Weaving Stories of Identity: Habol, Hablon, Hinablon Opens at ANTHILL Fabric Gallery

Cebu’s weaving traditions take center stage in "Habol, Hablon, Hinablon: Until now, we learn". The inaugural exhibition from ANTHILL Fabric Gallery was launched to celebrate their 15th anniversary and highlight textile works as art. Launched on July 3, the exhibition features debut pieces by Cebuano fashion designer Jessica Durano and master weaver John Rey Sanchez, curated by New York-based researcher and designer Kaye Yuvallos.

The exhibition, which runs until October 3,  explores the meaning of three Cebuano words: Habol (warm cloth), Hablon (weaving), and Hinablon (woven fabric).

Curator Kaye Yuvallos, an arts-based researcher and designer based in New York, guided a months-long process that challenged both artists to reflect deeply on their identities and their practices. “This isn’t a show about polished artifacts or fixed identities,” said Yuvallos. “It’s about how stories are made through making—and the ongoing process of becoming.”

Weaving as Self-Discovery

Durano and Sanchez spent months in deep dialogue, tracing how craft connects to identity, commercialization, and authorship. Despite not coming from a tribal community, Sanchez learned to weave from his mother—echoing the emotional lineage of many artisans. Durano shared that the process helped her discover new layers of self-expression:

“It was moving and challenging,” says Durano. “I finally see how textile weaving is a way of finding who you are. Weaving communities always embed themselves in the piece, and I now connect with this deeply as I express myself through the loom.”

Durano’s work in sustainable fashion and community textile design has long emphasized environmental and social responsibility. However, in this exhibition, she turns inward. Her piece Luwas (Safe) rethinks comfort through coarse abaca fibers, subverting expectations of softness in a comfort object. Her Diwa (Spirit) series uses local materials and dried flowers to trace key transitions in her life.

Sanchez presents Kahupayan (Comfort) and Pagsubang (The Sun Rises) as acts of visibility after two decades in production work. With support from his wife Mymy, he has stepped into public view as an artist:

“I’ve been behind the scenes for 20 years. Now it’s my time,” Sanchez said. “I’m stepping out of the cave.”

A Communal Offering

The opening reception included a live weaving performance. Durano and Sanchez created new works—Unta and Yano—on site, inviting viewers into the rhythm and ritual of textile making. For Yuvallos, the exhibition reflects a shared process of becoming:

“We created the exhibition as a space where weaving becomes not just a method of making, but a way of sensing,” said Yuvallos. “Of tracing where we’ve been. Of hoping for where we might go.”

Throughout the exhibition, we see how Cebuano weaving continues to hold space for creativity, care, and evolving meaning. The hands that weave carry stories worth telling, not just of cloth, but of dignity and growth.

Exhibition Details

Habol, Hablon, Hinablon: Until Now, We Learn

📍 ANTHILL Fabric Gallery, Pedro Calomarde St. corner Acacia St., Gorordo Ave., Cebu City

🗓 July 3 – October 3, 2025

⏰ Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

🎟 Admission: Free and open to the public