Photo courtesy of Galleria Duemila

MANILA - For visual artist and filmmaker Manny Montelibano, one of the coping mechanisms that many overseas Filipino workers turn to while deployed abroad is the telephone.

In the past, thousands of pesos were spent for that few minutes of conversation with the family in the Philippines.

“[The] connecting component is the telephone. For me, it’s a tool to cope up with the things that you miss back home,” Montelibano said.

Montelibano unveiled his one-man show exhibit titled “Escabeche: Filipino Sweet & Sour" at the Galleria Duemila in Pasay City last Saturday.

“Escabeche”

Named after a Spanish-Filipino dish, the exhibit explores what Montelibano calls the “bittersweet” experiences of many OFWs.

“In that sense, they have to live a life of sourness or sadness for their families to be happy or to have a sweet life back home,” he explained.

Landline telephones as an installation art are just one of the objects that Montelibano used to explore the phenomenon of migration.

“It’s a multi media exhibition. It deals with audio and video at the same time the subject matter is the overseas Filipino workers. It’s a non-selling show and installation in nature,” Montelibano said in an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Subject: Migration

Having migrants in the family, Montelibano is not new to migration. He said that as migration is a national issue, the phenomenon is deeply embedded in the daily lives of many Filipino families.

The reality, he said, is that “people go abroad to actually save their families and their dreams.”

Born and based in Bacolod City, the artist hopes that with his exhibit people would realize the importance of the family. He said designer brands and other material things will never compensate for the times spent separated.

“Ok lang to migrate but don’t to forget the essence of migration. Kasi most of us don’t remember why we migrate,” he said.

It took the artist about four months to prepare and mount his exhibit.

“From production period till the unveiling. Medyo mahirap kasi installation. Kailangan mo maraming materials at dapat financially prepared,” he said.

The artist’s films and video installations have been exhibited locally and internationally. Among the venues where Montelibano’s works have been exhibited are the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Loop Gallery in Seoul, Korea and Open Space Art Center in Victoria, Canada.

Montelibano’s “Escabeche” exhibit will run until July 28 (Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at Galleria Duemila in Pasay City.