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).

Mayari

Mayari

Decolonial Minimalism Founding Work - Filipino Deities

Size: 1400 x 1400 pixels

Medium: Digital Art

Artist: IJWBAA

Year: 2025

Description:

The Mayari artwork presents a minimalist, decolonial interpretation of the Tagalog goddess of the moon, distilling her essence into stark, monochromatic geometric abstraction. The central, layered white form symbolizes Mayari's celestial domain, structured by stacked circles that evoke a cosmic, lunar presence. The surrounding concentric, fading rings—from deep black to bright white—create a dramatic chiaroscuro effect, symbolizing the cycle of night and day, light and shadow, and the duality of creation and conflict often attributed to the deity. This refined approach intentionally moves beyond colonial artistic conventions, grounding itself in indigenous Filipino storytelling to reclaim Mayari’s multifaceted significance.

In pre-colonial Philippine mythology, Mayari was revered as a powerful celestial force, one of the three daughters of Bathala. She embodies the duality of beauty, guidance, and, often, conflict (specifically losing an eye in a legendary battle with her brother, the sun god Apolaki, hence the single prominent white orb in this work). Indigenous societies saw the moon’s phases as vital influences on tides, agriculture, and rituals. By using a strictly simple, almost iconographic visual language, the artwork focuses the viewer's attention on this powerful indigenous cosmology, which was often distorted or suppressed by colonial narratives that downplayed the roles of native deities.

Through its intentional simplicity, the Mayari artwork restores the goddess's place within Filipino heritage, resisting imposed cultural distortions and reclaiming ancestral wisdom. The composition’s bold contrast and structural harmony shift the focus from literal, grand depictions to introspective reflection, inviting viewers to engage with themes of power, transformation, and celestial influence. As a foundational statement on artistic sovereignty and Decolonial Minimalism, this piece ensures that indigenous Filipino perspectives on the cosmos and its deities remain relevant and respected in contemporary artistic spaces.

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