Unmasked: A Photo Exhibit by Howie Severino and Atom Araullo Hits SM Malls

In the captivating world of photojournalism, the lens becomes a powerful storyteller, capturing the essence of humanity’s triumphs, struggles, and unspoken tales. I-Witness documentarists Howie Severino and Atom Araullo, known for their riveting narratives, are set to unravel the unseen in Unmasked Photo Exhibit, sharing their profound experiences and the stories that linger behind each frame.

The exhibit is being produced in partnership between I-Witness and SM Malls. It mainly features photos shot while Atom and Howie produced I-Witness stories.

Things You Need To Know About Unmasked Photo Exhibit

Howie Severino and Atom Araullo’s Unmasked: A Photo Exhibit is a collection of photographs taken by the two documentarists during their years of coverage for the show “I-Witness”. The exhibit showcases stories of people and places that they have encountered throughout their journey. The exhibit mainly features photos shot while Atom and Howie were producing I-Witness stories as varied as a non-violent way to conduct the drug war and the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. They’ve journeyed to numerous far-flung places, including an island that lost all its land, and documented desperate people whose stories ached to be told.

The exhibit opened on January 28, 2024, at the SM City Dasmariñas Main Event Center in Cavite. It was attended by students and faculty members from various universities and schools, including Cavite State University-Journalism Guild, National University-Dasmariñas, Far Eastern University-Cavite, Emilio Aguinaldo College-Cavite, Imus National High School, Power of Filipino Youth-Cavite Extension, and Tropical Village National High School.

The first leg of the exhibit opened on August 21, 2023, at SM Santa Rosa in Laguna. The exhibit is open to the public until May 26, 2024. You may see them at the following SM Malls:

1. SM City Santa Rosa: August 21 to 30, 2023
2. SM City San Pablo: September 2 to 10, 2023
3. SM City Calamba: September 16 to 24, 2023
4. SM City Tanza
5. SM City Molino
6. SM City Trece Martires
7. SM City Dasmariñas: January 28 to February 4, 2024
8. SM City Batangas
9. SM City Lipa
10. SM City Lucena
11. SM City Daet
12. SM City Naga
13. SM City Legazpi
14. SM City Sorsogon

Howie Severino’s Battle with Covid-19

One of the featured documentaries in the exhibit is “Ako si Patient 2828,” which was one of the most-watched Philippine documentaries on YouTube in recent memory and won Best Documentary in the Gawad Tanglaw Awards in 2020. The documentary tells the story of Howie Severino’s experience as one of the country’s first COVID-19 survivors. Just before he got sick, Severino was an evacuee from the Taal Volcano eruption of 2020. He lives on the shores of Taal Lake, and that experience is also in the exhibit.

This exhibit is a chance for us to share our work in the real world, away from screens, and interact with real people and not just names online.

Howie Severino

In addition to his documentary work, Howie Severino wears multiple hats, serving as the editor-at-large for GMA News Online and hosting the podcast “The Howie Severino Podcast.” His previous photo exhibit, “Stare: Through the Lens of Howie Severino,” showcased his talent behind the lens. “Unmasked” is a continuation of his visual storytelling journey.

Atom Araullo’s Global Lens from Bangladesh to the Philippines

Atom Araullo shares photographs taken during his travels and documentary-making in the Philippines and abroad. These include his trip to Bangladesh for his first documentary for I-Witness, “Silang Kinalimutan.” The documentary showed the story of Rohingya refugees who fled to neighboring Bangladesh after the Myanmar government denied them citizenship. It won a Gold Medal in the 2018 U.S. International Film & Video Festival for Documentary: Social Issues category.

I’ve always been fascinated by the power of still images in telling a story. By bringing our photographs to a larger audience through this exhibit, we can keep the discussion going, and perhaps inspire other storytellers out there

Atom Araullo

Aside from doing documentaries for I-Witness, Atom co-anchors GTV’s flagship newscast State of the Nation with Maki Pulido. He is also a guest anchor for GMA’s 24 Oras. He headlines the bi-monthly The Atom Araullo Specials. Philippine Seas, his first documentary as a returning Kapuso, took home a Gold Medal at the 2018 U.S. International Film & Video Festival and won at the AIBs in London. This was followed by numerous accolades for his various works as a news anchor and journalist. This includes the Bronze medal at the 2022 New York Festivals TV & Film Award for his I-Witness documentary “Koronang Tinik (Crown of Thorns).”

Atom is the first recipient of the Outstanding Media Personality Award at the 2023 Lasallian Scholarum Awards of De La Salle University. He also took home the First Prize in the Essay Writing competition at the 70th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for his “Letter from Tawi-Tawi.”

A Journey Through Time and Space

“Unmasked” invites you to step into the world of Howie Severino and Atom Araullo, a journey through time and space captured in still frames. As the exhibit runs until May 26, 2024, seize the opportunity to witness the unmasked stories that echo the resilience of the human spirit. The exhibit’s multi-city tour promises to bring this immersive experience closer to audiences across the Philippines, fostering a deeper connection between the storytellers and the stories themselves. If you want to witness their documentary journey through their lenses, head over to the exhibit before it ends!