The Pulitzer Center Presents: If the Walls Can Talk

Art and Culture

Dec 22

If The Walls Can Talk art exhibit tells the stories of Philippines’ flora and fauna and ways to protect them

By Art+ Magazine
December 24, 2024

Even a patch of trees holds countless stories, each tree a city. Pulitzer Center grantees, artists, and changemakers will tell the stories of Philippine flora and fauna and how you can help protect them in If The Walls Can Talk, an art exhibit running from December 12 to 31 at the historic First United Building in the heart of Old Manila’s Escolta District.

According to a Pulitzer Center supported story, the Philippines was once blanketed by lush forests spanning 27.5 million hectares—over 90% of the country’s total land area—prior to colonization. However, centuries of population growth, land conversion, and the absence of a unified forest policy have drastically reduced this coverage. By the end of American rule, forest cover had dwindled to 15.8 million hectares, dropping further to 10.6 million hectares before

Martial Law was declared in 1972. Following the People Power Revolution in 1986, it shrank even more, reaching just 6.4 million hectares. Despite reforestation efforts dating back to the 1910s, the country’s forest cover has struggled to recover, stabilizing at an average of under seven million hectares today.

Recent super-typhoons, with their unusual timing extending well beyond the rainy season, have sparked growing discussions among Filipinos about deforestation. We hope these conversations go beyond the immediate loss of trees and greenery and expand to address the broader implications: how deforestation fuels climate change, threatens livelihoods, endangers lives and property, and causes lasting harm to future generations of Filipinos and the global ecosystem.

Three Filipino artists—Eunice Sanchez, Kookoo Ramos-Cruda, and Resty Flores—will showcase works inspired by the Pulitzer Center’s Climate Crisis Reporting. Through various mediums, their creations will explore critical issues surrounding Philippine rainforests.

“Journalism, like art, sheds light on critical issues,” shares Intan Febriani, Director of International Education and Outreach, “such as rainforest protection. As urbanization rises, we must acknowledge that forests are essential—they provide food, reduce carbon emissions, and support biodiversity. In the If the Walls Can Talk art exhibition, Filipino artists engage with investigative journalism supported by the Pulitzer Center, expressing concerns about deforestation and the expansion of mining. This event fosters a dialogue between journalism and art, inspiring action to protect our forests and demand accountability.”

Organizer Veejay Villafranca shares his rationale behind the show: “Street art takes its roots from dissent and revolutions. In today’s highly visual landscape, we harness said roots of street artists in taking the message to the streets: the state of the Philippines’ natural environment. This will hopefully instigate not just conversations but a wider movement.”

The exhibition is part of the #ShowMeYourTree campaign, a call to action for everyone living in Southeast Asia and beyond to defend our vital rainforests.