Art for an Art: When Creatives Choose Each Other

The story did not begin with a contract. It began with trust.

For Maila Alog, the journey into bartering art for art started with the Pasakalye Group of Artists. What began as a simple act of support—purchasing their paintings—slowly evolved into something more intimate. As conversations deepened, the artists offered a different idea: What if her creations could be worn by the artists themselves, giving them a stronger visual presence for their upcoming exhibits?

It was not about branding. It was about identity.

Maila’s handwoven creations became extensions of the artists’ own narratives—pieces that carried presence, intention, and quiet strength. In return, she received artworks shaped by patience, vulnerability, and lived experience. From that first exchange, a door quietly opened.

Soon, similar conversations followed with fellow Baguio creatives—visual artist Jherwin Libatique, and the power couple artists Silan and Jayson Duclan. Each exchange carried the same unspoken agreement: there would be no price tags. No receipts. No attempts to measure equivalence.

Because for everyone involved, these artworks were priceless. As word spread, more visual artists reached out, and the collaboration organically expanded—bringing fashion and visual art into deeper conversation.

The spirit of exchange naturally extended beyond visual art and into performance and organization. Maila also collaborated with Baguio J Krayonz, creating uniform jackets accented with inabel textiles. In return, the group offered their intermission dance numbers—performances that brought movement, energy, and meaning to cultural events and runways.

A similar exchange unfolded with Onjon ni Ivadoi, for whom Maila crafted polo uniforms for their officers—functional pieces infused with indigenous textile elements. In exchange, the group extended their support, grounded in solidarity rather than transaction.

Beyond artists and performers, Maila’s creations have also become tokens of gratitude to the culture bearers she encounters along the way—elders, performers, and tradition keepers who give their time, talent, and presence without asking for anything in return. Many of them have consistently performed and supported her cultural initiatives, most especially Habing Katutubo, offering their heritage, rituals, and artistry as acts of service to culture itself. For Maila, gifting her creations to these culture bearers is not compensation, but acknowledgment—a quiet way of saying your culture, your labor, and your generosity matter.

For Maila, these exchanges are deeply humbling. To be chosen by visual artists to shape how they present themselves, and by performers and culture bearers to be part of their expression, is an honor she holds with gratitude. In Baguio City, the Philippines’ first Creative City under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, being selected by fellow creatives is a form of recognition no currency can replace.

Each artwork she received carries a name, a story, and a shared conversation.Each garment she offered became part of an exhibit, a performance, a uniform, or a gesture of thanks.

At the heart of this practice is openness. Maila Alog remains always open to collaboration, especially arrangements rooted in mutual respect—where creativity is exchanged with creativity, and both sides walk away enriched. In these partnerships, there are no buyers and sellers—only creators who meet as equals, proving that when art is honored, everyone wins.