Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 15½ 

Opening Bid: Php 20,000 

Description:  

The painting depicts the festive spirit and cultural diversity of Tawi-Tawi, a province in the southernmost part of the Philippines. The big Christmas lantern at the upper center of the frame symbolizes the Christian minority in the predominantly Muslim region, that celebrates the holiday season in their own simple way. The cluster of houses belongs to the Sama people, the indigenous inhabitants of the province, who prefer to live on stilt houses close to the shores, along the coastlines and islands. The bluish-white color that seems to appear behind the mountain horizon suggests the dawn of a new day, a hopeful sign for the future of Tawi-Tawi, which is the seaweed capital of the Philippines.