ILOILO City – A group of artists launched an art exhibit to help raise funds for Oton, Iloilo’s public market that fire gutted in December 2021.
“This is our way to help our market vendors and the local government unit,” said Steve Magbanua, chairperson of the Ogtonganon Visual Artist League (OVAL). “Ang tuyo gid namon is makapanuktok sa tagipusoon sang community or kon sin-o ang gusto magbulig.”
Forty 40 percent of the proceeds from sold art works will go to the public market.
“ARTienda: From the Flames, We Rise” will run from Dec. 1 to 20 inside the Oton Public Market in Barangay Poblacion South.
A total of 16 Ogtonganon artists are joining.
“Amo ni ang naisipan namon nga way kay adlaw-adlaw ang aton public market usable gid siya para sa mga tawo. Diri kita nagakwa sang aton kada adlaw at the same time ang mga taga-uma diri man nila ginadala ang ila mga produkto. Para sa amon importante gid nga matalupangdan ang tinda para mabalik sa normal liwat ang sitwasyon nila,” said Magbanua.
The group also plans to create an artistic activity every Monday during the market day of Oton such as the live painting that will be sold also or mural painting on the walls and foundations of the gutted market as form of expression.
To recall, the predawn pre-Christmas conflagration on Dec. 20, 2021 started at the dry goods section and quickly spread to adjacent stalls. Around 300 stalls or 90 percent of the market were razed.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) estimated the cost of damage to more than P44 million./PN
