An Aesthetic of the Trace: Kiri Dalena's Militant and Transcendent Art
Abstract
This essay seeks to articulate a philosophical theory about Philippine social realism rooted in the Levinasian concept of the face and the Filipino conception of loob and kapwa through a reading of the works of artist/activist Kiri Dalena.Dialoguing with the theories of Alejo, Levinas, and Maritain, this paper will discuss how Philippine social realism is rooted in the experience of the face of the other and the call of the transcendent to responsibility.This essay explores how social realists' works make present the face of the other as kapwa, which awakens the loob to pakikipagkapwa as infinite responsibility.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
Caribbean history
culture
and politics
Art Education and Development
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Philosophia International Journal of Philosophy
- Publisher
- Philippine National Philosophical Research Society Inc.
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 30 January 2026