Martha Atienza - Our Islands 11°16’58.4”N 123°45’07.0”E

ADD TO ALBUMS

Our Islands 11°16’58.4”N 123°45’07.0”E

2017

Born in Manila to a Dutch mother and Filipino father, Martha Atienza has moved between two countries and cultures throughout her life. She currently divides her time between Rotterdam and Bantayan Island in the Philippines, depending on where her work brings her. She often focuses on her immediate environment, creating snapshots of reality that are both critical and humorous. Our Islands is inspired by the artist’s family seafaring history: her Filipino grandfather was a lighthouse watcher on the coast of the Visayan Sea, her father a sea captain and her Dutch mother worked for the Holland America Line. The work is based on Bantayan Island and the municipality of Madridejos, where the artist herself grew up. Atienza addresses the problems the fishing community have faced due to poverty, environmental change, and the long absence of family members at sea. While grounded in specifically local concerns and culture, the work speaks to common issues shared across island communities everywhere in the world.

Details

Medium:

Single-channel video

Dimension:

22 min 38 sec (loop)

Date:

2017

Credit Line:

Collection of ILHAM Foundation

About Martha Atienza

Born in Manila to a Dutch mother and Filipino father, throughout her life, Atienza has moved between two countries and cultures. Currently she resides in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Bantayan Island, the Philippines, depending on where her projects bring her. An experimental filmmaker and visual artist, her practice often deals with her immediate environment, and it has been described in terms of taking snapshots of reality that are both critical and humorous. Atienza’s blend of two cultures both have long histories of obsession and dominion by the sea. Her works have been exhibited internationally at various art spaces, galleries and film festivals. She is the recipient of the Thirteen Artists Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Baloise Art Prize in Art Basel. She was also the first Mercedes Zobel/Outset artist-in-residence at Gasworks gallery in London and won the Ateneo Arts Award with studio Residency Grants in Liverpool, Melbourne, New York and Singapore.

MORE INFO

Share