Quiet Power: How I Elevate Filipino Art Through Decolonial Minimalism
by IJWBAA
Decolonial Minimalism - Barong Tagalog and Barot Saya (Filipino Identity) by IJWBAA
In a digital world overflowing with loud visuals and Western-centric aesthetics, I’ve chosen a different path—one of quiet resistance. As a Filipino digital artist, I carve space through decolonial minimalism—an art form that speaks volumes with less and reclaims cultural identity without asking for permission.
Rethinking Minimalism Through a Filipino Lens
Minimalism is often associated with sleek design, white spaces, and emotional detachment—concepts shaped by Western art history. But I’ve chosen to reclaim and redefine that language. My minimalism isn’t cold or empty; it’s rooted, grounded, and full of ancestral memory. Every line, shape, or color I use carries weight—whether it’s a forgotten myth, a trace of colonial trauma, or a quiet homage to Filipino resilience.
Decolonial Minimalism_ Aeta Family (Indigenous People) by IJWBAA
Decolonial by Design
Where many artists seek global recognition by conforming to dominant aesthetics, I’ve chosen another way. I don’t try to “translate” Filipino culture for outside consumption. I center the Filipino gaze, speaking first and foremost to those who live this reality. That’s what makes this decolonial—not just in content, but in structure. My work resists exoticization and doesn’t explain itself. It just is, in its own language.
Centering Everyday Filipino Symbols
In my visual practice, the local becomes monumental. I elevate everyday objects, motifs, and narratives into minimalist compositions layered with meaning. Indigenous patterns, ancestral connections, and pre-colonial spirituality often surface in my work—quietly, but unmistakably. I’m not here to romanticize tradition. I’m here to recontextualize it in a modern, digital frame.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s reclamation.
Decolonial Minimalism_ Alamat ng Sampaguita (Filipino Legend) by IJWBAA
Making Space in the Digital Age
As a digital artist, I’m also challenging who gets to shape online visual culture. In platforms often dominated by Western aesthetics, my presence is a quiet yet firm assertion that the digital future is not culturally neutral. By embedding Filipino stories into minimalist forms, I expand what digital art can look like—and assert that nuance, depth, and cultural specificity belong here, too.
Resistance in Stillness
What makes my work radical is its refusal to shout. In an attention economy addicted to speed and spectacle, my art invites people to slow down. There’s a quietness to it—but it’s not silent. My minimalist works pulse with memory, reflection, and resistance. They don’t perform for validation. They simply remember.
Decolonial Minimalism_ Anitun Tabu (goddess of wind and rain) (Filipino Deity) by IJWBAA
Elevating Without Translation
To elevate Filipino art, I don’t make it louder—I make it truer. I don’t translate culture for global palatability. I reclaim it in forms that feel intimate, intentional, and deeply Filipino. In doing so, I hope to open paths for others to engage with decolonial practice—digitally, thoughtfully, and on their own terms.
At a time when cultural authenticity is often flattened for algorithms and clicks, my work stands as a reminder: our art can be contemporary and deeply rooted. Minimal but not empty. Digital but ancestral. Filipino—and proudly so.
Written by: IJWBAA
Website: wannabelabs.com/decolonial-minimalism.html
Instagram: @ijwbaa
Email: info.wannabelabs@gmail.com
Decolonial Minimalism_ Manananggal (Filipino Folklore) by IJWBAA
