Salima is the youngest daughter of Datu Kinulintang, who in his lifetime served as the leader of the Talaandig people. Their ancestral lands are in Bukidnon in Norther Mindanao, in the southernmost part of the Philippines. For APT11, her ‘Cultural Fragility’ series of paintings, made with ochre sourced from the sacred mountains of her homeland, include references to epic chants, mythologies, cultural practices and laws, as well as advocacy for an indigenous way of life, knowledge and stewardship of the land. The name Salima is from the word Alima or hands connoting nurturing. Salima comments that “because I was given this name, I understand that as the youngest my father was hoping I can take up the role of being the Salima of my generation, to take care of the culture and the people.” She describes her paintings, made from ochres sourced from the earth, as a reminder of indigenous spirituality and being humble. “It’s the characteristic of soil to be stepped on, to be dirtied. The earth carries all the weight, but it continues to nurture and give life. Without the earth to connect to, we will just be floating aimlessly. The earth is humble yet life-giving. All of us step on it, yet all of us are able to stand up because of it”.

Lê Giang is a versatile artist who experiments with vernacular techniques of plaster-casting, inlay, paper-embossing and, more recently, ‘painting’ with gemstones. Lê Giang learnt this technique from artisans in the gem-mining regions of Northern Vietnam, many of whom favour a genre of landscape painting known as Sơn thuỷ hữu tình (‘majestic mountains and expansive rivers’). They are popular with customers who see the natural world as a symbol of purity, and see the gem paintings as attributing prosperity, longevity and other desirable attributes to their owners.