Imelda Cajipe Endaya Looks Back Through Decades of Printmaking at Art Fair Philippines 2026
Photographed by Angelo Tantuico
At Art Fair Philippines 2026, Imelda Cajipe Endaya presents a selection from a collection of 300 prints, entitled “A Votary’s Art.”
Imelda Cajipe Endaya’s first print, Dahil Sa Iyo Marcos, hangs in her 2026 Art Fair Philippines exhibition, “A Votary’s Art.” Made in the 1970s, the print was made as a criticism of the late President Marcos Sr. It sets the tone for the exhibition, which encompasses decades of Endaya’s work that has always centered on social issues from the viewpoint of women empowerment.
During the 2026 Art Fair Philippines’ vernissage, Cajipe briefly chats with Vogue Philippines on devotion, art, and women’s empowerment.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I understand that this selection came from a collection of over 300 prints. What does it feel like for you to see these particular artworks all together?
I’m so happy to see them all together, because some of them are over 50 years old, and I’m happy that the younger people still appreciate it, and I hope that they will be inspired to work on it.
Could you tell us more about the title, “A Votary’s Art”? Where did that come from?
I think I wrote something about that way back. A votary means somebody who has devotion. And one needs devotion to be able to do a body of work, especially in Printmaking.
May I ask you what devotion to you looks like?
It means you have a vision and you have a passion for doing the action. It’s both a vision and an action.
Aside from printmaking, you’re also devoted to championing women’s empowerment. How would you describe where women are at now, and what else are you hoping to see?
Well, women, I know, have gone a long way since that time when my friends and colleagues, Brenda, Julie, Anna-Fer, Sister Ida, and I founded KASIBULAN in the late 80s. Before, the women were not exhibiting, but they were working at home, isolated. When we got together, we encouraged other women artists to come out and exhibit. I think that is quite an accomplishment for women’s power altogether.
These women are now the age of our daughters, and they are creating together with their children and grandchildren, too. They don’t have to isolate themselves as women; it’s more all-encompassing for men and women together. I guess that’s the difference.
Are there any questions that you want people to have when they look at your exhibit, or things that you would like them to wonder about?
Yeah, I would like the viewers, especially the artists, to question themselves, question what is happening around us, and hopefully bring out their opinions and their principles, and the action they would like to recommend through their artwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Imelda Cajipe Endaya presented “A Votary’s Art” at Art Fair Philippines 2026. The retrospective features a curated selection from her career archive of over 300 prints, tracking five decades of work dedicated to socio-political commentary and female empowerment.
Created in the 1970s, Dahil Sa Iyo Marcos is Imelda Cajipe Endaya’s first print. It serves as a direct political critique of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime, establishing the tone of defiance and social awareness that defines her entire body of work.
The title reflects the concept of absolute devotion required to sustain an artistic practice. Endaya defines a “votary” as someone who combines a clear social vision with passionate physical action, a discipline especially critical for navigating the meticulous, labor-intensive demands of printmaking.
In the late 1980s, Endaya co-founded the historic feminist art collective KASIBULAN alongside artists Brenda Fajardo, Julie Lluch, Anna-Fer, and Sister Ida. The organization successfully combated institutional sexism by encouraging isolated, domestic female creative practitioners to exhibit their work publicly.
Endaya notes that while early feminist movements focused on breaking women out of domestic isolation, today’s generation enjoys an all-encompassing environment. Contemporary female artists now create collaboratively alongside their children, grandchildren, and male peers, integrating art directly into collective family life.
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