‘PINASAHI’: Himbon’s art exhibit highlights women’s impact on society

By John Noel E. Herrera

The Himbon Contemporary Ilonggo Artists Group on March 27, 2023 launched an all-female art exhibit dubbed ‘Pinasahi’ as part of the Women’s Month celebration at SM City Iloilo.

‘Pinasahi’ is a Hiligaynon word for unique or extraordinary, which symbolizes the vital role of women in society, according to Himbon.

The exhibit features artworks by Gina Apostol, Charmaine Española, Rachelle Acla Kim, Aivee Genson, Atty. Carol Salvatierra, and Althea Villanueva, who all stroked their brushes not just with colors, but emotions and ideas about the different delicate images of being a woman.

Mostly made of acrylic paint, the art pieces show different hues of challenges that women face in society, as well as their triumphs, independence, and the beauty of motherhood.

Take for example the artwork by Althea Villanueva entitled ‘Pag-ulikid’, which portrays an image of how a mother cared for her baby, and Rachelle Kim’s ‘Mananahi’, which showed the hands of a woman sewing a piece of cloth – both a representation of women’s capability to nurture, influence and inspire everybody, and provide a living for their families.

Himbon hoped that through the exhibit, the public would realize that everyone in society is equal in roles and opportunities, regardless of gender, and for women to realize their vital roles in shaping a better community.

The group added that they always support the undertakings of their female members, citing that everyone in the arts community has their own advocacy and creative interpretation of things, just like how they bring women to the forefront through the exhibit – making them all ‘pinasahi’.

The exhibit, which is also in partnership with JCI Iloilo Ilang Ilang, will run from March 27 to April 12, 2023.