Balaan | April 1- 29, 2023 Balaan Roland Llarena April 1- 29, 2023 1/4 View Catalogue Video Press Release In Art We Trust In the 19th century, among the few possessions of the reclusive monks in their respective rooms is a human skull on their bedside tables. Not to serve as paper weight but it is a grim reminder to be holy because you will eventually die. Balaan (holy in Hiligaynon), a solo exhibition of Roland Llarena, seeks to be this gentle reminder as he essays in paper and perforated steel metal sheets the beauty of impermanence by instilling sacredness in people as God is supreme in his holiness. Done in new mixed media Llarena explores creatively his artistic pursuits--as he unravels the virtues leading up to how to be a good man--in these difficult times. Like the moon, a halo is a disk-like or circle of light shown surrounding or above the head of a saint, angels or holy person, A representation on spiritual character through the symbolism of light, it started in Hellenistic and Roman Art, the sun-god Helios and Roman emperors often appear with a crown of rays over their sovereignty To be holy is to follow God’s will and glorify Him. The main piece, Be Ye Holy for I am Holy, involves 50 works on paper pertaining to God who expects us to be holy as He is himself seen in the gold halo. There are two men in this world. One with white halo those who are good. One who have black halo are the bad ones. Using rubber cut Llarena smudges black ink on paper then paints with silver brushstrokes in abstract fashion. For white part, he uses silver paint. The separation of good and evil is glaring even in art production. Being a Christian first before he is an artist, Llarena only reacts to what he sees or feels when he is with his friends or people in his community in Iloilo. Last year as he was exploring materials in a junk shop, he chance upon steel perforated sheets used in air-conditioners. As artists, one grapples new materiality in finding fresh visual language on how to best express one’s ideas in his bespoke aesthetics. Black Halos 1-3 features the world is full of evil as Llarena demonstrates using oil paint as primer and black automotive paint over it. Who is holy? How to be holy? In the Bible holiness appeared 900 times in the Old and New Testament. Black Halo and Gold Halo refers to what the scriptures say, we must repent and ask forgiveness is the initial path back to God. In between good and evil is Stainless Halo 1 and 2 pertain to absence of color and values. Llarena alludes this to manipulative and fake people—those who are good when you meet them but betray you at your back. This is Llarena is most effective as he reflects his materials to the message in his art pieces. In Christian iconography red halos are referred to martyrs, white to virgins and pure people. Green to confessors, purple to penitents, blue to saints. The devil or Jude Iscariot is black. Initially halos were only reserved to Jesus and Mary. Eventually it was used in the apostles and saints after Jesus died In Balaan, art becomes adhoc mementoes for the living that seek to instill in us the values of holiness that we are capable of making this world better than when we found it and when God originally created it. Jay Bautista

Dapo | July 5 - 26, 2025 Dapo Chad Montero July 5 - 26, 2025 1/8 View Catalogue Video Press Release “Dapo” is derived from the common folk belief about the “dapo ng paru-paro.” In this filipino pamahiin, it is thought that when a butterfly alights around or upon you, they are“nagpaparamdam” or “bumibisita.” It is said that they are the spirits of the departed coming to visit the living, fluttering and passing in the in-between to act as messengers from a world beyond our reach. They embody our lost loved ones, dropping in to whisper a blessing or a gentle farewell, to give comfort or bring luck to the ones who are left behind. They flutter and pass. These momentary instances of proximity, faint like the touch of a butterfly and elusively short like the light of fireflies, remind us of the fleetingness of life. We weave through life making numerous connections and relationships, creating beginnings and yet conscious of our eventual partings. While all we can do is to treasure these tenuous ties in the brief interval of our coexistence, as we are then left holding on to the fragments of memories and the accumulation of stories. It is in this course that Chad Montero portrays chronicles of loss and remembrance, with the deep acceptance that nothing is permanent, everything is just temporary. He hordes the memories and the stories inspired by his background and family history. He paints from his observations about the happenings that surround him, most relevantly, the recent deaths and losses his family has had to endure together. And yet, despite the aches, he still finds a transcending enchantment in the evidence of our mortality. Through his works, he looks back and reminisces while depicting these ephemeral contacts that occasionally manifests to remind us of the stories that remain eternal. He uses imageries based from the typical family portraits, which he then interspersed with vague figures, faceless or hidden behind shrouds. Their essence is clearly intertwined in the dynamics of the assembled characters, deeply felt but also barely there. These vacant presences appear like spiritual portals to another realm or like mystical echoes from a time long gone. He covers the images with delicate patterns and texture that appear brittle to the touch, wrapping them with vibrant colors and splintered flecks of light. Dense foliage creep at the background, engulfing some figures and dominating the picture plane. And at the base of the paintings are crude apothecaries in reference to the healing traditions of his mother and grandmother. Through these whimsical interpretations, he seeks guidance from the past and finds patterns in the fabric of our reality, exposing a hint of magic in his perceptions about life and the ordinary. In this exhibit, Montero becomes an ardent storyteller who recollects the inherited narratives and the forgone memories that has been passed down through generations, tales that carry folk traditions and mythical beliefs that are slowly declining, forgotten and overshadowed by our mortal concerns. He keeps the remnants by marking and stamping in canvas and re-drawing the fading connections to our ancestry and our shared history. Arvi Fetalvero

Kapirasong Paraiso | April 6 - 27, 2024 Kapirasong Paraiso JC Sicam April 6 - 27, 2024 DSC06317.JPG DSC06321.JPG DSC06302.JPG DSC06317.JPG 1/3 View Catalogue Video Press Release Kapirasong Paraiso Searching for signs and signposts in his pursuit of a promised paradise, JC Sicam delves into the realms of Faith and fate seeking illumination from the sacred to the profane in his latest solo exhibition entitled Kapirasong Paraiso. Through contrasting pieces like "Bukas (Open) and Sanktwaryo (Sanctuary), Sicam navigates his differing encounters with the divine. Subtle hues temper the wild-eyed (self ) portrait of a Krusado (member of a homegrown sect) exploring various religious practices in Bukas. In contrast, delicately rendered in charcoal on Bible pages mounted on canvas, Sanktwaryo, depicts the peaceful solace of a half-naked angel with broken wings praying in a run-down toilet - Sicam’s preferred place of worship. The artist exposes his tender spot in the family portrait Angkas (Ride) where Sicam depicts himself as a carabao bearing the weight of his loved ones. Flanking him are his wife and daughter, symbolically represented by a pair of winged legs as guardian angels. At the center is a window-like opening exposing his rib cage, from which emerge tiny fists holding onto the bright red ribs, which the artist reveals is his blind son Emman, the heart of the family pumping life through the artist’s veins, and also where it hurts the most. Libang (Leisure) tells the story of father and son through two pieces of a broken swing. The top piece, drawn in charcoal over Bible pages mounted on canvas, suggests an arched window or a mirror with a bald figure peering at his erased reflection. Below it, untethered, is a mold-covered swing symbolizing the lost leisure and lightheartedness of youth. For Sicam and his son, the time of innocence was cut short, its golden aura dimmed by the child’s impaired vision. Mourning his and his son’s inability to enjoy carefree play, the artist turn to the scriptures to give him perspective. In rural communities, land binds and land divides families. The title piece, Kapirasong Paraiso, is a bird-like sculpture made of terracotta and found objects embodying the artist-farmer's struggle for ownership amidst contested land. For wings, he attached rusty spades with ends blunted by the impenetrable piece of metal base to narrate the futility of cultivating something you can’t own. Inside a hollow torso shaped like a cage, his heart hangs with thorns sprouting from it. “Sama ng loob (bitterness) can eat up a man from inside”, the artist confesses. Attached below the heart is a shackle, dangling like the pendulum of a cuckoo clock. The figure looks up at an incoming flock of migrating birds made of sickles as if asking, “Bakit nandito pa rin ako? (Why am I still here?)” Through his signature bittersweet lens, Sicam’s exhibit ponders the pursuit of paradise - a relentless struggle or a resigned acceptance? Is it something we have to look for or is it something we have overlooked? And is “kapiraso” (a mere fragment) enough? Alee Garibay

Pitik Pitik | May 9 - 30, 2026 Pitik Pitik Abril Dominic Valdemoro May 9 - 30, 2026 DSC01623.JPG 1/3 View Catalogue Video Press Release Daily Deities In Masbate City, where sculptor Abril Dominic Valdemoro grew up, construction workers moved through neighborhoods like anonymous engineers of survival, arriving for work with improvised tools, patched equipment, and a knowledge of structure carried almost entirely by the body. As a child, Valdemoro watched them with fascination as not only humble laborers, but as friends, idols, and builders of worlds. Pitik-Pitik marks the artist’s return to sculpture two years after he last showed sculptural pieces in Damgo, and after being Grand Awardee in the sculpture category at the 2023 MADE (Metrobank Art and Design Excellence) competition. This exhibition may also be considered a continuation of his first solo, Kuridas, where he paid tribute to laborers, farmers, and fishermen, reaffirming the material and social terrain that has long shaped his practice. Working with the hardy and weather-proof marine epoxy, G.I. wire, patching compound, acrylic paint, and found or salvaged construction tools and materials, Valdemoro creates elongated figures modeled after local persona, with hand-worked surfaces bearing markings from the artist's fingers, assembled from the same economy of invention that defines provincial construction culture itself. Pitik-pitik in construction refers to the string marker attached to the plumb or hulog, a simple tool used to establish the straightness of walls and vertical alignment. But pitik-pitik also evokes irregularity, piecemeal labor, unstable arrangements, and makeshift survival. In many settings, construction work rarely offers permanence. There are no long-term contracts, only projects. One day there is work, the next day there is none. Labor happens in fragments, depending on daily necessity. The workers in Valdemoro’s sculptures embody this condition: exhausted yet impossibly upright. Yet there is humor, still, through titles that tickle the mind. Bender Benta for the wiring expert who can also sell stolen kilos of the material in times of dire need, Masonurin with his handy trowel for smooth wall finishes, Hulog Hulogan with steady hands, his reliable plumb, and installment plans, Lebelador Mayor whose wingspan maximizes a clear neon hose for that horizontal leveling bubble using either water or cola, Boteroy, the runner who apprentices with master carpenters, to Tay Batong Pinagpala, an actual elder worker whose shoveling is next to blessedness. They possess the comic rhythm of street nicknames and jobsite banter, Valdemoro understanding that humor is a coping mechanism and sometimes resistance against fatigue. His figures rise beyond three feet, while the central work reaches nearly seven feet atop its pedestal. Installed this way, they recall the devotional santos that Valdemoro worked on earlier in his career. Like saints carried during processions, these laborers are given their well-deserved spotlight, and with Pormanda Pormando standing tall and elevated above eye level like a boss, transformed into icons of everyday endurance. Yet unlike traditional santos representing heavenly miracles, Valdemoro’s figures perform earthly ones: they raise walls, repair homes, carry hollow blocks, align structures, and improvise entire systems of support from limited means. They are daily deities of infrastructure. By refusing to romanticize poverty and insisting on reverence, Valdemoro does not flatten construction workers into symbols of suffering. These are highly skilled individuals capable of reading balance, weight, measurement, and spatial harmony with astonishing precision using only basic handmade tools. Their knowledge is tactile and embodied. Pitik-Pitik is a tribute not only to construction workers in Masbate, but to an entire sector whose contributions are visible everywhere yet acknowledged nowhere. Roads, structures, and cities rise because of them, yet their labor remains temporary, unstable, and invisible once the structure is complete. Valdemoro reverses that invisibility as he places them on pedestals, granting them a presence historically reserved for saints, heroes, and rulers. And perhaps that is Pitik-Pitik’s sharpest indictment: that nation-building has always rested on the backs of people whose names history cannot be bothered to remember, whose skilled and calloused hands keep the country from collapsing even as news of millions-filled maletas and corruption seeps through every stratum of society like rot through a hollow structure. Kaye O’Yek

Another Dish on the Table Reynold Dela Cruz August 2 - 30, 2025 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 In this exhibition, Reynold De la Cruz dives into an in-depth study of the life and mind of Leonardo Da Vinci. In essence, Da Vinci was a rebel. Though not in the loud, political sense, his rebellion was one that constantly pushed the boundaries of the customary and what was accepted or even allowed in his time. Fundamentally, this is similar to how Dela Cruz vandalizes existing historical aesthetics, because graffiti and vandalism themselves are simply powerful tools of rebellion that have continuously challenged authority across the ages. Dela Cruz subverts convention by incorporating cartoon images and pop culture symbols into an otherwise traditional, realistic painting. If we think about it, Da Vinci, despite his work being canonized within the classical tradition of academic aesthetics and Renaissance idealism, there is still a strong aspect of his work that deviates from its own period. Due to his mastery of science and the human anatomy (among many other things), he was able to create a certain type of psychological realism when painting images. Psychological, in the sense that his work was able to create narratives that expressed inner conflict and tension, as specifically seen in the famous Mona Lisa painting, a smile that we just can’t simply put together; is it a quiet, withheld smile? Is it a smile that suggests a secret subtly being given away by the eyes? Leonardo didn’t just paint faces; he painted emotion and plunged his audience into a psychological state of being. In a way, he was a rebel of the very period he represents; in an era where the most revered artists paint saints and divine figures with halos and golden auras of light, Da Vinci rendered them as something closer to humans: beautifully fragile and almost with a sense of dark, brooding mystery. The main opus for this exhibition is a colossal 8 x 25 feet modern rendition of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. In this painting, Dela Cruz creates a sprawling tableau of images that operate on the aesthetics of excess, a method that simply mimics the deliberate act of cultural layering that we, as Filipinos, have traditionally embraced since time immemorial. What might be seen elsewhere as overcrowding, we interpret as a celebration of abundance. In the center of the painting lies a lechon, the essential heart of every Filipino celebration and from Christ’s head, a prismatic halo bursts forth, which coupled with Dela Cruz’s signature bursts of visual explosions becomes an inviting image of a feast, much like how a The Last Supper painting is almost always essentially displayed on the wall of every pinoy dining area. Catholics or not, it stops becoming a religious motif and instead becomes a psycho socio-cultural one. Reynold proceeds to exaggerate this idea and layers it with icons of commercial consumption, historical imageries and specters of war, an act that blurs the time and period of the painting. It becomes a temporal device and a reminder of how history is often cursed to repeat itself. Perhaps it’s that Filipino impulse to fill empty spaces with stories, symbolisms, and festive noise. The culture of fiesta is a refusal of emptiness, and as seen in the painting, a clash of Catholic iconography, pop ephemera, and graffiti-inspired images are depicted to wreak discord and havoc on an otherwise quiet rendition of a solemn dinner with Christ’s apostles.One may ask, where does all this energy come from? Perhaps it's the centuries of colonial rule that the Filipino people have endured in which we were trained to be quiet and docile, not just in the face of our colonial masters but even in the confines of our own homes. But in the streets, and in the face of freedom, all that repressed energy becomes color and voice. Loudness then becomes a response to reclaiming space that is rightfully ours. Because when your history is often silenced, loudness becomes a form of remembering and resistance, much like the historic Cry of Pugad Lawin, where a fed-up Andres Bonifacio and his fellow Katipuneros ripped their cedulas in an act of explosive declaration from three centuries of oppressive Spanish rule. In this context, Dela Cruz’s visual loudness becomes an uproar that refuses silence. It declares presence. In a world that often asks Filipino culture to be quiet, refined, or obedient through Western eyes, this work shouts back, showing how Filipinos, despite being the most hospitable of people, are also the most loving, fiery and brave. Perhaps this is where Dela Cruz’s enduring fascination with Da Vinci stems from; aside from his savant like skill in painting, he was simply a rebel who humanized the sacred. Like how graffiti shatters the sacredness of the very structure it vandalizes, Dela Cruz confronts with his work what society considers sacred—whether it's high art, cultural nostalgia, or simply a beautiful face. When explosions of comic book sound effects burst from traditional Renaissance imagery, the result is not merely a parody; it’s a violent collision of eras and generational ideologies in which beauty is curated through its power to survive. '- Dave Lock 1/1

SHELTER FROM THE STORM | June 18, 2022 - July 9, 2022 SHELTER FROM THE STORM JANICE LIUSON - YOUNG June 18, 2022 - July 9, 2022 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release Shelter from the Storm Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born Come in, she said, I'll give ya shelter from the storm - Bob Dylan Most of the paintings in this series were done during the Covid lockdowns of the past two years. A few were finished during the aftermath of the elections of 2022. Stylistically, these paintings expand the boundaries of Janice Liuson-Young’s own abstract expressionist approaches. There are a number of technique changes from her previous offerings, including the use of new paints and materials. The artist’s colors and lines are bolder and more fluid, achieving a deceptively effortless balance of purpose and spontaneity. Still, the works continue to be marked by the dazzling artistry that has characterized many of Liuson-Young’s past works. But thematically, the paintings reflect the uncertainty of the times, and of ongoing and unresolved danger. All of them were done during a time of being in the midst of “storms”, as it were, where everything feels out of control, and fear and frustration dominates the horizon. Yet these paintings are also explorations of something even more persistent and powerful than storms. Asked to explain the inspiration for her new works, Liuson-Young recalls: “I looked out my studio window one day during the lockdown as evening fell, wondering what was happening to our country and the world. And as I looked I suddenly became aware that I was gazing at a scene of melancholic beauty. “Yes, there was much sadness and suffering there, but at the same time it was still beautiful. What’s more, it was something that the growing darkness could only enhance, but not destroy. “That realization gave me peace, and inspiration for the new works.” Liuson-Young’s works are not just fascinating paintings that stake new artistic ground. More importantly, they are shelters of hope against the raging storm, built upon the artist’s bedrock of faith. - Atty Frederick Young Janice Liuson-Young Janice Liuson-Young is conversant in both figurative and abstract languages, working in oil, acrylic, and multi-media. Her choice of subjects ranges from slices of daily life to elements in nature, from people’s faces to people in action, from still lifes to dreamscapes. For her show, “Shelter from the Storm,” the artist showcases her commitment to the abstract ethos with her swirling, dynamic works characterized by fan-like, fluted shapes, dramatic textures and layers, and thoughtful compositions. Stylistically, the paintings expand the boundaries of Liuson-Young’s own abstract expressionist approach. Employing new paints and materials, the artist experiments with bolder and more fluid lines and colors, achieving an effortless balance between purpose and spontaneity. The show’s theme delves into and reflects the uncertainty of the times, and of ongoing and unresolved danger. Accomplished in the midst of “storms,” these paintings explore something even more persistent and powerful than the devastations. Aside from being a visual artist, Liuson-Young takes pride in being an arts educator. She was the class valedictorian when she finished her degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, major in Visual Communications (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1986. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean of FEATI School of Fine Arts. She has held countless solo and group exhibitions here and abroad. “Shelter from the Storm” is her first solo exhibition for Art Cube.

Paradiso Inferno | January 13, 2024 - February 3, 2024 Paradiso Inferno Arturo Sanchez Jr., August Lyle Espino, Dexter Sy, Don Dalmacio, Hamilton Sulit, Jon Daniega, Lec Cruz, Renz Baluyot, Rodel Jacintos, Romeo Lee, Roxanne Ricohermoso, Victoria Fabella January 13, 2024 - February 3, 2024 1/8 View Catalogue Video Press Release Jason Montinola: Curating the Dichotomy of Paradise and Hell Jason Montinola brings a unique perspective to the exhibition space through his exploration of the themes of Paradise and Hell. His background, deeply rooted in a rich tapestry of literary influences and personal spiritual experiences informs his approach in the curation of the works in this show. Just like the ancient Roman poet Virgil, Beatrice, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who served as guides to Dante Alighieri in his epic poem Divina Commedia, Montinola invites us to journey with him to explore the realms that we have considered perfect and monstrous with the same adoring eye. Paradise: Curating Utopian Visions Montinola chose pieces that best represent our deep and inner longing for peace and perfection. The Paradise that we know and comprehend is but an imperfect vision of the true and ideal Paradise and what if Paradise if not being with God who is perfect and good? This can be seen in the works of Dalmacio, Baluyot, Fabella, Deniega, Ricohermoso, and Espino visualizing beauty, fulfillment, and tranquility into tangible structures and form. Hell: A state of eternal struggle. In Montinola’s exploration of Hell, he delves into the darker, more complex aspects of human nature. What are the moral dilemmas, inner conflicts, and demons that we struggle with? Cruz, Jacintos, Sulit, Lee, Sanchez, and Sy bring these struggles to life. They serve as a warning to the unrepentant of the inescapable presence of God but with with his face turned against them forever. Paradise + Hell is Montinola’s narrative journey traversing the spectrum of human experience, from the heights of utopia to the depths of moral despair. It is an invitation for reflection to willfully recognize and reject Paradise and Hell as markers of our souls journey toward God. RG Gabunada

Your Mouth Has A Mind Of Its Own Lindslee June 8 - 29, 2024 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 "Your Mouth has a Mind of Its Own" is an exhibition that explores the intricate layers of Filipino mentality, ideology, belief, culture, and tradition. Through this body of work, I aim to reveal the pervasive influence of superstitious beliefs and religion on the collective psyche. My intention is to illustrate how these elements often precede rational thought, leading to instinctual, sometimes detrimental, responses. At the heart of this exhibition is a series of sculptures and mixed media pieces that delve into typical Filipino beliefs. The first piece, "Tulak ng Dibdib, Kabig ng Bibig," features a human figure—a gaunt alcoholic man adorned with religious tattoos. Perched on his head is a taxidermy bird, symbolizing misguided strength and ego. Created with polyresin, textile, and oil paint, this work embodies the notion that superstitions can dominate and control one’s mindset and beliefs. Another work in a 3D representation of a janitor fish titled "Mahuhuli Ka Sa Bibig." Molded and cast in resin, the fish swims in a substance resembling mud, juxtaposing the traditional koi fish paintings believed to bring luck and prosperity against the reality of polluted Philippine lakes where only janitor fish thrive. This artwork highlights the disparity between expectations and reality. Additionally, the exhibition features a religious piece titled "Nasa Dyos Ang Gawa," portraying an ostensibly invisible figure of Jesus on the cross, covered in bird droppings with 2 taxidermy sparrows perched on top. The figure, cast in water-soluble materials and later dissolved to appear invisible, is symbolized by the resin bird droppings that define its presence. This piece critiques the belief that faith alone can save believers from a dystopian reality. Another piece, "Art for the Sick," presents an upscale version of the SkyFlakes biscuit, a food associated with recovery from ailments like alcohol hangover, food poisoning or diabetes. This work comments on the consumption of art as a means of feeling better about oneself, reflecting on art’s role in personal and societal healing. The remaining works in the exhibition are three-dimensional acrylic paintings on canvas, appearing as hyper-realistic sculptures. These pieces depict food items such as a cake, "Maligayang Araw," an over-prepared spaghetti in a tub, "Ubos Ubos Biyaya," and an empty plate eaten off by a starving man, "Anong Ulam?" They employ unconventional painting techniques to achieve a sculptural effect, representing the Filipino culture of celebration—emphasizing visual abundance despite limited resources, as people prepare excessive food to please their guests. Through "Your Mouth has a Mind of Its Own," I invite viewers to reflect on the impact of deeply ingrained beliefs and to question the instinctual responses shaped by superstition and religion. This exhibition calls for confronting the disparity between appearance and reality, urging a deeper understanding of the cultural forces at play. '-Lindslee 1/1

Figures of Speech: Contemporary Art in the Philippines Don Bryan Bunag, Cedrick Dela Paz, Manny Garibay, Winna Go, Guerrero Habulan, Ryan Jara October 24 - 27, 2025 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 For Art Taipei 2025, Art Cube is presenting “Figures of Speech: Contemporary Art from the Philippines,” a focused exhibition of six artists who represent the breadth of representational practice in the country today: Don Bryan Bunag, Cedrick Dela Paz, Emmanuel “Manny” Garibay, Winna Go, Guerrero Habulan, and Ryan Jara. Each of these artists engages figuration as a means to address urgent questions of identity, politics, culture, and everyday life. Don Bryan Bunag’s work examines the architecture of the imagination, mapping out inner landscapes that verge on the spiritual. Cedrick Dela Paz turns a sharp eye on corruption in public life, deploying the crocodile as a recurring image for predatory power and how it has been normalized in society. Emmanuel Garibay, one of the country’s most recognized painters, investigates how the diverse lives of Filipinos contribute to the shaping of national identity, emphasizing the collective nature of belonging. Winna Go explores the space between Chinese and Filipino heritage, not as a site of conflict but of coexistence, creating compositions where dualities meet in balanced order. Guerrero Habulan situates his work within the ongoing negotiations of the post-colonial condition, where outside forces continue to shape local realities and struggles. Ryan Jara, meanwhile, adopts a Cubist approach to depict everyday Filipino life, refracting ordinary moments into multifaceted forms that underscore the richness and complexity of human experience. Taken together, these six artists offer a multi-dimensional view of Philippine contemporary art. Their works illustrate how representation remains a powerful vehicle for reflection—on inner worlds, on social realities, and on the shared conditions that define a people in the present day. '-Carlomar Arcangel Daoana 1/1

Eve Tony Mercado July 6 - August 3, 2024 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Emerging From the Depths In Tony Mercado’s Eve, the artist explores life's beginnings and the nurturing forces that deliver us from the depths of existence. He depicts women in various states of emergence, their reflections shimmering and seemingly imparting obscure wisdom. Mercado’s canvases are awash with muted hues that evoke the fluidity of water, the quintessential element of life. Water has the qualities of both comfort and unpredictability, representing both the womb and the mirror. Life originates in water, and life is maintained and rejuvenated by it. Thus, the artist channels this energy of rebirth, making visible the protective embrace of the feminine spirit as encapsulated in each brushstroke that depicts the moment of resurfacing—a delicate balance between submersion and ascent. Women are painted with precision and gentility. Calm demeanors pervade though their faces are immersed in water, which shows how the mellifluous medium both bolsters and tests them. These figures are not just rising but awakening, embodying the resilience and nurturing strength inherent in all beginnings. Instead of drowning, they face their predicament with poise and grace. Their wavy reflections emphasize the ongoing dialogue between their past selves and the emerging present, creating a moving transformation narrative. Mercado invites us to witness the intimate moments of resurrection and self-discovery, cleverly providing witty twists to his imagery. One of his women faces away, breaking the collection’s pattern of confronting the viewer directly or else giving a wary side-eye. In another piece, he turns the landscape upside down, reinforcing the dreamlike settings he builds for his muses. These paintings transcend simple realism, enabling each observer to make personal reciprocities with the flowing lines and glistening reflections. Though the warmth and care portrayed in these pieces are evident, they also allow for individual interpretation, inspiring viewers to fully engage in the pieces as they reflect on their own contemplative journeys. As Mercado’s Eve offers a palpable manifestation of reassurance enfolding, the artist reminds us of the nurturing forces that guide us from the depths and lift us. As he lets his women rise through the surface, focused feminine energy guides us through the ebb and flow, the artist's adulation fueling the way his portrayals cast ripples that embed themselves in our consciousness. Kaye O’Yek 1/1

Dambana Emmanuel Garibay February 21 - 23, 2025 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 A Critical Reflection on Belief, Power, and Memory In Dambana, the sacred becomes a prism through which we examine the most defining structures of human life—its rituals, its symbols, and the narratives that sustain it. The term dambana refers to an altar or shrine, a physical and symbolic space where reverence, memory, and devotion converge. For Filipinos, it is a repository of cultural identity and collective memory, embodying the tension between continuity and rupture that defines the sacred in human experience. The exhibit probes the concept of the sacred as both a cultural artifact and a socio- political mechanism, compelling us to reflect on what we revere, why we revere it, and what such reverence demands of us. The imagery refuses to be confined by static representations, instead, it portrays symbols of devotion as living, breathing constructs—always entwined with systems of power, always subject to negotiation and reinterpretation. Figures like Homer and Tolkien, whose epics and myths have shaped western cultural consciousness, stand alongside Musk and Zuckerberg, contemporary purveyors of technology-driven ideologies. These figures serve as creators of modern dambana, crafting narratives that condition human behavior under the guise of progress. Their works and innovations, celebrated as milestones, subtly reinforce the power structures that limit human agency and deepen social inequalities. Within this tension between the past and the present, the artist foregrounds a potent and often neglected force: memory. As he observes, memory is a latent reservoir of power, a source of both individual and collective renewal. And yet, memory, when erased or suppressed, becomes a tool for domination. We are reminded that colonization, severed the Filipino people from their indigenous stories, replacing them with alien gods, alien names, and alien histories. This violent displacement left a void in cultural imagination, leaving a society adrift in fragments. But in the fractures of this erasure lies hope—the possibility of reclaiming lost narratives and recovering the creativity that springs from rootedness in one’s own history. Nowhere is this duality of oppression and liberation more evident than in the role of institutional religion. For centuries, organized faith has wielded immense influence over Filipino lives, often as an instrument of colonial domination. Yet, faith has also been a source of empowerment, particularly through movements like liberation theology, which realign religion with the struggles of the marginalized. This duality prompts reflection: how might faith be disentangled from its complicity with power and reimagined as a force for human flourishing? At the heart of this exploration is the figure of José Rizal. Revered as a national hero, Rizal’s Europeanized image exemplifies a colonial legacy that values Filipino identity only insofar as it mirrors Western ideals. Garibay, however, challenges this idolization, suggesting that Rizal must be reimagined—not as a static monument to colonial subjugation but as a model for critical engagement with identity and history. This reframing asks us to consider what it means to be inspired by Rizal rather than confined by his representation. In the end, the exhibit is a call to action—a demand that we confront the fractures of our identity, the commodification of culture, and the apathy that permeates our collective consciousness. This is not an invitation to nostalgia but to renewal, to a rediscovery of the sacred as something alive and dynamic, capable of inspiring resistance against the forces that seek to diminish human dignity. Through its profound reflections and urgent critiques, this exhibition transforms the dambana from a site of unquestioned devotioninto a space of possibility, dialogue, and hope. The question it leaves us with is not only what we honor as sacred but also how those choices shape the stories we tell about ourselves. In the act of choosing, the works insists, lies the power to reclaim our agency and reimagine the world. '- CG 1/1

Alive Inside Mark Andy Garcia June 8 - 29, 204 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 In his latest exhibition, Alive Inside, Mark Andy Garcia invites viewers to explore the resonance between the external world and internal states of being. This series of six paintings, each measuring 4 by 4 feet, encapsulates the essence of human emotions and psychological rhythms as mirrored by the natural environment. Garcia’s choice of title, Alive Inside, reflects his intention to bridge the gap between the viewer’s internal experiences and the external world’s cyclical and ever-changing nature. Garcia’s work consistently reveals a profound connection with nature, using it as a medium to express deeper emotional and psychological states. The title Alive Inside suggests a journey inward, where the external landscapes and weathers become metaphors for internal experiences. This collection captures the subtle yet powerful ways in which natural elements can evoke a sense of equilibrium and emotional clarity. The cyclical patterns of nature are echoed in the artist’s brushstrokes, creating a visual symphony that resonates with the rhythms of the heart and mind. Each painting in this series emanates a sense of uplift, drawing viewers into a harmonious blend of light, space, and weather. Garcia’s ability to capture the ethereal quality of natural light and its impact on the landscape is unparalleled. Whether portraying a serene, cloudless day or a mystical night sky, his paintings exude a sense of peace and security. This tranquility is further enhanced by his use of subdued textures and impasto, suggesting a deep connection with the natural world. One of the most striking features of Garcia’s work is the presence of spherical daubs of paint on the canvas. These elements imbue the paintings with a dreamy, almost otherworldly quality, inviting viewers to lose themselves in the gentle curves and soft edges of these forms. These daubs act as focal points, guiding the viewer’s eye across the canvas and enhancing the sense of depth and dimensionality in the work. Garcia’s mastery of light and space is evident in his portrayal of natural phenomena. His ability to convey the subtleties of weather and landscape transforms each painting into a vivid encounter with life itself. By focusing on these elements, Garcia encourages viewers to experience the world more intensely, fostering a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural environment. Only then can one say that they are profoundly “alive inside.” '-Carlomar Arcangel Daoana 1/1