Archive Burning Heart: Philippine Photgraphs by Marisa Roth

Excerpts from the Book | Marisa Roth Home Page Archive - Fall 1999 Home

Burning Heart:
Poetry Selections
by Jessica Hagedorn

Marissa Roth first visited the Philippines in 1987 as a photojournalist on assignment for the Los Angeles Times. Immediately enchanted, Roth returned many times over the next ten years to photograph the stories of this complex country. What began as a photographic project on social issues evolved into an intense visual exploration of the Philippines--the archipelago Roth calls a perpetual study in contrasts, both poetic and pained. Her personal and photographic obsession resulted in an extraordinary book, the recently published Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines.

Roth's photographs illuminate Philippine culture both literally and metaphorically. The images, and the accompanying text by noted Filipina-American author and poet Jessica Hagedorn, represent a journey through the nation of islands. When Roth first visited the Philippines in 1987, she found a country trying to recover its equilibrium following the revolution that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos. Seeing beyond the pressing social and economic problems, Roth traveled throughout the country photographing the physical and ephemeral beauty of the land and people. Roth also found herself fascinated by the country’s unique blend of Catholicism and the animist traditions of the island’s original Malay tribes. Faith, spirituality, and superstition are inextricably linked in the Philippines’ culture, politics, and daily life.

A selection of photographs from the Burning Heart series are presented here. Themes include the land, the people, religion, and politics. Excerpts from Hagedorn’s poems from the book Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines accompany the images.

The Gallery extends its appreciation to Pedro Loureiro, of the Pacific Basin Institute, who brought these luminous photographs to our attention, and who coordinated the book-signing and lecture with Roth and Hagedorn with Claire Bridges of the Scripps Humanities Institute. Sepia International, New York, represents the artist.

Rebecca McGrew
Curator