Cover Check out key art exhibitions and events this October (Photo: Calle Wright)
Check out key art exhibitions and events this October (Photo: Calle Wright)
1 / 1
The Philippine art scene is serving up exhibitions this October that invite you not just to look, but to engage, reflect, and join the dialogue—no art degree required
Art. Creativity. Conversations. This October, the Philippine art scene is buzzing with exhibitions that offer more than just visual delight—they invite deep reflection and interaction. From the immersive Sibol at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, which redefines art through augmented reality and sensory experiences, to Cian Dayrit’s Liberties Were Taken at Project Space Pilipinas, which confronts colonial histories and systemic inequalities, there’s a wealth of creativity to explore.
In addition to these thought-provoking displays, notable retrospectives, such as The Poet of Concrete: The Architecture of National Artist Leandro Locsin, underscore the influence of key figures in Philippine art and architecture. Each exhibition engages viewers in a unique dialogue, encouraging participation and exploration beyond traditional viewing.
More from Tatler: Get a glimpse of life after the war through the artworks of Fernando Zóbel and more at the Ateneo Art Gallery
With a diverse range of themes and approaches, October is shaping up to be a jampacked month for anyone interested in the evolving landscape of contemporary art. Discover more of them below.
‘Sibol’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila
Above The vision for Sibol was brought to life through the collaboration with the Foundation University of Dumaguete’s Fine Arts Department, led by curator Sandra Palomar (Photo: The M)
Above H.E. MaryKay Carlson at the colourful installation by Raffy Napay, titled ‘MANAnahi’ (2022) for Metrobank Art & Design Excellence’s 40th anniversary exhibition (Photo: The M)
The vision for Sibol was brought to life through the collaboration with the Foundation University of Dumaguete’s Fine Arts Department, led by curator Sandra Palomar (Photo: The M)
1 / 2
The Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) programme has nurtured the next generation of Filipino artists. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Metrobank Foundation mounted an immersive exhibition titled Sibol at The M in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This exhibition invites visitors to experience Philippine art anew, where the past, present, and future intersect. With augmented reality installations and interactive experiences, Sibol challenges traditional art boundaries.
“We’ve seen our MADE winners grow, not just in craft but in engagement with the world,” says Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña. “Sibol reflects that evolution—a celebration of where they’ve been and where Philippine art is heading.”
‘The Poet of Concrete: The Architecture of National Artist Leandro Locsin’ at Benilde Design + Arts Campus
The Poet of Concrete: The Architecture of National Artist Leandro Locsin is a retrospective honouring the legacy of one of the Philippines’ most influential architects. It traces Locsin’s career through original drawings, photographs, and models of his iconic buildings, both existing and demolished.
Produced by the Center for Campus Art at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Leandro V Locsin Partners (LVLP), the exhibition also highlights LVLP’s ongoing work under the leadership of his son, Andy Locsin. A key feature includes scale models created by architecture students from Benilde, inspired by Locsin’s Brutalist philosophy. The exhibition runs until December 14 at the 12/F Gallery of the Benilde Design + Arts Campus in Malate, Manila.
Ik-Joong Kang’s ‘Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About’ at the Korean Cultural Center New York
Above Ik-Joong Kang’s ‘Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About’ (Photo: Korean Cultural Center New York)
Ik-Joong Kang’s ‘Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About’ (Photo: Korean Cultural Center New York)
1 / 1
The Korean Cultural Center New York presents Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About by renowned artist Ik-Joong Kang, marking the opening of his 40-year retrospective, We Are Connected. This monumental installation, measuring 26 x 72 feet and composed of 20,000 Hangeul tiles, symbolises a global exchange of stories and experiences. Developed in collaboration with LG, the project invited worldwide submissions, with 1,000 artworks selected for inclusion.
The retrospective also features historic works on loan from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art: 1392 Moon Jars (Wind), a tribute to Korean porcelain and the cosmos, and Throw Everything Together and Add, a vibrant collage of 6,000 canvases representing New York City’s diversity. These installations bridge Eastern and Western artistic traditions, reflecting themes of love, hope, and shared humanity.
The exhibition runs until November 7.
‘Fugitive Land’ at Silverlens New York
Fugitive Land brings together works by Santiago Bose, Michael Joo, and Stephanie Syjuco in a group exhibition curated by Christopher Y Lew. Opening on October 24, it explores themes of history and place obscured by power and empire. Bose uses found materials and images from the American colonization of the Philippines, while Syjuco examines how histories are constructed, drawing on archival images and Hollywood Vietnam War films shot in the Philippines. Joo juxtaposes human history against geologic time using a slab of Vermont marble.
On October 26, from 10 AM to 3 PM, Joo will project his past video works onto his marble sculpture Epi- (Montclair Mariposa Cross-Cut). Additionally, on November 16, Silverlens will host a book launch for Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters as a Penguin Classic, featuring a discussion titled Black Dogs / Cloud Rats / Tricksters with Hagedorn, Patrick Rosal, and Christine Bacareza Balance, followed by a book signing.
‘Pearls of Colour’ at D Contemporary London
Pearls of Colour marks the first major exhibition of Philippine contemporary art in London this century, presented by D Contemporary in collaboration with DF Art Agency. Featuring 36 works from renowned and emerging Filipino artists, the exhibition spans figurative, landscape, and abstract paintings as well as sculptures.
Co-curated by Derek Flores and Irene Pouliassi, the show celebrates the Philippines’ rich cultural heritage, drawing parallels to the country’s history with pearls. It explores modernist movements like surrealism, expressionism, and minimalism, intertwined with themes of cultural identity and national history. Supported by the Philippine Embassy in London, Pearls of Colour offers a vivid offering of artistic expression.
‘Tiw-Tiwong: Tales & Turns in the Art of Baguio and the Cordilleras’ at Gajah Gallery Singapore
Tiw-Tiwong: Tales & Turns in the Art of Baguio and the Cordilleras presents a major survey of Baguio-based and Cordilleran art, featuring artists from northern Luzon. Co-curated by Joyce Toh and Kawayan de Guia, the exhibition highlights iconic figures like Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera and Kidlat Tahimik alongside emerging talents such as Carlo Villafuerte and Gail Vicente, showcasing the dynamic intersection between tradition and contemporary expression.
Running from October 11 to November 10, the exhibition coincides with the Singapore launch of Tiw-tiwong: An Uncyclopedia to Life, Living, and Art in Baguio, a collaborative art book challenging colonial portrayals of the region, edited by Kawayan de Guia and others.
Jose Tence Ruiz’s ‘The Carbon Footprint of the Stoic Heroic’ at Silverlens Manila
Above Jose Tence Ruiz’s ‘Ang Pila Balde ni Ning, Charie, Charo, Rochit, Rose, Sari, Rosie, Saring, Chayong Atbp.’ (Photo: Silverlens Manila)
Jose Tence Ruiz’s ‘Ang Pila Balde ni Ning, Charie, Charo, Rochit, Rose, Sari, Rosie, Saring, Chayong Atbp.’ (Photo: Silverlens Manila)
1 / 1
The Carbon Footprint of the Stoic Heroic by Jose Tence Ruiz showcases mixed media works and self-portraits from the late 1970s, alongside new canvas works and a large installation spanning almost the entire gallery space. Opening on October 17 at Silverlens Manila, the exhibition reappropriates religious iconography and Mondrian’s geometric abstractions to explore disillusionment, genocide, and the death of utopia.
The centrepiece is a large mixed-media installation of a baptismal font encircled by a circular queue of empty water containers, resembling a living rosary and evoking a perverse litany.
Related: Reimagining history: How is Stephanie Syjuco breathing new life into archives?
Christina Quisumbing Ramilo’s ‘Lived/Loved’ at Calle Wright
Above Christina Quisumbing Ramilo’s ‘Bouquet’. 16 anonymous flower paintings from Japan Surplus
Christina Quisumbing Ramilo’s ‘Bouquet’. 16 anonymous flower paintings from Japan Surplus
1 / 1
Above Christina Quisumbing Ramilo’s ‘You don't die in one day, you die slowly’. Canvas eaten by termites, exposed to the elements for over a year then hand sewn back (Photo: Calle Wright)
Christina Quisumbing Ramilo’s ‘You don't die in one day, you die slowly’. Canvas eaten by termites, exposed to the elements for over a year then hand sewn back (Photo: Calle Wright)
1 / 1
Calle Wright reopens with Lived/Loved by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo. The exhibit features works from her collection that resonate with Calle Wright, a house imbued with lived experiences. This encounter reveals the intimate relationship between objects and the spaces we inhabit.
Lived/Loved runs until January 25.
‘Prisms and Mosaics’ at ManilART‘24
ManilART‘24 returns for its sixteenth year with the theme Prisms and Mosaics, reflecting the vibrant diversity of the Philippine contemporary art scene. This edition combines traditional and modern artistic expressions, featuring highlights like Plugged into Fernalia, curated by Gromyko Semper, exploring the evolving role of creativity in an AI-driven world. Renowned artists like Romulo Galicano and Ramon Orlina showcase their works alongside emerging talents, offering a spectrum of mediums from painting to sculpture.
Expanding beyond the fairgrounds, ManilART’s satellite exhibits, such as the 20th Annual Sculpture Review at Marco Polo Ortigas and Viaje 4: Filipinism in Europe, showcase the global reach of Filipino artistry.
Eugene Jarque’s ‘Arboreal Patterns’ at Avellana Art Gallery
Above All in all, Eugene Jarque’s motivation in producing labour intensive works is a testament to his deep artistic exploration (Photo: Avellana Art Gallery)
All in all, Eugene Jarque’s motivation in producing labour intensive works is a testament to his deep artistic exploration (Photo: Avellana Art Gallery)
1 / 1
Eugene Jarque’s solo exhibition at Avellana Art Gallery draws inspiration from the natural environment around his Cavite studio, translating forest-like scenes into assemblages and prints using industrial materials. These works, characterised by patterns hinting at arboreal and terrestrial settings, reflect the artist’s exploration of nature’s simplicity amidst life’s complexities.
The exhibition features over forty monoprints, produced through a unique gel printing process using local agar. Jarque transforms pieces of metal into printing plates, sometimes attaching them directly to the canvas, turning the print into the artwork itself.
‘Peacocking on a Sunday’ by Tracie Anglo Dizon at Art Verité
Art Verité presents Peacocking on a Sunday, a solo exhibition by Tracie Anglo Dizon that explores the intricate dance between nature and contemporary life. Through a series of thoughtfully crafted works, Dizon blurs the lines between the familiar and the surreal, allowing flora, fauna, and human imagination to intertwine seamlessly.
Peacocking on a Sunday showcases Dizon’s unique perspective, inviting viewers to experience a world where nature and modernity coexist in unexpected harmony. The exhibition runs until October 29.
‘Crossing Rivers: Indigenous Struggles and Cultural Collaborations’ at UP Fine Arts Gallery
The Aurora Artist Residency Program and Space (AARPS) presents Crossing Rivers, an exhibition celebrating the journey of the Dumagat people and the evolution of the Adow ne Domaget (Dumagat Day) Festival since 2018. It showcases cultural collaborations between Dumagat communities in Dingalan, Aurora, and AARPS, highlighting key moments of resilience and adaptation.
Crossing Rivers features collaborations between the Dumagat and resident artists facilitated by AARPS since 2018. These immersive programmes creatively address local issues, with contributions from artists like Cece Carpio, who painted the festival’s backdrop in 2018, Carel Mapanoo, who designed the festival catalogue that year, and Cian Dayrit, who led a counter-mapping workshop on ancestral land rights in 2019. The shadowplay group Karilyo has also engaged with the Dumagat youth in a long-term artist exchange.
Parallel+ and Artemis Art’s ‘East X South-East: Converging Cultural Horizons’
Above Guests at the Arthaland Century Pacific Tower in Taguig
Above Parallel+ and Artemis Art’s ‘East X South-East: Converging Cultural Horizons’
Guests at the Arthaland Century Pacific Tower in Taguig
1 / 2
Artemis Art and Parallel+ presents East X South-East: Converging Cultural Horizons at the Arthaland Century Pacific Tower in Taguig City. It features artists from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines, highlighting the convergence of cultural histories and artistic techniques from East and Southeast Asia.
Participating artists include Junichi Ito, Kan-Zan-Loc, Toshio Iezumi, and Yoichiro Nishimura from Japan, Syahbandi Samat and SC Shekar from Malaysia, and Gil Bien from the Philippines. This exhibition celebrates cultural inclusivity and offers innovative artistic perspectives through various mediums.
Bernard Vista’s ‘Countryside Chronicles’ at Galerie Joaquin BGC
Countryside Chronicles by Bernard Vista captures profound moments of Filipino rural life through oil on canvas, featuring genre paintings of scenes such as farmers harvesting rice, families sharing merienda, and lovers serenading, highlighting the resilience of everyday Filipinos. A scholar of the Saturday Group of Artists under National Artist Cesar Legaspi, Vista’s work draws from local cubism and modernist traditions, reinterpreted with his distinct style.
Countryside Chronicles runs until October 6 at Galerie Joaquin BGC.
‘Liberties Were Taken’ by Cian Dayrit at Project Space Pilipinas
Liberties Were Taken presents a powerful exploration of colonial narratives and systemic oppression through a diverse body of work, including paintings, embroideries, and installations. This exhibition, marking Dayrit’s return after his debut solo show in the US at the Blaffer Art Museum, emphasises themes of land ownership and socio-economic inequality, particularly in works like Usok Aspalto Putik Kemikal and Seeds of Deceit. His satirical pieces, such as Rare Colorized Image of Institutional Assimilation and We Speak English, critique the assimilation of indigenous Filipinos into the American educational system while employing counter-mapping strategies to reclaim narratives.
Dayrit’s work interrogates power dynamics within both society and the art world, culminating in an enduring act of resistance. The exhibition runs until November 8.
‘In Situ, Performance as Exhibition, The Philippine Edition’
Above ‘In Situ, Performance as Exhibition, The Philippine Edition’ is part of an ongoing series that builds on the success of previous site-specific works initiated by Belarmino in Southeast Asia (Photo: CCP)
‘In Situ, Performance as Exhibition, The Philippine Edition’ is part of an ongoing series that builds on the success of previous site-specific works initiated by Belarmino in Southeast Asia (Photo: CCP)
1 / 1
Above This collaborative exhibition invites audiences to actively participate in the evolving conversations between the artists, spaces, and local communities (Photo: CCP)
This collaborative exhibition invites audiences to actively participate in the evolving conversations between the artists, spaces, and local communities (Photo: CCP)
1 / 1
In Situ, Performance as Exhibition, The Philippine Edition brings performance art to the public, using the body as the main medium and setting the stage in both urban and rural environments across the Philippines. This project is organised by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with Belarmino&Partners and supported by the New Carlsberg Foundation and the Danish Arts Foundation.
Curated by international Filipina curator Vanini Belarmino, the exhibition will feature eight works by Danish visual and performance artists Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Molly Haslund, Sophie Dupont, and Filip Vest, along with choreographer Kai Merke. The performances, scheduled from October 15 to 26, will unfold across Metro Manila, Los Baños, and La Union, offering a cross-disciplinary exploration of art in public spaces.
NOW READ
Is ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ a musical? Here are 5 things everyone’s talking about
Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
