Katrin de Guia, a stalwart artist and scholar, passed away at the age of 75 on October 23, as confirmed by her husband, National Artist Kidlat Tahimik.
De Guia was born in Munich, Germany. According to Vogue Philippines, she first met Tahimik while walking the streets of her university with her then-boyfriend. Tahimik drove up to them in a brightly colored jeepney and asked if they’d like a ride to a local exhibition: De Guia said yes. “Goodbye boyfriend, hello jeepney driver!” De Guia joked in an interview with The Filipino Story Studio. “It was really the beginning of our lifelong friendship.” Tahimik and de Guia’s relationship quickly progressed, and the couple eventually decided to relocate to the Philippines.
De Guia was best known for her work studying Filipino indigenous psychology and the concept of kapwa in local culture. She pursued her PhD at the University of the Philippines under the mentorship of Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, who pioneered the study of kapwa at the core of Filipino psychology. De Guia immersed herself deeply in the study of Filipino identity. “It’s just this whole spiritual, non-material side to Filipinos,” De Guia said. “Everybody here is so open, and for me, this is kapwa.”
She went on to publish her findings in a book entitled Kapwa—The Self in the Other: Worldviews and Lifestyles of Filipino Culture Bearers. In 2006, de Guia’s book was nominated for the 10 Best Social Sciences Publications and was a finalist in the First Book Award in 2007.
But beyond the world of psychology, it was clear that De Guia served as Tahimik’s creative partner. She appears in several of the filmmaker’s films, including Perfumed Nightmare and Why is Yellow the Middle Colour of the Rainbow? She also designed the lush costumes of BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux VI, which Tahimik created in homage to Malay slave Enrique de Malacca.
“Ang Pinoy Jeepney Journey ni Katrin de Guia, isang kapwa nating pasahero dito sa Baguio since 1980 ay kompleto na,” Tahimik wrote in a heartfelt message sent to Rolling Stone Philippines. “Natupad na ang lakaran ni Katrin. Napakagraceful ng paglipat-bahay ni Katrin sa kataastaasang liwanag. Maginhawa ang pag-translate niya sa kabilang kabukiran ng gandang loob.”
“Ipagdiwang natin!” Tahimik continued. “Let’s celebrate her translation into the next chapter. Ang kasunod na kabanata sa Jeepney Ride ni Nanay Katrin.”
