16/09/2026
Today, we celebrate the 77th birthday of Imelda Cajipe-Endaya (b. 1949), painter, printmaker, installation artist, and the first woman to be conferred as National Artist for Visual Arts (Presidential Proclamation No. 1414, s. 2026).
Born in Manila, Cajipe-Endaya earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1970. She initially established her practice in printmaking, painting, and assemblage before expanding into installation art. Her landmark Mga Ninuno (Ancestors) series (1976โ1979) critically examined historical representations of Filipinos and interrogated cultural identity amidst colonial history. By 1982, her work adopted a distinct feminist framework, addressing the socio-political realities and contemporary roles of Filipinas amidst militarization, land struggles, and economic migration. Cajipe-Endayaโs signature visual style incorporates indigenous, domestic, and everyday found materials, including sawali (woven bamboo) panels, crocheted laces, and denims, endowing her social commentary with tactile immediacy and cultural depth.
Beyond her studio practice, Cajipe-Endaya played a critical role in institutional building and cultural scholarship. She was a co-founder and former president of Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan (KASIBULAN, 1988โ1993) and established Pananaw: Philippine Journal of Visual Arts, serving as its inaugural editor-in-chief under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from 1997 to 2002. Her works have been exhibited extensively at major global venues and biennales, including the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Asia Society, Queens Museum, Vancouver Art Gallery, and Art Gallery of Western Australia, highlighted by landmark installations such as FDH: Foreign Domestic Helper (1993) and Filipina: DH in Traditions/Tensions (1996โ1997). Over her career, she has received numerous accolades, including the CCP Thirteen Artists Award (1990), Manilaโs Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan for Painting (1998), CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts (1999), Ateneo de Manila ALIWW Honors for Women in the Arts (2008), and the NCCA Ani ng Dangal (2009).
Featured in the Bulwagan ng Dangal collection is her mixed-media work, Inay, Ineng, Kalayaan ay Inyo Rin (1985). Made during the heightened political resistance preceding the 1986 People Power Revolution, the artwork positions women as active agents in national history. Depicting two figures behind woven bamboo walls and crochet curtains, the composition frames mothers and daughters to highlight their strategic engagement and solidarity in the movement for democracy and social justice.
References:
Guillermo, Alice G., Rosa Concepcion Ladrido, and Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez. โCajipe-Endaya, Imelda.โ Visual Arts. Vol. 5 of CCP Philippine Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2017.
Olivares, John Paul. โUniversity of the Philippines, Quezon City: Bulwagan Ng Dangal, Gonzalez Hall.โ Lakbay ng Lakan, 2016. https://lakansining.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/university-of-the-philippines-quezon-city-bulwagan-ng-dangal-gonzalez-hall/.
โPresident Marcos Names 10 Filipinos as National Artists for 2025.โ Presidential Communications Office, September 11, 2026. https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/president-marcos-names-10-filipinos-as-national-artists-for-2025/.
