Tigpanalipod (The Protectors) 11° 02' 06.4" N 123° 36' 24.1" E (2) (2022)

Overview

Since 2010, Atienza has been collaborating with fisherfolk on the island, confronting recurring questions: Who owns the land? Who owns the sea? Under the guise of promised economic prosperity, Bantayan Island has been shaped by the interests of the tourism industry, landed elites, and government. Since 2013, more than 9,000 fisherfolk and their families have been displaced-relocated to government housing projects, removed from the coastal areas they have long called home. Considering memory as a way to challenge a system designed to suppress and erase, Atienza invites the viewer to take part in the act of remembering. Her practice is deeply rooted in community, and through GOODLand-a site-specific, socially engaged art platform-she runs interconnected programs grounded in care for land, water, culture, and community, with a core focus on local knowledge.

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