Learn more here: VIVA ExCon 2023 in Antique for the first time

ViVa ExCon Antique 2023 is rich in symbols and meaning.

The overarching theme for ViVa ExCon Antique 2023 is aptly phrased in Karay-a: “Suba sa Iraya,” meaning “going against a strong current of a river or a counterflow.”

This is an idea broached by Antique artists during a dialogue in San Jose on July 30, 2022. The province is home to the Kinaray-a speaking indigenous community, the Iraynun-Bukidnon.

The Suba sa Iraya may also be understood in English as a crosscurrent. Hence, the event is considered a trajectory that needs further unpacking. Not only envisioned as an opportunity to look at their existing art practices, but also to find resonance with those that are not familiar and popular streams of influence on the island.

The province of Antique has nine major rivers and endowed with more or less 70 river systems or tributaries that serve as channels for naturally flowing freshwater from the mountains, passing some 14 waterfalls before exciting the sea.

This is the reason why the province adopted the tourism campaign slogan: “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea.”

The event logo captures a noteworthy aspect of the upcoming VIVA ExCon Antique 2023. 

It  highlights the unique pattern and colors of the Visayan patadyong, a traditional wrap-around skirt, showing the sampaguita flower design.

This kind of patadyong is hand-loomed in Bugasong, Antique, a third-class municipality 43 kilometers from San Jose.

The stripe and plaid pattern offers rich symbols and meaning. It simulates a current or a cross current when inverted. The subtracted pattern also suggests the letters V and A (also when inverted). These colors are the most common combination found in this patadyong from Antique.