At once ornamental and deeply political, Davao artist Jag Bueno’s Hybrid (2020) is perhaps the most iconic and thematically layered artwork to come out of the southern Philippine territory of Mindanao in decades.

Since its debut in ‘Kulit Kultura’, a sculpture exhibition held in Davao City’s The BauHaus Gallery last September, this work has appeared prominently in the local newspapers and feature videos and has become one of the most visible artworks to come out of Mindanao during the pandemic. Hybrid follows this trend, incorporating motifs that make each of the three people easily identifiable. The Moro is to the split portrait’s left, identifiable by the hijab and the arabesque patterns called Okir, which are traditional to the Meranaw people (one of the Moro ethnic groups). To the right, the Lumad is established through the traditional beaded necklace called the Bali-og and the large ear piercing—both accessories being mainstays of several Lumad tribes—and the background of geometric patterns reminiscent of Lumad textiles. The Christianized Settler at the center is represented by the choker with a cross pendant. 

While most Tri-People triptychs portray the three people as separate entities, Jag Bueno’s Hybrid shows the three cultural identities as part of a single face. One might read the work as a commentary on hybridization, or the mixing of heritage amongst the Mindanao people, which is a key socio-cultural issue that Mindanao struggles with to this day.