MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Let’s start with a question. What do a furniture designer, electronic musician, and bakery have in common? One look at their social media pages, and you’ll find that they’ve all contributed to Kevin Eric Raymundo’s, aka Tarantadong Kalbo’s, viral “Tumindig” campaign.
Since posting the first digital illustration that started it all, Raymundo has received overwhelming support from the artist community—not only for his “raised fist” cartoon but for everything it symbolizes and stands for (yes, pun intended.)
As the online trend continues to grow, artists retain its core message but begin to use new mediums.Through the work of these talented groups and individuals, they remind us that art doesn’t have to be complex to be powerful. In Martin Scorses’ own words, “the personal is the most creative.”
Here’s a list of ten Tumindig artworks, taking on fun and unique new forms:
1. Matthew Hermosura
Medium/Material: Song
2. The Bunny Baker
Medium/Material: Cake
3. Jun Sabayton
Medium/Material: Stickers
4. Joshua Ignacio
Medium/Material: Wood
5. Ralph Eya
Medium/Material: Wheatpaste
6. Van Eljon Bagañgan
Medium/Material: Embroidery
7. Elain Samonte
Medium Material: Paper folding
8. Aloud Space Lab
Medium/Material: Bootleg Figures
9. Miko Aguilar
Medium/Material: Patch
10. Elwah Gonzales
Medium/Material: Ink on paper and digital
Bearing a sense of responsibility to create art that mobilizes people into action, artist Ralph Eya shares, “Yes, we’ve all witnessed how much we are capable of coming together in the digital space, but what we have particularly experienced with #tumindig are artists taking on the challenge of being at the frontlines and leading a united force of creative resistance.
With the country’s current situation and our freedom of expression being threatened, it just seems fitting that this movement would keep on progressing beyond our screens.
By taking this to the streets and reaching a broader public, we actively practice our democracy. By letting the work be freely transformed into physical and more accessible artistic forms, it becomes our small acts of liberation. And when we continue raising our fists not just for photo opportunities or because of any whims of so-called authorities, we are ultimately upholding our humanity. Tumindig is about us people, collectively reclaiming and standing for our very own stories.”
Along with Eya, artist collective Dakila hopes that this visual campaign will not only be sustained but also translated into responsible social action. On July 28, the group launched a website featuring thousands of Tumindig entries. Dakila also uses the platform to call on Filipinos to register to vote for the upcoming 2022 elections.
“Libo-libong Pilipino na ang #Tumindig para sa kapakanan ng ating mga sarili, komunidad, at bayan. Pero hindi dito natatapos ang laban,” Dakila expresses. “Mula sa araw-araw na pagpuna sa mali hanggang sa pagboto ng mga kakampi ng karapatang pantao, tuloy-tuloy lang ang ating pakikibaka at pagtindig.”
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