Elaine Antonio Bordeaux's Exhibit "Courage" at Litoměřice Castle
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At the Litomerice Castle Museum. (L-R) Director Mischa Mokra, Litomerice Deputy Mayor Jiri Adamek, Elaine A. Bordeaux, Polly S Cortez, a founder & treasurer of Dr. Jose Rizal International Legacy Foundation.
Courage – This is the title of an exhibition by renowned Filipino-American sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux, which will be on display throughout October at Litoměřice Castle. The exhibition is held in honor of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and the Philippines.
The opening event on Saturday was attended by several distinguished guests, including the Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Eduardo Menez, and Noel Esperanza Syquia, the grandniece of the Philippine national hero José Rizal. Deputy Mayor Jiří Adámek represented the city of Litoměřice.
Ribbon cutting at “Courage” exhibit opening night with Artist Atty Elaine A. Bordeaux, Czech Republic Senator Ladislav Chlupac (former mayor of Litomerice), and Philippine Ambassador to Czech Republic Eduardo Menez
“It is a great honor for us to host this exhibition by such an esteemed artist, aptly named Courage. I would add the word friendship to it, as it was the courage and friendship of José Rizal and Litoměřice professor Ferdinand Blumentritt that transformed into a friendship between our two nations,” said Jiří Adámek.
Sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to exhibit her works in Litoměřice.
“The Courage exhibition is about sculptures of courageous individuals, with the centerpiece being a bust of José Rizal. I have also included works that depict the beautiful nature of my home in Colorado,” the artist explained, adding that the exhibition aims to remind us of values such as courage and the pursuit of truth, which unite both nations.
Elaine Antonio Bordeaux with Noel Esperanza "Didit" Syquia
The festive opening of the exhibition also featured a performance of traditional indigenous dances by the Igorots, a group composed of people from the Philippine Cordillera Mountains who work in the Czech Republic and strive to preserve their cultural heritage even in a foreign land.
One of the Prague Igorot dancers proudly smiles with her relative Apo Wang OD’s sculpture.
The extraordinary friendship between Litoměřice professor Ferdinand Blumentritt and the Filipino doctor and writer José Rizal began in the late 19th century.
Blumentritt had a lifelong interest in Spanish colonial countries, particularly the Philippines. Though he never visited the country, he published several scholarly works on it. Blumentritt’s publications caught the attention of José Rizal, who was staying in Germany at the time and decided to contact the Litoměřice professor. Their correspondence led to Rizal’s visit to Litoměřice in the spring of 1887 and the start of a friendship between the two men that extended beyond academic and scholarly collaboration to a personal level. Rizal was later executed for his alleged involvement in the movement to overthrow Spanish rule, and one of the last two letters he sent in December 1896, before his death, was addressed to his friend in Litoměřice.
Rizal descendants from Barcelona and Germany attended the opening of exhibit.
