ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Botany as a form of taxonomy was integral to the expansion of empires – the extraction, ordering, and naming of “new specimens” resulted in the destruction of Indigenous practices and existing ecosystems in many countries that were previously colonized. In the Philippines, the consecutive botanical engagements of both Spanish and US empires were prompted by desires for superiority among other imperial powers. The concept of the “White Man’s Burden” justified the campaign for a Philippine flora, with colonial empires viewing their involvement as a “gift” to Filipinos and a means of advancing scientific inquiry in the Philippines. As Linnaean classification took hold across the Islands, Filipinos were pushing back by retaining the use of local plant names. The consistent appearance of local plants and their names in visual art, songs, and poetry suggest that Filipinos were challenging European botanical authority and promoting a sense of identity and sovereignty. Colonial powers viewed the Philippines as land lacking intelligent cultivation. However, the same plants that they were identifying and extracting had existed long before colonial encounters as part of social exchange, traditions, or cultural rites. 

During this time, the successive colonial and imperial regimes of Spain, the United States, and Japan were also producing postage stamps brimming with propaganda. Some of these stamps depicted Philippine landscapes overprinted with words that assert the control of  whichever nation was in power at the time. This visually represents how colonial powers fought over ownership of the land for over four hundred years not only to gain resources but to assert their status as global powers. 

The paintings in this exhibition reference the text and landscapes depicted in these postage stamps as well as highlight native flora from the Philippines and their local names. This body of work narrates the history of colonial powers vying for control of the land and Filipinos’ efforts to maintain national identity.