Ms Katie Vadja.

Launched by Justice Centre Hong Kong, the award encourages Hong Kong-based artists to explore local and external humanitarian issues. The 23 entries from 24 artists this year have been selected from over a hundred applicants.

Using mediums ranging from film to neon lights to recyclables, the thought-provoking installations explore topics from migration to sustainability.



The winner of the HKHRAP 2018 will receive a cash prize of $35,000 and a trophy by prominent Hong Kong artist Jaffa Lam.

Two runners-up will also receive cash prizes, and a Directors’ Choice Award will be presented at the exhibition opening.



Previous winners in the arts tilt include Filipina former domestic worker-turned professional photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani for a series of pictures of migrant workers.

Camarines Norte native Abad, who has been working in Hong Kong for the past 11 years, shows the fashion value of the familiar bag.



Her untitled artwork is captioned: “A market bag: ordinary, common, simple and durable transformed into a new form, a new purpose.”

Abad told The SUN she was inspired and encouraged by her employer Kate Sparrow, who is also an artist, to pursue her artistic talent. They collaborated in an exhibit called “Not For Sale” in October.



Villanueva, from Sorsogon, has been working in Hong Kong for six years as domestic helper. Previously, she was a musician in Malaysia and the Philippines but came to Hong Kong after taking up a course as caregiver.

She said her artwork, titled “Innocent hands,” is about rape. The artist said she wanted to emphasize the protection of victims.

Villanueva is a member of Guhit Kulay Hong Kong, a group of Filipino artists, and this, she says, is the first big competition she has joined.

The entries also include “Lie Flat”, an installation by local artist Florence Li that was reportedly inspired by a case study on a maid’s room in a high-end residential estate.

Li’s work questions the standard of living in Hong Kong and what is considered to be adequate living space and conditions.

Tickets to the awards ceremony start at $250, and all proceeds will be donated to Justice Centre Hong Kong. For more information, visit their website: http://www.justicecentre.org.hk/artsprize/

SUPORTAHAN PO NATIN ANG ATING MGA SPONSOR:

Book, art exhibits shine spotlight on Bacani’s life as 2nd generation migrant worker

Doing the ribbon cutting to open the exhibit were (l to r)  Xysa's parents Villamor and Georgia, Katherine Louie,
Xyza, Consul General Antonio Morales, curator Melissa Lee and Wanchai DC member Yolanda Ng

By Daisy CL Mandap

Award-winning photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani retraces her steps as a former migrant domestic worker in the book, ‘We Are Like Air” which was launched at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wanchai on Nov. 30.

To put emphasis on how personal the book is, 31-year-old Bacani attended the launch with her parents, Villamor and Georgia Bacani, who she said were attending her first art exhibit together for the first time – and a brother.

Also present was Katherine Louey, Xyza’s former employer, whom she called as “the most important person” and “biggest influence” in her life.

It was Louey, said Bacani, who virtually pushed her out of her house - and Hong Kong - so she would take up the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice fellowship at New York University when it was offered to her in 2015.

After reading about the scholarship offer in a newspaper article, Louey reportedly told Bacani, “You’re fired!” just so the reluctant maid, who had been in her employ for 10 years, would accept the offer.

That short stint in New York City opened many more doors for Bacani so that she now fondly refers to Louey as the one who changed the fortune of “the future generations of the Bacanis.”

Xyza's photos of migrant women in action, captions by her mother Georgia

But the book - and the photos in the accompanying exhibit – tell more the story of Bacani’s mother, Georgia, and the more than 200,000 Filipino women working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

Bacani titled the book “We Are Like Air” in reference to migrant domestic workers who she said are important yet are often invisible.

The photos she took provide a glimpse into how migrant workers live- from when they first arrived at their employer’s home, the numerous letters they sent to their family, finding love and raising a family in Hong Kong, to protesting for their rights.

Collage of migrant memorabilias: letter to home, work contracts and visas, family pictures and religious images

Part of the art installation was a narrow bed in a corner above which two shirts are hung, signifying the small space often given to domestic workers in their employer’s home.

A collage of photos on a wall show various migrant workers at work or on their days off, with the description for each written by Georgia, who left home in the 1990s to provide a better life for her husband-farmer and three young children, the eldest of whom is Xyza.

Among about 100 guests who attended the launch were Consul General Antonio A. Morales, representatives from the U.S. consulate, the Wanchai District Council, and the sponsors, WYNG Media Award (WMA).

The book launch and opening of the photo exhibit were the first in a series of activities for Bacani’s new project which she created as part of the WMA Commission in 2016-2017.

On Dec. 2, the domestic workers’ group, Guhit Kulay, hosted an art jam at the Centre, and on Dec. 9, Bacani will hold a book-signing session at the newsstand in front of World Wide House, the favorite go-to place of Filipino migrant workers on their off days.

On Dec. 16, Bacani will be joined in a forum by renowned journalist Sheila Coronel, academic dean of Columbia University’s Journalism School, and one of her mentors in NYC.

Among Bacani’s numerous achievements is having a resolution at the Philippine House of Representatives passed in her honor. She is also one of Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders in 2018, a Pulitzer Prize grantee and an Open Society Moving Walls grantee in 2017. In 2015 she was named among BBC’s 100 Women of the World, and as one of 30 Under 30 Women Photographers in 2016.

SUPORTAHAN PO NATIN ANG ATING MGA SPONSOR:

HK-based Pinoy artists join campaign for human rights

Participating artists strike a pose at the main gallery of FEU.

Former HK migrant worker Xyza Cruz-Bacani and resident William Elvin have joined hands to take part in an artists-led campaign for human rights in the Philippines which was unveiled amid tight security at the FEU campus in Manila on Mar. 9.

“Hudyat: Filipino Artists for Human Dignity” is a multi-media exhibit showcasing works depicting the state of human rights in the Philippines, from the martial law era of the ‘70s to the ‘80s, to the recent spate of extra judicial killings associated with the government’s anti drugs campaign.

The exhibitors are led by National Artist BenCab, and also include writer/poet Pete Lacaba, journalist Sheila Coronel, visual artists Julie Lluch, Bogie Tence Ruiz and Antipas Delotavo, and photojournalists Raffy Lerma and Ric Rocamora.

Among those who spoke eloquently about the need to speak out against human rights violations were Lerma and Rappler reporter Patricia Evangelista, who have both had close encounters with EJK victims.

Lerma said seeing the spate of killings made him realize that one could not stand idly by and not speak up against those responsible.

Evangelista said that up to 27 people were killed  in Manila in just one night, and more than 7,000 in the first seven months of President Rodrigo Duterte’s rule.

“Is opposition to the killings opposition to the government? It is not,” she said.

Lluch, whose statement was read by her daughter, said: “One man killed is one man too many...We are not against the war on drugs but the clandestine killings of so many”.

The exhibit runs until Mar. 25. Those intending to visit are requested to register beforehand at pcc@feu.edu.ph or via the FB page, Hudyat Filipino Artists for Human Dignity. —DCLM

Art auction raises $33,000 for Bethune House

By Vir B. Lumicao

Seven works by two former domestic helpers who have become internationally acclaimed artists were bought by private collectors in an auction at the Bethune House 30th anniversary charity dinner held on Sept 30 at Li Hall in St John’s Cathedral.

The seven art works were among 32 donated by Xyza Cruz Bacani and Janet Pancho Gupta to help raise funds for Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, a shelter for distressed migrant helpers in Hong Kong.

Bacani, currently based in New York, had five buyers of her street photographs, while Pancho Gupta, a Hong Kong-based painter who added photography to her artistic pursuits recently, sold two works.
According to Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, the silent auction for the seven works raised a total of $33,000 for the shelter.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of Mission for Migrant Workers which operates Bethune House, said the unsold works would be put up again for sale in future auctions to raise funds for the refuge.

“We’re planning to continue the auctions because that’s what the donors want anyway,” Tellez told The SUN shortly after the event.

Additional funds were raised from the $500 per plate dinner buffet featuring a variety of Filipino dishes prepared by residents of the shelter.

Live music was provided by Hong Kong-based Filipino artist and The SUN staff William Elvin Manzano, who contributed his talent pro bono.

Antonio expressed thanks to Bacani, a friend of Bethune House who has been actively supporting the struggle of foreign domestic workers for their rights, and to Pancho Gupta, a former resident who was herself a victim of abusive employers.

Bacani, who is currently in New York, sent her greetings to Bethune House on a video message projected on a screen.

Pancho Gupta, for her part, recalled the days when she was at Bethune and no one knew that she was an artist until she started drawing as part of her activities in the refuge.

Xyza’s ‘Modern Slavery’ series

By William Elvin

Followers of Filipina photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani’s career will be pleasantly surprised by the subtlety and simplicity displayed in her latest solo exhibit in Hong Kong entitled ‘Modern Slavery’.
Patrons who have become accustomed to Bacani’s frantic black and white capturing of busy streets and people will find the silent and serene tone of the photographs refreshing.
It is also notable that although the artist has touched on abuse and slavery as subject matter in earlier exhibits, a more mature artistic layering and use of subtext dominate this deliberately low-key collection.
But whatever the technique, Bacani continues to present us with colorful stories through a simple palette of black, white, and gray.
The former domestic helper’s gallery presents human trafficking victims in New York, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong in seemingly mundane situations. There are no depictions of actual abuse and horror, yet seeing the subjects and knowing their pain beyond the facade of ordinary activities such as socializing and participating in cultural and religious rituals give Bacani’s material more emotional power.
According to Bacani, the goal of the exhibit is to “humanize the global problem of human labor trafficking”.
By moving away from a direct and in-your-face approach to presenting the abuse victims, Bacani has succeeded in bringing to the forefront the beauty and vitality that could emerge from their experiences .
In the process, observers are able to connect and sympathize with the subjects, not because they have been bombarded by bloody and gory images, but because the victims still choose to be human – to still be among us -  despite the massive pain and abuse they must have endured.
‘Modern Slavery’is displayed at KONG Art Space in Villa Serene, 3 Staunton Street, Central from May 21 to June 10, and is sponsored by the U.S. Consulate and KONG Art Space. For inquries, please call 9887 9840.

What's on where

Philippine Independence Day Celebrations

Philippine Independence Day Ball
June 11, 6:00 pm onwards, Ballroom, Conrad Hotel
Guest Performer: Jed MaddelaOrganizer: Philippine Association of Hong Kong
Beneficiaries: Bayanihan Centre, Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge, Wimler Foundation, Gawad Kalinga and the PAHK scholarship program.
Tickets are on sale at $2,000, $1,600 and $1,300 per person. For tickets and other information, contact Edith, 5213 3588

Kapangyawan Friendship Festival
June 12 (Sunday), 9:00 am onwards,
Chater Road, Central
Organizer: Philippine Consulate General, Philippine Association of Hong Kong and Philippine Alliance
Open to the public

Independence Day Cocktail Reception
June 14 , Granville and Nathan Rooms, Conrad Hong Kong
Host: PCG.
Strictly by invitation only

‘Modern Slavery’
A Photo Exhibition on Human Traffickingby Xyza Cruz Bacani.
May 21 to June 10, KONG Art Space in Villa Serene, 3 Staunton Street, Central
Sponsored by the U.S. Consulate and KONG Art Space.
For inquries, please call 9887 9840.

“The Spirit of Place”
A rare exhibit of the art of French master Claude Monet
May 4 to July 11, Heritage Art Gallery, Shatin
Entrance Fee: $10 for adults, $5 for students, seniors and PWDs every Wednesday. Double or $20 and $10 on all other days, except Tuesday when the museum is closed

Bloodletting Day
June 5, Red Cross Centre, Causeway Bay
Organizer: PGBI AGUILA
Contact: Gener @55908253

ICM Annual Banquet
Oct 24, 6pm onwards, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai.
This is an annual fundraising for the “poorest of the poor” in the Philippines. Table prices with 12 persons each range from $30,000 to $100,000. For more information or any questions, please email banquet@caremin.com or call +852 2548 9038.

Designers boost Bethune

Global fashion brand Kaprice joined forces with jewelry designer Gosia Orlowska, Carla Personal Styling and Pakt on Mar 17 to celebrate International Women’s Day and raise money for Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge.
About a dozen women attended the benefit show organized by Kaprice’s Ana Briones, where clothes, jewelry and other designer items were put up for sale, with part of the proceeds going to Bethune House.
Bethune executive director Edwina Antonio was unable to join the event as she was attending to a sick client, but extended her gratitude to the women who extended help.
Celebrity photographer Xyza Cruz-Bacani, who was a former OFW herself, spoke of how she got to be where she is now, and of her own fundraising efforts for Bethune.
Also among the guests was The SUN editor Daisy CL Mandap, who has been designated Bethune’s Ambassador of Goodwill not just for raising funds for the shelter, but also for raising awareness about its work and its needs.
Briones said the money raised from the charity event will be handed personally to Antonio sometime this month.