IJWBAA [eej-wah] is a Filipino digital artist and the first Filipino recognized in Techspressionism. He is a neologist and the originator of Decolonial Minimalism —an art movement that reclaims minimalism through ancestral memory and cultural reawakening. His work earned a spot on the shortlist for the Hiiibrand Design and Illustration Awards 2024. His papers were published on Academia.edu.He was selected by David Quiles Guilló, Director of The Wrong, to participate in the 7th Edition of The Wrong Biennale - described by The New York Times as the digital world's answer to Venice Biennale - with Prayers to Ai, further cementing his standing in the international digital art community. His collected works, compiled in two volumes of I Just Wannabe an Artist, have been recognized, officially archived, cataloged, and made available in the collections of the Gallerie degli Uffizi, Museo Reina Sofía, the National Museum of the Philippines, Getty Research Institute, and other prominent cultural institutions worldwide. The two volumes are cataloged in WorldCat under OCLC Numbers 1530632939(Book 1) and 1530636063(Book 2).

Bagay at Lugar

Bagay at Lugar

Decolonial Minimalism Founding Work - Culture (Wika)

Size: 1400 x 1400 pixels

Medium: Digital Art

Artist: IJWBAA

Year: 2025

Description:

Bagay at Lugar by IJWBAA unfolds as a chromatic inventory of everyday sanctuaries. Against a soft pink field, eight Filipino words hover like mnemonic petals—each one naming a thing (bagay) or place (lugar) that anchors memory. Baro (clothing), kalatas (message), kuypa (a rare term, possibly a vessel), batalan (outdoor wash area), durungawan (window), hapag (table), kumon (common space), and kalupi (wallet)—these are not just nouns, but emotional coordinates in the Filipino psyche.

IJWBAA’s minimalist arrangement resists illustration, allowing each word to breathe as a standalone archive. The pink background evokes domestic warmth, while the white text glows like whispered recollection. These terms map the architecture of care: the batalan where water flows, the durungawan where light enters, the hapag where stories are shared. Even kalupi, tucked in a pocket, holds fragments of movement and survival. The composition becomes a mnemonic panel—an invitation to see the sacred in the ordinary.

This artwork reframes Bagay at Lugar as a visual prayer for cultural continuity. By isolating these terms in chromatic space, IJWBAA honors their role in collective legacy. The piece invites viewers to reflect on how language preserves place, and how place preserves memory. It is not just a list—it is a map of lived intimacy, where every object and corner becomes a vessel of care, rhythm, and inheritance.

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IJWBAA. Decolonial Minimalism. Photobook, mm/dd/yyyy, p. #. - coming soon

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