Cover Detail of Solenn Heussaff’s ‘The Persistence of Bloom’ from her ‘The Unseen Garden’ exhibition at Provenance Art Gallery, as part of its Bridging the Gap 2 exhibitions at The Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati (Photo: Gabriel Nivera)
Detail of Solenn Heussaff’s ‘The Persistence of Bloom’ from her ‘The Unseen Garden’ exhibition at Provenance Art Gallery, as part of its Bridging the Gap 2 exhibitions at The Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati (Photo: Gabriel Nivera)
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From university halls and civic spaces to leading contemporary galleries across the archipelago, these compelling Philippine art exhibitions invite audiences to examine personal memory, social realisms and the evolving nature of collective creation
The Philippine art scene continues to showcase remarkable vitality as mid-year programming transitions into late-monsoon showcases. Across Metro Manila and regional cultural hubs, local institutions and independent spaces are hosting presentations that range from pioneer retrospective surveys to cutting-edge abstractions.
This season’s exhibitions reflect a deep engagement with history, community and material process. Whether delving into historical archives, revisiting the foundations of social realism or challenging formal boundaries through digital media and sculpture, creators across the country offer vital spaces for contemplation and dialogue. Here is your guide to the must-see art shows opening and running from August through September 2026.
Read more: July 2026 Global Art Agenda: exploring perception, time and the natural world
Museums and institutional surveys
Institutional spaces and university galleries lead the season with ambitious historical retrospectives, archive-based showcases and community-engaged installations. These presentations bring critical public attention to foundational artistic legacies and collaborative practices shaping the national consciousness.
Read more: Inside Museo del Galeón, the museum that relives a pivotal chapter in Philippine history
Ayala Museum | Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power
Opened on July 16 and running until February 14, 2027, Turning Tides reexamines the Battle of Mactan and the Battles of La Naval de Manila. Located at the 3F Main Gallery, the exhibition presents historical artefacts, paintings and multimedia installations to explore how the archipelago's maritime connections shaped Filipino identity through trade, faith and conflict.
Ateneo Art Gallery | Orion in Sight: A View of Collective Work
Opened on 28 June 2026, Orion in Sight marks the first museum exhibition by TalaAnyo, a coalition of seven Philippine artist-led initiatives. Curated by Lisa Ito-Tapang, the showcase features a monumental painting by founding artists alongside collaborative, community-engaged works that revisit the roots of Philippine muralism and socially engaged practices.
Ateneo Art Gallery | Tad Ermitaño: Somatodelic
Opened on August 5, 2026, Somatodelic surveys several decades of electronic and media art exploration by Tad Ermitaño, a pioneer in the local digital art movement.
Above S-Ann Ch’i (Photo: courtesy of the artist and M Galerie)
Above Brian Uhing (Photo: courtesy of the artist and M Galerie)
S-Ann Ch’i (Photo: courtesy of the artist and M Galerie)
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House of Representatives | Beyond Appearances
Presented by the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc in collaboration with M Galerie, Beyond Appearances brings together internationally recognised artist couple Brian Uhing and S-Ann Ch’i. Uhing displays surrealist paintings exploring memory and the subconscious, while S-Ann Ch’i presents her contemporary figurative series, The Lotus Empress. The exhibition runs at the North Wing until August 13, before transferring to the South Wing from August 17 to 28.
UP Vargas Museum | A Collecting Life and more
The museum continues its presentation of A Collecting Life, focusing on the legacy of Jorge Vargas. Additionally, the 1/F West Wing Gallery features Embracing the wind, Cradling the water, Cristina Mejias's solo exhibition (running until September 5), exploring unseen physical forces through video and sculpture works. The museum also hosts Tableau of Forms, a contemporary art exhibition organised in partnership with the Spanish Embassy, AECID and Instituto Cervantes.
Contemporary galleries and creative hubs
Metro Manila’s commercial art spaces offer an energetic mix of solo explorations and curated group shows. From immersive soundscapes and delicate textiles to bold abstract experiments and structural installations, these gallery exhibitions spotlight the diverse visual vocabularies defining contemporary Philippine art today.
Silverlens | mirrors, merging by Catalina Africa & small vast things by Ayka Go
Running until August 22, Catalina Africa presents a new body of paintings examining inner transitions and rituals. Highlights include Perception Beyond Form and Collapsing Time, where fluid forms test dissolution on canvas. Alongside this, Ayka Go presents small vast things, marking a significant departure from her signature paper foldings. Shifting her focus outward, Go draws inspiration from her studio garden to explore the intricate details of butterfly wings and the subtle cycles of growth, decay and renewal.
Above Poster of 125 Projects’ exhibition and pop-up of Nicholas Tan’s works
Poster of 125 Projects’ exhibition and pop-up of Nicholas Tan’s works
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125 Projects | Nicholas Tan’s solo exhibition and pop-up
Opening on August 15 and running until August 30, 125 Projects presents the first Manila solo exhibition and designer pop-up by AUPEN founder Nicholas Tan. Taking over the gallery’s exhibition spaces, Tan explores ideas of form, function, and memory beyond fashion. At the heart of the presentation is the distinctive silhouette of the Purpose bag—a design carried globally by figures like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber, and Olivia Rodrigo—reimagined as a sculptural and visual language that transcends its original utility.
Kublai Millan ‘Invisible Hand’, 24 x 24, acrylic on canvas, 2026
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Art Lounge Manila (The Podium) | Other Half: A Two-Decade Journey Toward Wholeness by Kublai Millan
Running from August 3 to 13, acclaimed Mindanaon artist Kublai Millan presents Other Half, a deeply personal solo exhibition twenty years in the making. Renowned for his vibrant canvases and monumental public artworks—such as the giant Kampilan in Sultan Kudarat and the iconic durian monument at Davao International Airport—Millan shifts inward to explore love, gratitude, and the unseen forces that shape life’s journey. Using the changing phases of the moon as a central metaphor, the exhibition gathers works that celebrate emotional resilience and human connection.
Finale Art File | Lyra Garcellano and Kathleen Gobasco
From August 14 to September 5, Finale Art File features a major group show in the Tall Gallery, a solo presentation by Lyra Garcellano in the Upstairs Gallery and works by Kathleen Gobasco in the Video Room.
West Gallery | TBD by Miguel Uy
Running from July 30 to August 29, Miguel Uy presents his latest contemporary compositions, exploring space, medium and form.
Art Underground | The Longest Wait Makes the Prettiest Flowers & Haiku
Running through August 10, Art Underground features concurrent solo presentations: Erikson Arcilla’s textured studies on patience, The Longest Wait Makes the Prettiest Flowers, alongside Nicole Soltes’s minimalist exhibition, Haiku.
Altro Mondo at The Picasso | Quiet Collisions: Geometries of a Fractured Calm by Peter Markus Jentes
Opened last July 3, Peter Markus Jentes marks a profound artistic shift in his latest solo exhibition. Moving beyond his signature hard-edged geometry, the artist layers acrylics, spray paint and mixed media to explore the tensions between order and chaos, using the horizon line as a central metaphor for duality, structure and emotional resolution. The exhibition runs until September 7.
Provenance Art Gallery | Bridging The Gap 2
Located at Power Plant Mall through August 2026, Bridging The Gap 2 features a rotating roster of over 80 contemporary Filipino artists—including Solenn Heussaff, Lynyrd Paras, Gene Paul Martin and Mark Jeffrey Santos—making contemporary works accessible to a wider audience.
Historical heritage and regional voices
Outside the traditional gallery circuit and expanding into regional cultural centres, several exhibitions highlight the rich tapestry of local heritage, historical diaries and regional movements. These showcases underscore how regional initiatives continue to enrich the broader story of Philippine art.
National Museum of the Philippines—Baler
Officially inaugurated on June 30, the 22nd component museum of the National Museum of the Philippines opened its doors in Baler, Aurora. Designed by architect Ed Calma, the museum’s architecture draws inspiration from the province’s topography, featuring layered concrete forms reminiscent of rice terraces. Inside, the museum houses three permanent galleries: Cruce de Caminos, which displays historical artefacts like a rare Mariner’s Astrolabe; Sierra, Tierra, Costa, focusing on local ecology and biodiversity; and Pagtatagpo / Encuentro, which exhibits contemporary art by leading Filipino creators.
Filipinas Heritage Library (Ayala Museum) | Between Two Worlds: A Philippine Diary, 80 Years Ago—by Shinichi Komatsu
Marking the 70th Anniversary of Philippines–Japan Friendship, this historical exhibition (running until August 16) offers a look at a wartime Philippine diary authored eight decades ago by Shinichi Komatsu.
Qube Gallery (Cebu) | LATAG: The Unfolding of Visayan Abstraction
Curated by Dennis E Montera, PhD, this major group show (running until August 15) gathers 20 artists—including Sio Montera, Gary Custodio, Javy Villacin and Ed Defensor—to highlight the evolving tradition of abstract painting in the Visayas.
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About
Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
Work
Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
As head of Tatler Philippines’ pool of writers, he helps them bring impactful and socially relevant stories to light.
For any leads, you may reach him through @franzsorillaiv on Instagram or franz@tatlerphilippines.com via email.
