Dodong and the Dais 
SCREENWORKS

Dodong and the Dais (2024, HD video, sound) – presented for Gasworks’ SCREENWORKS by Catherine Ortega-Sandow, Kenneth L. Suico, MJ Flamiano

Artist statement:
This collaborative video work features artists Catherine Ortega-Sandow, Kenneth L. Suico, and MJ Flamiano of Saluhan Collective. They perform a cover of Magellan (1972) by Cebuano singer and comedian Yoyoy Villame. The song narrates the simplified discovery myth of the Philippines and the colonial subjugation of Indigenous peoples through Spanish rule. The narrative concludes with the resistance of the native warrior Lapu-Lapu who defeats Magellan, celebrating a moment of defiance. In their rendition, the artists explore contemporary Filipino aesthetics, drawing from karaoke culture, New Wave, queering of Catholic rituals, iconography, and tropical kitsch to speak to the complexities of colonial-migrant storytelling.  

Commissioned by Arts House
Videography: Mischa Wang 

Recording and mixing: Society Audio 

Magellan by Yoyoy Villame and released in 1972 by Kinampay Records
 

Saluhan bio: 

Saluhan Collective is the creative collaboration of artists led by Catherine Ortega-Sandow, and MJ Flamiano and founded by Aida Azin. Since 2019, they have developed a diverse body of  work, including exhibitions, events, workshops, community gatherings, and film screenings, in partnership with organisations such as Arts House, SEVENTH, Next Wave, Footscray Community Arts, Testing Grounds, and Siteworks. Their practice is deeply rooted in Filipinx concepts of kinship and reciprocity, with a focus on creating spaces that interweave artistry and community engagement.

Artist bios:  

MJ Flamiano is a visual artist, creative producer and arts worker of Anglo and Filipino ancestry with roots in Luzon and the Visayas. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (First Class Honours) from Monash University Art Design and Architecture and a Diploma of Library and Information Services from Victoria University. Her practice engages in critical and playful explorations of cultural sites through projects in printmaking, video, installation, and text. She has held solo and group exhibitions at galleries including West Space (VIC), Watch This Space (NT), The Walls (QLD), and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (PH).

Catherine Ortega-Sandow is a visual artist and researcher currently residing between Boorloo/Perth and Naarm/Melbourne. She holds a Bachelor of Art and has completed graduate studies in Community and International Development, Computer Science, and Fine Art. Her practice spans installation, video, and text, focusing on challenging epistemological and aesthetic hierarchies. She is the Founder of Pagbasa Archive.

Kenneth Suico is an artist residing and working in Naarm/Melbourne. Born in Cebu, Philippines, they jump across a broad range of mediums, employing the modes of photography, video, pop song performance and installation in their practice. The common motifs threaded into Suico’s works are acts of repurposing or appropriating what are considered Western-based mythological narratives and imagery and skewing them into their personal history and 
 

ABOUT SCREENWORKS 

SCREENWORKS provides a dedicated screen space for video and moving-image work for Gasworks’ creative community. Each month a different work will be shown, celebrating the dynamism that screen-based media can offer.