Herstory of a Sisterhood

This decades-long sisterhood of women artists continues to nurture the blossoming of feminism in the country

- Franz Sorilla IV

The country's turbulent sociopolitical climate in the Seventies and Eighties paved the way for the rise of social realism and abstract expressionism. Challenging the class struggles and worsening political conditions, the artists protested art's formalism. So, they started using their platforms to spark conversations on social justice, ecoconsciousness, gender equality, and much more.

As with many activist groups after the 1986 revolution, artists have always faced the Quo Vadis question through time. Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, one of the staunch pioneers of feminist art in the Philippines, was surrounded by her "sisters" in giving voice to the voiceless. Driven by their fervent desire to continue making an impactful change in society, she and her friends formed Kasibulan in 1987 and formally registered it in 1989.

Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan (Women in Art and Emerging Consciousness), more popularly known as Kasibulan, was founded by Cajipe-Endaya with sculptor Julie Lluch, illustrator Anna Fer, craft maker Sister Ida Bugayong, and visual artist and educator Brenda Fajardo. Prolific Filipino writer Ed Maranan suggested the name Kasibulan to streamline Cajipe-Endaya and her friends' aims to a blossoming chapter in the art scene and Philippine feminism.

Its objectives are to provide members with opportunities for creativity, growth, and self-sufficiency; to nurture and sustain sisterhood among its members, and to link its members to a larger community of artists and women's groups here and abroad. Kasibulan extends to raising awareness of the plight of women in various fields, industries and professions and taking an active role in catalysing social change and development.