Filipina artist Martha Atienza takes over Times Square

Martha Atienza’s “Our Islands” in Times Square, New York. Photo PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

NEW YORK – As part of New York’s Midnight Moment, Filipina artist Martha Atienza presents her 2017 work Our Islands 11°16’58.4″N 123°45’07.0″E across multiple digital billboards for three minutes every night throughout July.

The programme flashes from 11.57pm to midnight as part of the Midnight Moment Summer, showcasing art across more than 95 electronic billboards.

Originally a 72-minute film, Our Islands features underwater scenes from Bantayan Island in Cebu.

Compressor divers perform a prusisyon (procession) on the ocean floor, emulating the Ati-Atihan parade. They don various costumes and items referencing Filipino culture, from the Santo Niño to a caricature of Manny Pacquiao with boxing gloves, and Roman centurions.

The work aligns with the artist’s environmental advocacy, highlighting the dangers faced by Bantayan Island’s compression divers due to ocean degradation. The coordinates in the title were chosen by the divers to reflect the current, tide, and exact time of day.

Atienza’s Our Islands project is a key component of her broader initiatives with the Bantayan Island community, which she has made her home. In partnership with locals, she co-established GOODLand, an offshoot of Art Lab dedicated to addressing economic, environmental, and social challenges facing the island.

This specific work has garnered international recognition, securing the Baloise Art Prize in 2017 and being acquired by the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2021. It has been showcased in various exhibitions across Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Martha Atienza, an artist of mixed Dutch and Filipino heritage, has received numerous accolades, including the Ateneo Art Awards (2012 and 2016) and the prestigious Thirteen Artists Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (2015).

Represented by Silverlens Gallery, Atienza’s work reached Times Square through the initiative of founders Isa Lorenzo and Rachel Rillo. Silverlens, which opened a New York branch in Chelsea in 2022, submitted a proposal to Times Square Arts, known for bringing creative works to the heart of Manhattan.

The public reception for Atienza opened in New York on July 11, 2024. Our Islands 11°16’58.4″N 123°45’07.0″E runs through July 31, nightly, on Times Square between 11.57pm and midnight. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ANN