Dambana
signed and dated 2004 (lower right)
oil on canvas
42" x 30" (107 cm x 76 cm)

León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot

EXHIBITEDThe Drawing Room, GAYAK (A Solo Exhibition), Makati City, 20 August - 12 September 2005


In Dambana, foremost social realist of our times, Antipas Delotavo, explores the theme of “hope for the hopeless.” In this work, we see a tableau of the masses going about their everyday living; their faces denote suffering and anguish. Delotavo situates the figures inside a dambana or shrine. Like a sanctuary where the devout deliver their most intense hopes and longings in the form of prayers, in Delotavo’s canvas, the yearnings of the ordinary people are hallowed, elevat- ing them into an altar that arouses and intensifies their collective consciousness. As the masses are the ailing society’s messiah, they are more than capable of fostering the progressiveness that in real- izing and understanding our shared struggles and acting in solidar- ity against an oppressive, exploitative, and alienating system comes an advancement towards a living that is fulfilling, dignified, and just. (Adrian Maranan)