Datu Arellano

Tahigami

Geometric thread drawings

Tahigami

Conceived in 2011, "Tahigami" serves as the enduring title for my ongoing art project. The name itself is a portmanteau, merging the Filipino "tahi" (meaning "stitch" or "sew") with the Japanese "gami" (or "kami"), denoting "paper" as seen in terms like origami. While literally signifying "stitching on paper" – a method central to many of my early works – the Tahigami project has expanded significantly beyond its initial physical manifestation. Its evolved, subjective lexicon redefines "tahi" as the act of forging new and revealing latent connections, while "gami" encapsulates the concepts of surface, context, constraints, and boundaries. Ultimately, Tahigami champions personal action, continuous evolution, and the blossoming of individual potential through the dynamic interplay of art and scientific inquiry.