Are women heroes necessary?
Who are they in everyday life?
How are these women perceived and represented?
How can they function as multi-dimensional symbols
and as human beings?

Acclaimed women artists from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S. will come together to explore the dynamic convergences between eastern and western cultures and to interact with the local arts and academic communities of Manila, Dumaguete City, Bacolod City, and Bago City from June 15 to July 1, 2008 as a part of Woman As (Mythical) Hero (WMH), the TRADE ROUTES pilot project within the Southeast Asian region

Participating artists include:
Arahmaiani, performance and installation artist (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Brenda V. Fajardo, painter (Manila, Philippines)
Kai Syng Tan, media installation artist (Singapore)
Angel Velasco Shaw, video maker (Manila, Philippines, and New York, USA)

Through public forums, artist talks, art exhibitions, workshops, performances, and video screenings, these women will share their stories, cultures, and social concerns with local artists from the different regions. Such interactions aim to break through social barriers, like ignorance, discrimination, and lack of education, hence allowing for more dynamic relations between Southeast Asian, Asian American, and non-Asian artists.

WMH will open in Manila at the Philippine Educational Theater (PETA) Center on June 15 from 6:00 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.. The project team will then go on to do talks, workshops, forums, exhibits, video screenings, and performances in Dumaguete City, mainly at Silliman University, from June 19 to June 23. Afterwards, they will hold the same series of events in Bacolod City, primarily in Orange Gallery, from June 28 to June 29. To culminate the project, WMH will hold an all-day Arts Festival in Bago City on July 1, which will feature film screenings by WMH artists and exhibits and performances by local Visayan artists

In partnership with Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibul na Kamalayan (KASIBULAN) and BAGLAN, Woman As (Mythical) Hero is supported by Arts Network Asia, the Asian Cultural Council, the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute at New York University, Ford Foundation Jakarta, Foundation University, the National Arts Council of Singapore, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Balay Ni Tan Juan Araneta, the Negros Museum, Negros Occidental State University, the Orange Gallery, and Silliman University.

For inquiries, questions, and reservations, please contact Angel Velasco Shaw at angelshaw@earthlink.net and +63926-7052766.