The Arts in the Philippines are all the arts in the Philippines, from the beginning of civilization to the present. They reflect a range of artistic influences on the country's culture, including indigenous art. Philippine art consists of two branches: traditional and non-traditional art. Each branch is divided into categories and subcategories.
Overview
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the cultural agency of the Philippine government, has categorized Filipino arts as traditional and non-traditional. Each category has sub-categories. Traditional arts: Ethnomedicine – including the arts of hilot and the arts of the albularyo and babaylans Folk architecture – including stilt, land, and aerial houses. Maritime transport – boat houses, boat-making, and maritime traditions. Weaving – including back-strap loom weaving and other, related forms of weaving. Carving – including woodcarving and folk non-clay sculpture. Folk performing arts – including dances, plays, and dramas. Folk (oral) literature – including epics, songs, and myths. Folk graphic and plastic arts – including calligraphy, tattooing, writing, drawing, and painting Ornaments – including mask-making, accessory-making, ornamental metal crafts Textile (fiber) art – including headgear weaving, basketry, and fishing gear Pottery – including ceramics, clay pots and sculpture Other artistic expressions of traditional culture – including non-ornamental metal crafts, martial arts, supernatural healing arts, medicinal arts, and constellation traditions Non-traditional arts: Dance – including choreography, direction, and performance Music – including composition, direction, and performance Theater – including direction, performance, production design, lighting and sound design, and playwriting Visual arts – including painting, non-folk sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation art, mixed-media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art, and imaging Literature – including poetry, fiction, essays, and literary or art criticism Film and broadcast arts – including direction, writing, production design, cinematography, editing, animation, performance, and new media Architecture and allied arts – including non-folk architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban design Design – including industrial and fashion design
Traditional arts
Traditional arts in the Philippines include folk architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving, folk performing arts, folk (oral) literature, folk graphic and plastic arts, ornaments, textile or fiber art, pottery, and other artistic expressions of traditional culture. Traditional artists or groups of artists receive the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan Award (GAMABA) for their contributions to the country's intangible cultural heritage.
Ethnomedicine
Ethnomedicine is one of the oldest traditional arts in the Philippines. Traditions (and objects associated with them) are performed by medical artisans and shamans. Practices, grounded on the physical elements, are an ancient science and art. Herbal remedies, complementing mental, emotional, and spiritual techniques, are also part of many traditions as well. The category was added to the GAMABA in 2020.
Folk architecture
Folk architecture in the Philippines varies by ethnic group, and structures are made of bamboo, wood, rock, coral, rattan, grass, and other materials. They include the hut-style bahay kubo, highland houses (known as bale) with four to eight sides, the coral houses of Batanes which protect from the area's harsh, sandy winds, the royal torogan (engraved with an intricate okir motif) and palaces such as the Darul Jambangan (Palace of Flowers), the residence of the sultan of Sulu before colonization. Folk architecture also includes religious buildings, generally called spirit houses, which are shrines to protective spirits or gods. Most are open-air, house-like buildings made of native materials. Some were originally pagoda-like (a style continued by natives who converted to Islam), and are now rare. Other buildings have indigenous and Hispanic motifs (bahay na bato architecture and its prototypes). Many bahay na bato buildings are in Vigan, a World Heritage Site. Folk structures range from simple, sacred stick stands to indigenous castles or fortresses (such as Batanes' ijangs and geological alterations such as the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (another World Heritage Site).