Watch Now: Martha Atienza

Presenting with Silverlens gallery at Frieze London 2022 as part of Indra's Net, curated by Sandhini Poddar.

Martha Atienza is a multidisciplinary artist who resides on Bantayan Island, north of Cebu Island, within the large archipelago of the Philippines.



Often collaborating with her brother Jake, who is an academic, as well as diverse resident community groups Atienza’s practice in video, photography and video, is focused on “the people, the sea, and the land”. She is passionate about galvanizing support for local fisherfolk as well as advocating for further marine protected areas along the coastline, which is suffering from erosion. Recently, Atienza established the Adlaw sa mga Mananagat Bantayan (Fisherfolks Day). This festival seeks to represent 37 fishing communities in one ecosystem; by being on the water together, fisherfolk stories are shared with deeper respect.

At Frieze London, Atienza positions Antonio Dacomos Turib as the protagonist of her meditative video, Tigpanalipod (The Protector) 11°02’06.4” N 123°36’24.1” E, 2022.

See www.goodland.ph for more details on the delicate relationship between labour, governance, tourism and the environment on Bantayan.

About Indra's Net

Derived from ancient Buddhist and Hindu thought forms, Indra’s Net refers to an ethics of being, where an individual atom holds within it the structure of reality. Imagine a vast bejewelled net: at every nexus there is

a reflective orb that mirrors and refracts every other orb in its entirety. Each part is held within the whole in a system of dependent origination. All sentient life is interconnected; shifts to one atom subtly alter the rest.

Curated by Sandhini Poddar, this group presentation brings together leading international artists whose practices are informed by this prescient metaphor. In various media, we learn of ancestry, history, language, consciousness and futurity as being bound to the earth, which serves as a perennial witness through the arc of time. 

In the video above, Atienza shares her response to the question, 'What does interconnectedness mean to you?'

Find Out More about Indra's Net