An Australian street artist has collaborated with more than 100 residents of Filipino slum communities to create an exhibition, with profits from the sale of works going straight back to the communities. Artist Kaff-eine travelled to the communities of Baseco Compound and Happyland, in Manila, to work with residents aged between three and 53.
The communities are two of the most impoverished in Manila and are often described as dirty, crime-ridden and violent. The residents exist alongside those in wealthy cities and villages, often separated only by a high wall. The resulting exhibition, Phoenix, invites the audience to step inside the confronting environments and recognise the nuance, pride and strength of these communities.
Kaff-eine collaborated with the Filipino garbage-picking and charcoal-making communities to create a series of charcoal based artworks. Local Filipino photographers Geloy Concepcion and Geric Cruz documented the process. Proceeds from sales of the collaborative works will be donated to non-government organisations working in the communities.
“We’re hoping that Phoenix, which is part of a series of ongoing art and social change projects, will engage a wide audience, disrupt perceptions and share with viewers the creativity, resilience and spirit of the people living in Manila’s literal waste lands,” Kaff-eine says.
Work from the exhibition can be view on kaffeinestreetartist.wordpress.com/about/.
