Caption: (top left) Ambassador Garcia talks about the exhibit with Global Affairs Canada Assistant Deputy Minister Paul Thoppil; (top right and bottom left) Guests scrutinize the details of each piece; (bottom right) Members of Filipino Heritage Montreal together with the Ambassador; (middle left) Ms. Alcaraz delivers her message to the audience.
1 August 2019, Ottawa – The Embassy of the Philippines in Canada launched its celebration of Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) with “Alamat – An Art Exhibit of Philippine Mythical Creatures” by renowned children’s book illustrator Frances Alcaraz. The week-long exhibit opened on Thursday, 1 August 2019 to an audience of approximately 150 at the Embassy’s Sentro Rizal Ottawa.
The curiosity of the guests was piqued with Ms. Alcaraz’s intricate interpretations of ten well-known characters from Philippine mythology. Using pen, ink, and acrylic on boards, the artist portrayed modern versions of timeless creatures from Filipino folk stories, including the kapre (tree giant), tikbalang, mananggal, diwata, and nuno sa punso (old man on a hill). Each piece was accompanied by a story of the character’s background and role in society.
Ms. Alcaraz was unable to join the reception but sent a video message thanking the guests for visiting the exhibit. “We all know the stories,” she acknowledged. “Every Filipino child will tell you about their fears through these stories, about their dreams and mythical creatures and magic that we all grew up with. So I hope when you go through the exhibit you will learn more about our culture and more about my country.”
Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia welcomed the guests and thanked Ms. Alcaraz for sharing her art. She noted that the mythical creatures in the exhibit have stayed in the Filipino consciousness for hundreds of years and form an integral part of its culture. She reminded the audience of the stories of their childhood and invited them to revisit how the early Filipinos perceived the world around them.
The guests, some of whom came all the way from Montreal and Toronto to attend the reception, admired the vibrant colors and intricate patterns of Ms. Alcaraz’s works and expressed appreciation for the subject matter she tackled. For guests of Filipino descent, it was an opportunity to go back to their childhood and the stories from their elders while Canadian guests enjoyed seeing another aspect of the Philippines’ rich culture.
“Alamat – An Art Exhibit of Philippine Mythical Creatures” runs until Wednesday, 7 August 2019, at Sentro Rizal Ottawa, 30 Murray Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 5M4. For inquiries, contact the Cultural Section at 613.233.1121 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. END.