Women in Art 278 Magazine January 2015 | Page 13

Filipina-german artist Aster V. Delgado oil / mixed media Aster V. Delgado is a Filipina artist based in Hamburg, Germany. Aster started to paint in 1996 while she was still working at the Women’s Crisis Center in Manila. From the beginning, her art has consciously dealt with the situation of women/ lesbians. An additional theme is animal life and nature. Her often colorful and clear images reflect her political visions, her fantasies, dreams and passions. Aster has exhibited her work in the Philippines, in Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Since last year, I’ve been working on a series of fishes. As a feminist, I believe we have to be environmentalists - to protect the Earth and all its life. My plan was to paint endangered animals - and fishes are special to me since I come from a place with a lot of water around me, and my new hometown, Hamburg, is also near the sea. So, some of my paintings show tropical fishes - others, fishes from the North Sea. One of my newest artworks is the whale shark, the largest fish of the world, which we call “Butanding” in my mother tongue, and which used to be hunted until it was declared an endangered species. Now diving with whale sharks is a special attraction in parts of the Philippines. wom en ART page 13