11/04/2026
ARTS & CULTURE | Litaniya sa atong pag-antos
To every struggle, a prayer is returned. Drawing power from the very marrow of our words, we seek compassion to find our footing. Speaking in the hopes that someone is listening, and so we speak again and again; knocking on the door of the Divine, waiting for a response.
The LITANIYA Exhibition of the Fine Arts Program - Studio Arts from the University of the Philippines Cebu features an array of artworks, ranging from sculptural pieces to hanging and installation art of varying scales. The art exhibit had its official opening last April 8 to run until April 15 at The Kabilin Center.
Litaniya, the Cebuano word for "litany," is a poetic form of prayer grounded on the repetition of utterance and its communal response. It is a rhetorical practice that serves as a reminder of what great power a collective prayer holds, the more it is spoken aloud over and over.
However, this Litaniya is not an imploration of aid and mercy from those we consider Divine. Rather, it is the relentless cry for accountability from those who wield power unjustly, done over and over again, which we respond to as what continues to be an unanswered prayer.
As if a sudden outburst of plea, emerging from the quiet of MINDWORKS 40: Antosantos, LITANIYA is a sequel to what once was an endurance of suffering. But resilience has long been glorified; thus, Antosantos uncovers the reality that no beauty in โstaying strongโ could ever outweigh the truth about the systemic neglect that caused the very chaos we have no choice but to withstand.
LITANIYA appears to be a magnified expression drawn from that of Antosantos; starting off with unveiling the collective suffering of the people, it zooms into a more personal hardship experienced by the student artists. Project coordinators, Greia Lumaad and Karl Marius Furog, shared the constant struggle in finding space for art production alongside the forces of nature that get in the way of itโthese experiences propelled the exhibit to transpire.
The LITANIYA exhibition of the third-year Studio Arts students is an introductory showcase of these artists. Block representatives of Block A and Block C, EJ Vincent Quilo and Karl Marius Furog, introduced the block collectives Ali! and C:Cube. This exhibition marks the beginning of their journey, and there remains much to be heard from these artists.
The student artists have endured earthquakes and floods that continue to be a challenge to their education, but they do not let the past weigh them down. Instead, they respond to systemic wrongs through their art and acknowledge the privilege of still being able to express themselves in their own creative ways; how even under difficult circumstances, they still choose to create.
As the expansion of student spaces has consistently been called for by students, the exhibition carries the weight of this issue and addresses it through numerous installation worksโan art form that takes up space and transforms it. Moreover, the student artists wish to unite the Fine Arts community and request equal access to the same privileges regardless of sub-programs.
Stemming from the endurance of Antosantos, we finally get to the confrontation of LITANIYA, the moment the rest goes still, and the dust has settled. We begin to understand that resiliency is not quiet submission, that strength is not forged in silence; it speaks and confronts the truth. Hence, we rise from the fall, finally recognizing the strength of our voices.
In every red knot tied between the ground and the above, there is a weight that could only be held by the collective spirit of those who dared to share their prayers. In every repeated icon, an image takes form that is only possible through navigating memory and enduring its persistent presence. In every structure, an attempt is made to break the cycle, inviting the viewer into reflection. In LITANIYA, stories were retold, voices echoed, and marks etched, all happening in repetition that aims to persist until its weight can no longer be ignored.
| Words by Alexandra Lambojo and Sammรฉ Enopia
| Photos by Jana Raphaella Puerto
