Tekla Tamoria
Artist-in-residence by invitation
15 August — 15 October 2024
Ma. Athela "Tekla" Tamoria (b. 1989) graduated with a degree in Painting from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in 2010. After two years of working in the corporate sector, she pursued tailoring at a local technical school allowing her to further her practice of working with textiles. She has completed residencies at the Beppu Project in Japan (2023) and at ABungalow in Talisay (2024).
Tamoria has been a featured artist in art fairs such as Art in the Park 2018 and at the Asia Now Paris Art Fair in 2018 by representation of Vinyl on Vinyl. She had works included in two museum exhibitions: More than a Hat at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (2022) and Variation of the Fields at Vargas Museum (December 2019). In 2023, Tamoria was one of the Ateneo Art Awards (AAA) Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art winners with an upcoming residency at No Art Space in Baguio.
Mula sa Ugat at Pag-Alala
12.10.2024
Kapitana Gallery
A Shared Thread of History
Tekla Tamoria's Culminating Show from her Residency at ABungalow, Titled "Mula sa Ugat at Pag-Alala" (From the Roots and Memories)
The title conveys two main ideas that Tamoria explores in her tapestry. First, "ugat" (roots), which pertains to familial ties and hints at the plant motifs the artist incorporated into her work also mirroring the lush environment of ABungalow. Second, "pag-alala," in Filipino, which can mean "to care," "to worry," or "to remember."
The artist references an old family photo of Doña Enrica Alunan-Lizares, fondly referred to as "Tana Dicang." This photo has been edited to include members of the Lizares family who were not present when the original image was taken.
Tamoria, whose recent works involve human portraiture in tapestries, has transformed personal photographs—such as a class picture and family portraits—into tapestries using repurposed or thrifted clothing. She was selected for the residency before being named an Ateneo Art Awardee in 2023.
For her residency at ABungalow, Tamoria takes on the challenge of creating a family portrait tapestry of one of Talisay's prominent families—the Lizares clan—shedding light on the themes of memory and familial roots.
About Tana Dicang
Doña Enrica Alunan-Lizares, known as Tana Dicang, was the grand matriarch of the Alunan-Lizares Clan and the wife of Kapitan Efigenio Treyes Lizares, a prominent businessman in Bacolod’s sugar industry during its golden years. Tana Dicang herself is a respected sugar planter.
Tana Dicang frequently hosted influential guests, including Presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña. Her home likely witnessed key discussions that shaped sugar industry policies at the time.
Notably, Tana Dicang’s daughters are also a skilled seamstress. Tamoria’s project connects the past to the present, creating a shared thread of history through the artist’s contemporary interpretation of the Lizares family portrait.
Tekla Tamoria's Culminating Show from her Residency at ABungalow, Titled "Mula sa Ugat at Pag-Alala" (From the Roots and Memories)
The title conveys two main ideas that Tamoria explores in her tapestry. First, "ugat" (roots), which pertains to familial ties and hints at the plant motifs the artist incorporated into her work also mirroring the lush environment of ABungalow. Second, "pag-alala," in Filipino, which can mean "to care," "to worry," or "to remember."
The artist references an old family photo of Doña Enrica Alunan-Lizares, fondly referred to as "Tana Dicang." This photo has been edited to include members of the Lizares family who were not present when the original image was taken.
Tamoria, whose recent works involve human portraiture in tapestries, has transformed personal photographs—such as a class picture and family portraits—into tapestries using repurposed or thrifted clothing. She was selected for the residency before being named an Ateneo Art Awardee in 2023.
For her residency at ABungalow, Tamoria takes on the challenge of creating a family portrait tapestry of one of Talisay's prominent families—the Lizares clan—shedding light on the themes of memory and familial roots.
About Tana Dicang
Doña Enrica Alunan-Lizares, known as Tana Dicang, was the grand matriarch of the Alunan-Lizares Clan and the wife of Kapitan Efigenio Treyes Lizares, a prominent businessman in Bacolod’s sugar industry during its golden years. Tana Dicang herself is a respected sugar planter.
Tana Dicang frequently hosted influential guests, including Presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña. Her home likely witnessed key discussions that shaped sugar industry policies at the time.
Notably, Tana Dicang’s daughters are also a skilled seamstress. Tamoria’s project connects the past to the present, creating a shared thread of history through the artist’s contemporary interpretation of the Lizares family portrait.
- Marz Aglipay
L-R 01 Lizares Family, 133 x 278 cm, tapestry, 2024 02 Anahaw, 82 x 88 cm, tapestry, 2024 03 framed portrait of the Lizares family 04 Bamboo, 163 x 48 cm, tapestry, 2024 05 exhibition view
Photos courtesy of the artist, Adrian Lizares, Kiko Nuñez, and Marz Aglipay.