National Artist Eric Oteyza de Guia, popularly known as Kidlat Tahimik, is in Cebu as the National Museum of the Philippines and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) ink an agreement to display some of his iconic works around the airport. | via Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Tucked underneath the iconic beams of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are two wooden sculptures depicting the historic voyage of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his slave, Enrique de Malacca.
Standing between them is a cannon while a map of the Philippine archipelago sits at the background.
We all know the story about Enrique de Malacca, who guided the Spaniards in navigating Southeast Asia.
Generic history books often describe him as the slave who helped the colonizers circumnavigate the globe. Some even considered Malacca the first person to do so.
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But for National Artist Eric Oteyza de Guia, popularly known as Kidlat Tahimik, Malacca is more than just the ordinary Malay. He was not just a mere slave; he was an ‘indio-genius.’
“Who’s to say that we were savages? I think Enrique’s cosmology — he knew about reading the stars. He could read the waves and the winds. Kausap niya (He talks to them). He would talk to the whales and sharks ‘Hey man, how’s the way home?,’” Tahimik said.
“In the end, our friend Magellan has to depend on the instinct and the inner knowledge… which Enrique has. Maybe the world today would have profit if they would have listened to the indio-genius’s knowledge of our tribal people,” he added.
Last August 22, stakeholders at the MCIA and from the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) held a ceremonial unveiling of Tahimik’s art installations at Terminal 2.
Titled, Indio-Genius: Balikbayan #1 and 500 Years of Homecoming to Cebu, collectively, it is a retelling of Magellan’s expedition to the island-province.
It also served as another milestone for MCIA as it effectively became the first international airport in the country to serve as the new home for Tahimik’s iconic works.
“This is the first time for NMP and the first of its kind for Tatay’s (Tahimik’s) works to be displayed prominently on a country’s international gateway,” said Jeremy Barns, director at NMP.
Airport officials revealed that the decision to install Tahimik’s artworks around Terminal 2, the terminal for international flights, is part of their plans to elevate the overall airport experience.
But I couldn’t agree more with Tatay who, in his speech, hoped that his works could inspire young artists to take pride in their pre-colonial roots.
“We were under colonial rule for nearly 500 years… We should not be copycats… Let us not remain prisoners of colonialism,” Tahimik said.
The National Artist’s Indio-Genius was first revealed to the public at Madrid in Spain in 2021. They were also featured during Tahimik’s homecoming exhibition at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila in 2023.
According to the University of the Philippines – College of Fine Arts, the Indio-Genius explores the ‘cultural struggles and aspirations of the Filipino people, deploying indigenous materials, traditions, and narratives to comment on the persistence of cultural imperialism and neocolonialism.’
“In presenting counter-mythologies and alternative stories rooted in local history and events, Kidlat Tahimik challenges the public to reclaim narratives of resistance,” they added.
Aside from the sculptures of Magellan and Malacca, three other installations can be found in Terminal 2.
These included the Sagupaan ng Dalawang Bathala ng Hanging: Ifugao Goddess of the Wind Inhabian Blows Down Hollywood Goddess of the Wind Marilyn Monroe, and The Shaman.
The latter, Tahimik said, portrays how the conquistadors not only brought new knowledge but also the ‘viruses’ that would soon plague the Philippines.
Meanwhile, executives from the Aboitiz GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (AMGCAC), the private consortium co-running MCIA, said that travelers could expect more of Tahimik’s works displayed at Terminal 2 in the coming months. The unveiling last August 22 was just the start, they said.
It is remarkable that an international airport is proud to showcase true, Filipino identity through art installations from National Artists like Tahimik.
But beyond enhancing travelers experience, I think Tatay’s Indio-Genius at the international departures in MCIA also served as a fitting reflection for all the Filipinos leaving the country – be it tourists or overseas workers.
That like Enrique de Malacca, we are the ‘indio-genius’ and we should be carrying it with pride everywhere we go around the world.