Placuna Placenta: Capis Shells and Windows to Indigenous Artistry (National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila)

Placuna Placenta: Capis Shells and Windows to Indigenous Artistry

Placuna Placenta: Capis Shells and Windows to Indigenous Artistry, a temporary exhibit at Gallery XX at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts, highlights the humble but iconic capis (Placuna placenta) shell, one of our nation’s most distinctive local building materials, and its significance in Philippine art and architecture. 

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Galllery entrance

Specifically admired for its natural ability to delicately diffuse light into any room, during the Spanish Colonial Era, Filipinos of favored the iridescent and translucent capis shell, over glass, for windows, shining like lanterns from the old cobble stoned streets of the past. 

Today, this material, recognized all over the world, is in constant reinvention under the hands of local artisans and artists. Two hundred years later, the demand for capis shells continues to rise.

 

Launched in time for Independence Day celebrations, it features parts of capis window panels on loan from the Philippine Normal University and Santa Ana Church, as well as architectural documentations of historical structures in Manila namely The Normal Hall of the Philippine Normal University (Ermita), Santa Ana Church (Santa Ana), Gota deLeche Building and Legarda Elementary School (Sampaloc), Jose P. Laurel Ancestral House and Dr. Celedonio A. Salvador Elementary School (Paco), and Bahay Nakpil-Baustista (Quiapo), among others. 

Check out “Gota de Leche Building: A Heritage Conservation Success Story” and “BahayNakpil-Baustista”

 

Dr. Celedonio A. Salvador Elementary School 

Rather than using the shell solely for window panes, artists around the world are constantly innovating new and creative ways to utilize this timeless beauty. One of these is Filipino artist Gregory Halili (b.1975).  

For him, the translucent shell serves as a canvas to delicately illustrate stories so moving that they are best to be seen up close rather than to be heard.  At the southern part of the hall are his miniature artworks on capis shells done in watercolor and oil. Measuring 1x1 inch to 12 x12 inches, they depict the mood of the sea and the artists’ perspective on climate change. His “Deep End,” a new painting about coral bleaching, is a fragile oil painting on capis shell, measuring 3 x 2.5 inches. “Dreamer,” a small piece measuring 3.5 x 2.5 inches, is about humanity.

 

Legarda Elementary School 

Santa Ana Church

Capis is witnessing a consistent evolution, whether it be through interiors or artwork, via the discovery of new methods of incorporating the tranquil vibe of this traditional piece into day to day lives.

 

Capis replica

Gallery XX - Placuna Placenta: Capis Shells andWindows to Indigenous Artistry: 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM - 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Visitors shall be limited to 100 per museum per session. Visitors are required to pre-book online at https://reservation.nationalmuseum.gov at least a day before the visit. Confirmation of booking will be sent through email. Group reservations are limited to five (5) persons only.  Walk-in visitors will NOT be accommodated.