The UPV Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage (UPV MACH) has received a cache of pre-Spanish artifacts from Ilonggo businessman Mario Yang, a well-known collector of art and cultural artifacts.
Chancellor Clement Camposano and Mr. Yang signed the Deed of Donation on June 20, 2024 at the Conference Room of the Office of Initiatives for Culture and the Arts (OICA).
The expanded Duna Intangible Cultural Heritage Gallery was formally opened by Chancellor Camposano, OICA Director Martin Genodepa, and the donor of collection pieces, Mr. Yang.
The donated artifacts include funerary earthenware dug from Isla de Gigantes, Carles, Iloilo in the 1990s and ornaments made of shells, glass, and gold.
According to archeology experts the Gigantes pottery, which consists of small jars, pots, and offering plates, were produced between 500 BCE and 1000 CE. They were grave goods used in the local practice of pabalon sa patay.
The excavated colorful glass beads from various parts of the region proliferated in the whole archipelago through trading and contact with people from other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
Earrings, bracelets, and discs made of shells are some of the oldest locally-produced ornaments, dating back to about 2000 BCE according to archeologists.
These artifacts will be displayed permanently in the Duna Intangible Cultural Heritage Gallery, one of the seven exhibition spaces in the MACH, and is devoted to showcasing local traditions and practices through representative artifacts and videos.
The recent donations marked the second time that Mr. Yang donated to the MACH. In 2022, he donated textiles and traditional articles of clothing that are now on display in the Panapton Textile Gallery of the museum.
Mr. Yang’s donations were made possible through the efforts of OICA and its director, Prof. Genodepa. (via UPV OICA)
