Explore Filipino culture in artworks at Gillman Barracks

Powers That Be at The Drawing Room gallery in Gillman Barracks, off Alexandra Road, is a group show featuring the works of Filipino artists.

Among other subjects, the artists whose works are featured in this exhibition touch on issues of ecology as well as industrial waste. They also look at representations of indigenous Filipino culture and the diaspora across the country's colonial history.

Where: The Drawing Room, Block 5, 01-06, Lock Road, Gillman Barracks MRT: Labrador When: Till Feb 16, 11am - 7pm (Tue - Sat), 11am - 6pm (Sun), closed on Mon and public holidays Admission: Free Tel: 6694-3289 Info: www.drawingroomgallery.com

1. BOAT, 2013, CORRUGATED

By Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan Corrugated transport boxes, metal, acrylic and glass, 52x69x13cm

This is part of the artist couple's ongoing works, titled Project: Another Country. The works are created through community collaborations and examine the idea of place and history. The artists used metal craft and transport boxes to create this boat. The idea is to reference migration and the journeys people make through life and how they shape identity. Project: Another Country was presented at the 2010 Liverpool Biennal.

2. OVERARCHING EXPERIENCE OF PLAIN DESIGN 4, 2013

By Kat Medina Thread on fabric/embroidery, 40.5x50.5cm

Through this embroidery series, the artist looks at how commercialism is making inroads into different parts of the Philippines and even impacting the iconography of tribes. She uses embroidery as she is interested in exploring how craft can have a place in contemporary art practice.

3. HAIKU (DETAIL), 2013

By Mark Salvatus Duratrans light box, dimensions variable

Through his art, Salvatus responds to the various elements of city life, including the proximity of spaces. Using elements of contemporary urban culture, he isolates graffiti tags to create verses. Haiku is a work which looks at what it takes to live and survive in a big city. The images which make up this series were first exhibited in March 2012 at the Ateneo Art Gallery, a museum of modern art in Manila.

4. ANG PINTENG NI KRISTO, 2007

By Roberto Feleo Acrylic on sawdust on wood carving, 38x22.5cm

The pinteng is a headless body of a Cordillera (North Philippines) warrior given over as a burning stake. The spirits believed to enfold the pinteng protect women and children but incite war among men. Feleo, an established sculptor, draws on myths and folk stories to create artworks.

5. IDOL 6, 2013

By Gaston Damag Glass and wood on metal stand, 80x46x46cm

Damag's art dwells on his lineage from Ifugao, a landlocked province in the Cordillera region in Luzon known for its rice terraces. He creates artworks using things people in the region believe in, including their idols, and encases the wood sculptures in glass for a contemporary feel.

6. KALINGA WOMAN, 2011

By John Frank Sabado Pen and ink on paper, 76x58cm

Through his art, Sabado attempts to connect with the many stories about the ancestors of his race. Calling them "vanguards of the earth", his contemporary rendition portrays them as eco-warriors. He creates deities who have multiple guises and roles to fix what he calls "the disequilibrium in the world".

7. BANKER'S BANQUETTE, 2013

By Yason Banal Crushed wine bottles consumed at the annual Bankers' Night, 27x27x27cm

The wine and champagne bottles featured in this work were consumed during an annual bankers' private party held in the Central Bank Grounds in Manila. The artist collected the empty bottles and created this work to symbolise the financial state of affairs and reflect on the state of the global economy. Banker's Banquette also speaks of excess and waste in modern day society.

8. SCULPTURE 9, 2013

By Riel Hilario Carved and polychromed basswood, 61x72x12.5cm

This is one of two sculptures that are part of the artist's project titled Possible Full Body Apparitions. It is a collection of works made using the craft and rituals of wood carving in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur. The artist uses wood carvings to draw on elements of tradition and create sculptures that work perfectly in contemporary settings.

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