October 3, 2025, 6:30pm – 9pm
The de Saisset is pleased to present a special one-night viewing of Martha Atienza’s Our Islands 11°16’58.4” N 123°45’07.0”E, projected onto the front exterior of the museum, Friday, October 3, 2025.
Our Islands 11°16’58.4” N 123°45’07.0”E, Atienza’s acclaimed video work, which screened in New York City’s Times Square nightly in July 2024 as part of the Midnight Moment program, takes the form of a dreamlike underwater rendition of a parade originating from the artist’s native Philippines. The piece illuminates the artist’s practice, which documents and interrogates pressing issues surrounding both community and the environment.
This special one-night viewing is curated by Chris Sicat, Senior Manager of Exhibitions and Operations, and co-sponsored by SCU student club Barkada.
The heritage pop-up beings at 6:30 p.m., with the film screening starting at 7:15 p.m.
Pictured:
Martha Atienza, Our Islands 11°16’58.4” N 123°45’07.0”E
Video still, Video, 72min
Courtesy of Silverlens Galleries
Martha Atienza (b. 1981, Manila, Philippines; lives and works in Bantayan Island Philippines) is a Dutch-Filipino video artist exploring the format’s ability to document and question issues related to the environment, community, and development. Born to a Dutch mother and Filipino father, Atienza has navigated between these cultures throughout her life, and the oscillation between the two significantly influence her approach to observation, documentation, and the concept of the gaze. Her video is rooted in both ecological and sociological concerns as she studies the intricate interplay between local traditions, human subjectivity, and the natural world. Frequently examining her immediate surroundings, she excels in exploring the potential of art as a catalyst for societal transformation.
She won the Baloise Art Prize in Art Basel for her seminal work Our Islands in 2017. Prior to this, she was twice awarded the Ateneo Art Awards in Manila (2012/2016) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artist Award (2015). Recent biennales and triennials include the 17th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul (2022), Bangkok Art Biennale: Escape Routes, BACC, Bangkok (2020), Honolulu Biennial: To Make Wrong / Right / Now, Oahu, Hawaii (2019); and the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, Brisbane (2018). Recent group exhibitions include An Ocean in Every Drop at the Jameel Arts Center, Dubai (2022), Breaking Water at Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2022), and Animal Kingdom at Âme Nue Artspace, Hamburg (2021). Her solo exhibition The Protectors inaugurated Silverlens New York in 2022.