"In order to read the destiny of a people,

it is necessary to open the book of its past..."

-Jose Rizal, The Philippines: A Century Hence

Hiraya Gallery goes into an introspective mood midyear with its upcoming series entitled Saan Ka Nanggaling, Saan Ka Darating , successively featuring the country's top printmakers: Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi and Fil Delacruz.

Taking its cue from the visions of our national hero, Jose Rizal, in his long essay, "The Philippines: A Century Hence," Hiraya offers its patrons and visitors a varied but provocative look-and-see into the Filipinos' responses to the events of the 20th century Philippines.

Memory Lanes: Imelda Cajipe-Endaya

Our women---mothers, daughters, and sisters---are burnished vessels of our continuity as a race. A great burden had fallen on them as they leave in waves from our shores to do odd labor for their families. Yet the crevices in their dreams are unhealed even from within our society.

A very fevered soul in her sisterhood to the many Filipinas---of then, now and the future---Imelda Cajipe-Endaya ignites a collage of thoughts about their participatory role in the unfolding destiny of our nation. She stationed herself near her photoengraving equipment like her old forbears near their weaving looms and embroidery boxes chatting about the events of the day and keeping track of everyone's whereabouts.

With time as her muse, Cajipe-Endaya treaded intuitively into the social and historical circumstances that laid down the Filipinas' evolution in her personality and disparate role among her ancestors, husbands, her mentors and molders---that saw her as homely, a social catalyzer, and a deviant.

This retrospective exhibit of Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, an intense artist of well-distilled intelligence, starts the visual series of pathways into the past entitled Saan Ka Nanggaling, Saan Ka Darating. The show is open to the public from August 19 to September 10. The artist reception is at 6 pm, Thursday, August 19.