Mae and Felipe Panes are a rare couple and a formidable creative duo. This is shown in their new collection, which features Mae’s favorite textile material, patadyong, combined with Felipe’s masterful woodworks in the exhibition “Raising the Colors of Creativity” at the Hulot Gallery of the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art.

See photos of the exhibit on Facebook page of Iloilo Art Life 

In this collection, artist and educator Mae Tamayo-Panes collaborates with none other than her life’s partner, Felipe Panes, whose masterful woodworks form the foundation of each piece. Together, they present five mixed media works entitled: “Libud”, “Ili-lli”, “Pandanggo”, “Bandana”, and “Diwata”. The set weaves Filipino and Ilonggo tradition and everyday life into a single visual language.

Each artwork is rendered with patadyong, acrylic, and on wood, measuring 17″ x 30″.

The patadyong is a handwoven textile deeply rooted in Visayan culture, evoking stories of movement, identity, and continuity. The vibrant pigments of acrylic breathe new life into the textured fabric, while the warmth of carved and polished wood grounds each piece with tactile quality.

The series extends beyond painting into the realm of mixed media sculpture or assemblage, where wood, textile, and wooden ornamentation come together to form layered narratives that are familiar, historical, and even sentimental among Ilonggos. These assemblages embody the spirit of cultural memory: a dialogue between the handmade and the inherited, the crafted and the innovated.

Filipino and Ilonggo life

The meaningful titles offer a journey into Filipino and Ilonggo life.

In a cultural sense, libud reflects the Filipino value of paglalakbay—a journey that can be both physical and spiritual. Yet, what resonates more deeply with people when referring to libud is the familiar image of the ambulant vendor who walks through narrow streets with her basket or winnowing tray, moving from house to house, her singsong call of puto lanson, muasi, and bitso-bitso, afternoon merienda delights echoing through the neighborhood.

On the other hand, the piece Ili-lli (also spelled ili-ili) in Ilonggo means to lull, rock, or cradle, especially a baby. It’s the root coming from ili-ili ta ikaw or “let me cradle you to sleep” which is also the title of a traditional Visayan lullaby, “Ili-ili Tulog Anay.” Symbolically, it conveys comfort, nurture, and the continuity of care and tradition passed from mother to child.

The piece titled Pandanggo is a traditional Filipino folk dance characterized by lively, graceful movements often performed with lighted candles or oil lamps balanced on the head or hands like “Pandanggo sa Ilaw.” It is derived from the Spanish “fandango“, which signifies joy, rhythm, and communal festivity, and embodies the Filipino spirit of resilience through celebration.

And while their origins differ, the two pieces, Bandana and the Diwata both embody the spirit of Filipino creativity and cultural synthesis. The “bandana,” once foreign, has become a familiar symbol of function and flair in Filipino life, worn as a practical head covering or as a colorful accent during rural routines and festive dances. Meanwhile, the “diwata,” rooted in precolonial belief, represents the country’s deep reverence for nature and the feminine divine, serving as guardian of forests, mountains, and rivers. Together, these symbols reflect the Filipino capacity to blend adaptation and tradition, merging the everyday and the mythical into a uniquely expressive cultural identity.

Heritage reborn

The art of the Panes couple is a celebration of heritage reborn. The collection is an artistic dialogue between material and memory, between the personal and the collective Filipino soul.

Through the merging of patadyong, paint, and wood, the artists breathe life into narratives that honor the rhythms of daily life and the timelessness of cultural identity. Each piece becomes both vessel and voice. They tell stories of journey and nurturing, of festivity and faith, of adaptation and reverence for nature.

Also read the featured work of Al Provido titled, Wag-Wag Series 

Mae and Felipe Panes invite the viewer into a world where tradition dances with reinvention—where the patadyong becomes both canvas and character, and where art transforms the familiar into heritage and the sacred. Together, they form not just a collection of artworks, but a living tapestry of Filipino and Ilonggo spirit where craftsmanship becomes remembrance, and art itself becomes an act of cultural continuity.

See the works in reels