INTERTEXTILE by PAPAYA x LAB shows works on fabric from the archive of Green Papaya Art Project, and with new additions from a recent acquisition. It was opened on February 26, 2023, and is on display at Premier de Mayo St., Punta Tabuk, Roxas City, in the Province of Capiz.

The show Intertextile introduces the viewer to the relationships of textiles, a similar idea derived from “intertextual” or the intextuality of texts—the relationship between texts, especially literary ones, which creates a shared meaning. By following this concept, Intertextile attempts to show the interrelationship of fabrics—what are the differences or similarities of fabrics, or how fabrics are related to or affect each other.

The exhibition presents fabrics from disparate histories and shows the works of contemporary artists that involve the use of fabric.

Intertxtile features the earlier works in the Green Papaya archive that survived the fire that gutted its space in 2020 by artists Lena Cobangbang, Lara De los Reyes, Kat Medina, Olive Gloria, and Tekla Tamoria.

The original work of Con Cabrera, which was lost in the fire, was replaced for the show, and it carried recent acquisitions from the works of Margaux Blas, Giah De los Reyes, and Lesley-Anne Cao, Papaya’s chief archivist, to widen the inter-textile discourse of the collection.

The collection is comprised mostly of Green Papaya’s archive of material culture, and the majority of the pieces are done by female artists rather than males, a dimension that still needs to be properly articulated, according to Papaya x Lab.

Read: Mamusa Gallery brings Green Papaya Art Projects’ Island Paradise | See photos here

However, these developments perhaps naturally progressed, noted Green Papaya, considering that the early small works in its archive were by friends and housemates of its co-founder Donna Miranda, namely: Nona Garcia, Maria, and Patricia Eustaquio.

In addition, Lena Cobangbang used to be involved with other artist-run spaces like Surrounded by Water and Future Prospects. Her work in Intertextile was part of the exhibition the community of artists-run spaces in Manila during that time (which also included Big Sky Mind) sent to Virginia, USA, in 2005 for Flippin’ Out: Maynila to Williamsburgh at the Goliath Visual Space.

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On the other hand, Kat Medina and Lara De los Reyes have participated in past exhibitions, while Margaux Blas and Olive Gloria are part of Shri Vishayas, also a Papaya initiated project.

The show Intertextile by Papaya x Lab will move to Studio Mano in San Jose, Antique, in April as part of the run-up program to VIVA ExCON 2023.