Where the Land Becomes Stills Jep Dizon January 10, 2026 - February 7, 2026 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 Where the Land Becomes Still, one of the two exhibitions opening 2026 for Art Cube, Jep Dizon offers his latest exploration of landscape painting—one that resists the genre’s habitual calm and instead presses it into unfamiliar territory. What he terms “hybrid landscape art” unfolds through the careful interweaving of landscape with other painterly traditions, notably still life and portraiture, allowing scenes to hover between place, presence, and objecthood. Rendered in vivid color and sharpened by stark detail, Dizon’s tableaus resemble carefully staged moments from a surreal film. Light appears unusually lucid, air almost tactile, as if each scene has been paused at the precise instant before something shifts. Yet these images do not resolve into a single narrative. Their power lies in suspension: figures and objects coexist without fully explaining themselves, producing a quiet tension that lingers. A man swaddled in yellow cloth, a flower enclosed within a fishbowl, a bubble trapping the image of a dilapidated shed—such elements generate a visual dissonance that feels dreamlike yet alert. One moves through these works as through a dream punctured by moments of clarity, where recognition is immediate but meaning remains unsettled. This deliberate estrangement is central to the artist’s intent. By disrupting familiar associations, the images work to refresh perception itself, loosening the grip of visual habits that have grown tired or predictable. Reality, for Dizon, behaves less like a fixed structure than a fabric—porous, malleable, and susceptible to change. In the still-life works, statues appear to glitch or waver, suggesting that even what seems solid and known is subject to fluctuation. Painting becomes, in this sense, a site of encounter rather than escape. As the artist notes, “the work asks us to reflect on what stands before us and to allow it to teach what it must, whether emerging from order or chaos.” Though the images feel suspended between worlds, Dizon insists that the aim is not withdrawal from reality but the resolve to face it directly and let it pass through the body and mind. In his words, “storms arrive not as punishment, but as a means of clearing the path.” Within Where the Land Becomes Still, stillness itself is not an end point—it is a charged pause, where perception resets and the ground beneath vision subtly shifts. '-Carlomar Arcangel Daoana 1/1

The Grey Area | December 03 - December 27, 2022 The Grey Area Ben Albino December 03 - December 27, 2022 1/7 View Catalogue Video Press Release The Grey Area People tend to want simple, rigid, black-and-white rules to run their life and others’ lives. We gravitate towards simple explanations and are prepared to disregard a great deal of information. Nearly nothing in this world is truly black and white. This applies to politics, ethics, religion, and anything people could have a debate about. In this increasingly complex world, people often attempt to simplify issues by claiming that there is one right decision and one wrong one, but it is very rarely this simple. It’s a visible phenomenon in politics where people want everything on their side to be regarded as good and everything on the opposing side as bad. Some feel so strongly about their opinion that they forget what it is: an opinion, shaped by their specific life experiences. The difference between fact and opinion seems obvious, but many people appear to forget that these aren't synonymous when talking about controversial issues that involve a bigger audience. One’s personal views are not necessarily the correct views. No matter where one goes or what one says, there are people who will disagree with what one believes in. All of these different "belief gradients," if you will, are what makes this world so interesting. They're part of what makes humans so diverse, and they also open our minds to more unique perspectives that may not have been considered before. Our opinions should not be restricted to society's clearly defined boxes. We, as humans, should explore the infinite number of shades of grey in between all of the black and white. -Ben Albino Ben Albino (b.1991) Ben Albino is a Filipino artist from Pangasinan, Philippines. He is known for his surrealist representation of images that reflect on history, culture, and current social issues. He fills his canvas with symbolisms and characters that create a dream-like spectacle. Albino undergoes several Residency programs such as Tuklas Mentoring, Agos.studio Mentoring, Canvas Gallery Residency, Linangan Residency, and Eskinita Art farm. He also joined several art competitions in the Philippines, one of which was the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence where he placed as a semi-finalist for several years from 2014 to 2022. For his upcoming exhibit- "The Grey Area". Albino explains that people tend to gravitate towards rigid, Black-and-white experiences but for him, nearly nothing in this world is truly black and white. Our opinions should not be restricted to society's clearly defined boxes and we should explore the infinite shades of grey in between black and white.

Praxis Lucis | November 8 - 29, 2025 Praxis Lucis Alee Garibay & Delmo November 8 - 29, 2025 1/5 View Catalogue Video Press Release LUMINOSITY AS IT IS Light, for painters Alee Garibay and Michael Delmo, is the essence of painting. Through light, the world comes into being as lines, colors, and shapes find their form. The art of painting rests on a simple truth: we see and paint what we see because there is light. Yet before the canvas, in quiet dialogue with their practice, they come to understand that painting is not only a way of looking at the world but also a turning inward, a way of meeting the self with greater clarity. Light then becomes a mirror, reflecting and unveiling what moves within even as it reveals what lies beyond the self. From this, both artists recognize painting as a vital part of their lives. It is through this shared understanding that Praxis Lucis, Latin for “light practice” or “practice in light,” emerges. Born from their journey into painting as a way of seeing and being, this collection becomes a meditation on how light shapes both vision and reality. Within its glow, they wander and wonder, as painting becomes a way of giving light to the quiet, unseen mysteries of life. For Garibay, who recently gave birth to her third child, the studio becomes less a place for pronouncement and more a space for renewal. She does not aim to declare her ideas through her image-making; rather, she paints as a way of reclaiming and reimagining life amid new configurations, grounding her practice in painting as a means of understanding the nature of shifting realities. Her time in the studio is not only an exercise in balancing her many responsibilities, but also her introspective engagement with certain essentials. This is evident in her exploration of narrative and her ability to encapsulate the depth of meaning through singular subjects. Having long gravitated toward religious imagery, Garibay continues to explore the many faces of spirit, at times evoking the presence of the Divine Mother or the Divine Feminine. Yet in this exhibition, her images take a step back, giving way to her materials and her painting process. Through her signature use of translucent coatings, she creates layered images that haunt the eyes and exude an ephemeral quality. Her glazing turns color into a meditation on light, how it is absorbed or at times, softened. In this play of transparencies, she captures the subtle consistencies of luminosity, revealing the delicate thresholds between seeing and sensing. The resulting surfaces shimmer between presence and disappearance, suggesting the fluidity of forms through time. Thus, the act of painting becomes both timeless and boundless, a practice that conjures illusion while affirming an objective reality beyond the surface. Her compositions, organic and effortless, unfold through gestural movements and scribbled graphemes – traces of thought and touch that lend her forms their silent solidity. As a father of three, Delmo draws inspiration from his sons. Borrowing the sword, the staff and the bag as recurring motifs, objects that hold many layers of meaning, his works capture the spirit of adventure and a heroic sense of journey. His imagery, long rooted in the tension between the spiritual and the primal, continues to explore the delicate balance that leads toward harmony. He locates identity in the space between these opposing forces, where the rawness of instinct meets the encompassing search for the divine, giving form to the ever-evolving shape of humanness. His works also point toward a sense of determination, allowing meaning to emerge within his compositions through the careful arrangement of elements. In his practice, he shares that method is his way of understanding things deeply, and he shares this in his works through the puzzle of decoding meaningfulness in a childlike manner. Beyond his many identities as a father, son, and husband, he is also an artist, a word that carries the weight of significance. For him, art exists within time and artists occupy a distinct role in it. In his works, we see figures of men with closed eyes, suggesting an inward vision and contemplation that is guided by purpose. For Praxis Lucis, both Garibay and Delmo do not seek to engage in the endless redefining of the contemporary. Instead, they root themselves in the humble rhythms of family life, a shared work that is both basic, foundational and sacred. It is within this communal space that they build and sustain relationships, guided by the core of their values, their sense of responsibility, and the daily practice of tending to the greatest project they share that is their home. A household, maintained through care and attention, also sustains the luminosity of their practice as it is. They remind us through this exhibition that, “The wild geese do not intend to cast their reflection; The water has no mind to retain their image.” Janine Dimaranan

Threading Through Time Winna Go May 6-27, 2023 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 Threading Through Time In her first solo exhibition, Threading Through Time, Winna Go contemplates how the locus of identity is shaped by the variables of the past and the present—at times harmonious and conflicting—especially at this juncture of history in which the world is idealized as a global community. The artist looks back at her Chinese ancestry and its powerful pull on her imagination and private life, expressed through an astounding suite of large-scale works featuring traditional Chinese robes as well as an installation of soft sculptures and archival materials. In her paintings, Go carefully renders the iconography of some of the most enduring symbols of Middle Earth: from the exquisite chrysanthemums to the mythical dragon to the chimerical creature, Qilin. The attention to detail is exact, even obsessive: a desire for figurative fidelity, with no distortion to how these symbols appear and what they represent. However, at the bottom of the robes, starting at the hem, the cloth starts to unravel and deteriorate. What initially seem to be museum-worthy robes are presented to be in a state of slow ruin, no longer the untarnished silk of their former lives. For Go, such is the state of affairs in contemporary times, in which heterogeneity appears to be the desired outcome.. Not one culture is autonomous and monolithic; influences flow in and out of the great channels of commerce and the social media; we are, all of us, are signifiers of multiple and varied ideological strands. Even the symbolism of the images Go has depicted on her robes has mutated through centuries. The mighty dragon, for instance, revered for its awesome and powerful import is now casually seen as an auspicious symbol, a bringer of good luck. Fixity is fallacy. This feeling of deterioration is extended and made tactile by the soft sculpture that occupies a corner of the gallery: a warren of meticulously cut pieces of paper. To enter this shifting environment–doubled by mirrors and shadows–is to inhabit a space of introspection in which the familiar forms and shapes of self may be re-discovered. In conjunction with this work is Go’s collection of archival materials, gathered when she was in Taiwan finishing her Master’s degree at the height of the Covid pandemic. It is her own way of examining the ties that bind her to her heritage, the signifiers that constitute her inheritance as well as her destiny. Threading Through Time, the solo showcase of Winna Go, is the artist’s tender attempt to reclaim the precious bits and pieces of self that, in the absence of conscious effort to preserve, may erode and become obsolete. What the artist threads through time are the delicate, luminous strands that connect her all the way to her ancestors who braved the waters and called these islands home. Stitched into their resolve were their many stories and symbols of an enduring civilization, which these works at once express and extol: emblems of identity that can be worn with pride and dignity, like the robe of an emperor. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana Winna Go Winna Go is an award-winning artist who embraces the richness of her hybrid culture, and identity in the Chinese-Filipino context. She takes inspiration from the archived colonial history and contemporary issues of the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and the richness of the Sinophone world. In 2018, she became a regional winner of the Philippine Art Awards and placed as a finalist in multiple competitions, including the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Competition, the Shell National Student Art Competition, and the LRT Art Competition. Her works have since been featured in exhibits across Taiwan and the Philippines. 1/1

On the Ground, Across the Shadow | March 9 - 30, 2024 On the Ground, Across the Shadow Jep Dizon March 9 - 30, 2024 1/10 View Catalogue Video Press Release On the Ground, Across the Shadow Art Cube is delighted to unveil the eighth solo exhibition of Jep Dizon, aptly titled On the Ground, Across the Shadow. This showcase presents a collection of contemporary tableaus reminiscent of classical still life, pushing the boundaries of conventional representation. Dizon employs recognizable materials such as hollow blocks, iconic Dr. Martens' shoes, and a myriad of other objects, turning these seemingly mundane items into powerful vessels of meaning. Dizon’s works transcend the mere depiction of surfaces, delving into the realms of interior worlds and symbolic phenomena. In the tradition of classical still lifes, the artist uses these everyday objects as a lens to examine human life and mortality. The choice of materials becomes a metaphor for the transient nature of existence, inviting viewers to contemplate the significance embedded in the ordinary. Central to Dizon's exploration are figures shrouded in his signature sheer green cloth, casting an enigmatic aura over the compositions. This recurring motif introduces an element of mystery and anonymity, suggesting the artist’s fascination with the impossibility of fully revealing oneself to others. The lustrous fabric becomes a visual metaphor, hinting at the complex layers that cloak our inner selves. Through the surreal juxtaposition of objects, Dizon’s works echo the philosophical and visual richness reminiscent of surrealist master René Magritte. Objects are imbued with new meanings through their placement, inviting viewers to decipher the intricate connections and narratives that unfold within each frame. The exhibition becomes a journey into the artist’s psyche, where reality and imagination intersect. Dizon illuminates how an artist is, above all, an observer of life and its conditions, navigating the delicate balance between light and dark. His compositional process is a unique blend of artistic intuition and methodical organization, as he utilizes photography to arrange disparate objects before translating them onto canvas. Dizon captures the essence of his creative process in his own words: "I enjoy the process of playing with objects using photography before executing the work on canvas. I want to expand my style to create not only figures but to paint landscapes, still lifes, or objects that somehow mirror myself. It’s me across every shadow of my work.” On the Ground, Across the Shadow is an invitation to explore the intricate tapestry of human existence, where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary, and each brushstroke reveals a facet of the artist’s introspective journey. Jep Dizon’s solo exhibition testifies to the transformative power of art, where the observer is invited to peel back the layers of reality and embark on a visual and philosophical odyssey. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana

Object's Nature, Nature's Object | June 7 - 28, 2025 Object's Nature, Nature's Object Jep Dizon June 7 - 28, 2025 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release In Object’s Nature, Nature’s Object, Jep Dizon turns to the still life as a formal exercise in balance and beauty, as well as a psychic chamber where the rawness of nature and the artifacts of human thought collide. A flower poised in a wine cup, a marble bust stilled in contemplation, a crow perched, a snail inching forward, a book closed like a breath held—these images, calmly arrayed, hum with symbolic charge. They are not still, but vibrating with the aftershocks of living. Each object is a cipher. The marble bust, with its sculpted serenity, stands for the constructed self—reasoned, idealized, yet ultimately breakable. The flower in a wine cup evokes fleeting pleasures, the mingling of beauty and decadence, rooted in fragility. The snail, ever slow, becomes a metaphor for deliberate becoming, for growth that resists haste. The crow, a witness and harbinger, carries the dual omen of death and insight. The book, of course, is the vessel of knowledge—open, incomplete, always waiting for the reader to arrive. But what Dizon renders is not just an arrangement of objects; it is the architecture of a life. These objects chronicle the arc of being: emergence, learning, desire, decay. Through them, he paints a portrait not of a single individual but of our shared inheritance. For beneath the wrappings of class, culture, or geography, we each endure the same cycles. We reach, we gather, we lose. We make meaning from what surrounds us. Set against surreal skyscapes—clouds coiling like vaporous thoughts, light dilating in unexpected hues—Dizon’s tableaux meditate on the porous boundary between mind and matter. Time is palpable, almost liquid, folding in on itself as symbols of mortality (a cut flower in a clear bottle, its bloom already waning) quietly confront us. Yet rather than sink into despair, the works pulse with a kind of sacred aliveness. For Dizon, existence is nourishment. As he states, our experiences are “food for our consciousness andsoul.” What emerges is not a lament but an affirmation: that the world around us is not other, but of us. In recognizing the nature of objects and the objecthood of nature, Dizon gestures toward a more intimate cosmology—where self and environment are entwined, reflections of the same opulent design. Object’s Nature, Nature’s Object is, ultimately, a still life not of things, but of being. -Carlomar Arcangel Daoana

From Ash We Came Julieanne Ng May 4 - June 1, 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 From Ash We Came To live and shine eternally like the sun is an aspiration for many, forgetting that even the stars at night have already passed. Vainglory is a theme that runs in countless stories of ruin. It births marvels and tragedies alike, and no exception was that of Daedalus– a highly ambitious craftsman and architect who was intoxicated by his own genius causing the downfall of his son, Icarus. From Ash We Came reveals Julieanne Ng’s ruminations on this Greek tale that echoes a perilous facet of our nature as man. Unique for her meditative process and thoughtful application of punctured burns, Ng breathes to life a series of abstract iterations that mirror the pearl of wisdom embedded in the narrative. No matter its antiquated origin, the veracity resting within it about our finiteness reverberates, crawling and seeping through a universal thread that connects all of mankind. The artist’s works pulsate with vibrant biomorphic patterns imprinted by her thumbprints, each a testament to individual uniqueness yet a reflection of our shared humanity. Amidst this harmony, angular forms disrupt the flow, creating gaps that speak to the interruptions and fractures within human experience. Ng makes sure to gather the ashes from her marks in fourteen vials as if to remind us that one’s acts ripple through the lives of others. Transgression leaves behind a trail of consequence.To extend this symbolism, it tells of the natural movement of the universe we inhabit to decay, rendering our efforts towards greatness ultimately futile. How, then, can man gaze upon the heavens and declare himself higher? Certain stories endure through the epochs for the truths they divulge. In Ng's reflections, we find the myth of Daedalus echoing through the ages, a cautionary tale woven into the fabric of her art, inviting us to ponder the labyrinth of our own aspirations and the folly of thinking ourselves more majestic than the cosmic dance of existence. J. Jose 1/1

Tunay na pangalan ng hindi kilalang anino Doktor Karayom March 04 - March 25, 2022 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 “TUNAY NA PANGALAN NG HINDI KILALANG ANINO” Update mo na yung bio mo...... nakita ko ang sarili ko na tumulala , umikot ang itim ng dalawang hindi pantay na mata palubog nangangatal ang mga ngiping dilaw at sungki hinigop ako ng aking sarili mula sa buntong hininga bago umubo napunta sa loob ng aking utak na may studio apartment ang laki at may nakasulat na pabrika.. dito ko niluluto yung mga ideyang napupulot ko sa labas ng mata ayus din dito.. may litrato ng pamilya ko, kabiyak, kaibigan at mga aso.. may tubig at baso..........maraming insenso... may isang upuan na nabili ko sa divisoria mall na buti mura lang.. may uupuan na din ako pagkatapos mangalay sa bigat ng dinadala na hindi ko maintindihan ko saan ko dadalhin.. tahimik akong dumadaldal na din... may sulok dito sa lugar na ito kung saan ako umiiyak ng tahimik dito ko sinasanay umiyak gaya ni jaclyn jose, yung iyak na makakatulog ka pagkatapos... pinahinga ko muna ang aking sarili sa pag ukit at hulma dahil sa katawang tao ko na tumatanda na pala.. isang buwan na pahinga lang ang ginawa ko.. baka kasi magtampo... may isang gamit akong kinatatakutan..yun ay ang langis... hindi ko kasi alam kung paano ito gamitin.., ang tagal pang matuyo.... ilang araw ko din itong may takot na sinusuyo.... hanggang sa ako’y kusang nagpayanggaw sa kapangyarihan nito ipinahid ang langis sa katawan para mag iba ng anyo.. ako pa rin naman ito... nagdagdagan lang ng pangil at pakpak tumalas ang kuko gaya sa dila at utak,,, dala na rin ng takot ko sa hinaharap.. hinarap ko din ang takot kong dala.. panibagong gutom na nadarama naghahanap ng puso..........para malamnan ang kalam ng sikmura.. sana makalipad ako ng mas malayo...... hindi ko na hahabaan ang write up ko na to. alam ko naman na tinatamad ka ng basahin ang pinagsasabi ko... tuloy po kayo.... '- Doktor Karayom Russel Trinidad Russel Trinidad is a Filipino Artist that dove into the local art scene initially as a graffiti artist painting murals on abandoned buildings. Trinidad graduated with a degree in Fine Arts at the Technological University of the Philippines. He masked behind his street name “Doktor Karayom” for his street art. Trinidad continued his street art while holding exhibitions for his red paintings and sculptures. He found success in art competitions, first winning a t-shirt design contest for a local fashion brand, the Thirteen Artist Award in 2018, and was nominated to participate in the Ateneo Art Award in various years. For his upcoming solo exhibition, “Tunay na Pangalan ng hindi Kilalang Anino”. He wants to narrate the truth about his name and his experiences in life, as a son, as a partner, as a friend, and as an individual in the Art industry. The exhibition is about fear that can’t be seen but can be felt. 1/1

ARISGADO Arel Zambarrano March 04 - March 25, 2023 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 Caution: Hard Hat Area For the silent desperate many--who struggle to make both ends meet--one barely lives to fight another day. Arisgado, the sixth solo exhibition by Arel Zambarrano, essays the painstaking realities that he and his laborers face day-to-day challenges. Based in Iloilo, this artist-architect continues his narrative from his previous shows, armed with undulated persistence, this time Zambarrano unravels deeper discontents as he collectively identifies with the suffering predicament of many—the dog-tired working class including the downtrodden and abused multitude--to still plod the neck deep flood for them to keep their head above water. Ever since Zambarrano started his art practice he has veered on the edge of the dark and macabre imagery. He has always had a fascination for sharp edges placed in in-your-face aesthetic parlance. At one time he featured in Artificial Fear approximately 3400 knives onboard. With needles as constant from his previous shows, in this offing he portrays arrows as tools for waging conflicted instincts, as well as, sustainability of survival life (as in hunting and gathering), the arrow is also the symbol of peace, alliance and other philosophical ideas. Same as the exhibit title, Arisgado is the main piece in nine portraits of Zambarrano’s loyal laborers. As his men were painted as background, he uses pull-push rule’s blade overlaid with acrylic glass. What is astounding in this mixed media bravura is how Zambarrano alternately weaves tape measure with their canvas of mug shot faces of his long time construction workers. Sealing each with rivets to fasten each interchange. Dragonflies have also been a recurring presence in a Zambarrano paintings. In this series the backbone of the dragonfly as we are reminded that we are transformed with every adversity we confront with. Dragonflies also symbolized adaptability and self-realization. Zambarrano’s use of materiality merges his creativity in visuality and his being verse in constructing as an an architect. It is while busy on his building projects that he sought to incorporate his materials blending his two vocations. Although Zambarrano sees himself as an artist before his being a licensed professional builder. Breath While in the Dark frames cemented floor mat with acrylic paint and plastic screen overlaid on etched acrylic glass. As trapos also mean corrupt government official Zambarrano is conscious of being decent in dealing with these people and not fall into their callous prey. Zambarrano sets himself as long as you are honest from the start no one can bribe you in peril. Kalmado is a site specific installation reprising Zambarrano’s previous Ilomoca show. Casting himself for six hours, he uses cement to finish his actual being like it was a self-portrait. Like a paddling duck, Kalmado remains inverted being to show one to be calm while you wade the counter-controlling waves. Done in many versions all gearing up to Grit that is etched on canvas which is pierced by an arrow in Temporary Crucial Drawbacks, an oil on canvas with broken wooden arrows and copper nails attached to acrylic glass. Four large paintings charge one with fervor to continue the fight and grab life’s bull by its horn. Against the background of needles and dragonflies Zambarrano always rise to the occasion. Like battle cries he instills in us the courage of a warrior that while being wounded by life’s sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it still is a beautiful world. Rigid Still is Kalmado in two dimensions. The feet are a reflection of pain as most of the time we walk, run, or remain to standstill. Notice the foundation in pylon as base not to be swayed by untoward threats. In the Threshold of Winning Battle, Zambarrano has been known to be most effective when faced with adversities as reflected by the exploded door hardware and pots. Consider the door knobs and hinges as one has to get out of our comfort zones to find our passion in life. In Multiple Chances the cat is the symbol of nine lives and bearer of good fortune. Zambarrano’s pieces is rich in semiotics. It is in brokenness that he strives to come back stronger in existence. Undaunted inculcates opportunities are as rare as the Panay-Negros Bleeding-Heart. Here he painterly sprouts mushrooms as unexpected blessings as Zambarrano’s hopeful hands are depicted in details. Arisgado is arresting in its visual messaging as Zambarrano’s titles are encouraging phrases to keep you in the fight and not lose in depression. Art is a risk for Zambarrano who never surrendered in life, much more be dissuaded in creating in poverty. Bring it on, like an agile boxer, he takes the blows but he just keeps on punching. '- Jay Bautista Arel Zambarrano Arel Zambarrano is a Filipino contemporary artist hailing from Banate, Iloilo Province. He is a licensed architect who graduated from Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U). His works often convey social and political issues. Zambarrano has his own studio called “The Red Table” in Iloilo which serves as a haven for ideas and aspirations for himself, his fellow artists, and his mentees. His works have been recognized by various art institutions such as the Philippine Art Awards and Metrobank Art and Design Excellence. "Arisgado (Risk taker)", the sixth solo exhibition by Arel Zambarrano, essays the painstaking realities that he and his laborers face in day-to-day challenges. Zambarrano continues his narrative from his previous shows, armed with undulated persistence, this time he unravels more profound discontents as he collectively identifies with the suffering predicament of many—the dog-tired working class including the downtrodden and abused multitude--to still plod the neck-deep flood for them to keep their head above water. 1/1

An Abstract Voyage | August 5, 2023 An Abstract Voyage Edwin Martinez August 5, 2023 1/5 View Catalogue Video Press Release Of Uncertain Passages An Abstract Voyage reflects on the complexities of life's journey and the significance of introspection. Contemplating past decisions and missed opportunities, Edwin Martinez acknowledges the fickleness and unreliability of the human mind. The artist emphasizes the importance of rest as an essential component of learning from failures. We are often too quick to bounce back without taking the time to reflect on our experiences, yet this is imperative if we are to survive. The artist seemingly aims to capture the cycle of failure, respite, and redemption that is an inherent part of the human experience. Through the depiction of a cycle of continuously falling down and getting back up, Martinez’ works illustrate that failure is not always negative; it is an integral aspect of life. When faced with failure, one must compose oneself and prepare for what lies ahead. Falling into Earth, an astronaut, a lonely soul floating about in the cosmos, finds the comforts of home within reach: a plant, a pillow, a chair, even a steadfast companion serves as accessories and accompaniments in a convoluted journey. The pieces in the exhibition signify that following a period of rest and reflection, the future may hold uncertainty, excitement, and perhaps even fear. However, with adequate preparation and unwavering courage, progress is likely to follow. The astronaut serves as a representation of ourselves, the artist, and the viewers, symbolizing the need to confront life's challenges fearlessly and survive falling and failing with resilience. It is being lost as we find the meaning behind our existence in the world, the universe, rather, and never getting tired of finding our own way. An Abstract Voyage encourages viewers to embrace the uncertainties of life, understanding that falling is not to be feared. Perhaps a straight-edged, well-planned navigation through human years is less exciting than losing oneself in unexpected adventures. What truly matters is the ability to endure and prepare for whatever life presents, maintaining a steadfast determination to face its burdens and challenges head-on. Martinez also draws on Blaise Pascal’s quote, “Men seek rest in a struggle against difficulties; and when they have conquered these, rest becomes insufferable,” which explores the paradoxical nature of human desires and the quest for contentment. The famed mathematician and philosopher observes that individuals, when faced with difficulties, exert effort to overcome them, hoping that achieving this conquest will bring them a sense of tranquility and ease. However, Pascal also notes that once these individuals successfully surmount their difficulties and attain the desired rest, they surprisingly find it insufferable or unbearable. This suggests that the very state of rest they yearned for and worked hard to obtain becomes dissatisfying for them. Martinez, through his works, reminds us that human nature tends to thrive on challenges and the process of conquering obstacles. Struggles, however we wish to avoid them, undeniably give us a sense of purpose and direction. They give us reasons to move forward and continue fighting the good fight. Without struggle, a feeling of emptiness or a lack of purpose ensues, no longer having something to strive for or a goal to pursue. Often, it tethers us to reality and to being human, siting our bodies within the wider expanse of space. Comfort is good, yet it is discomfort that coaxes us to propel ourselves forward. Kaye O’Yek

Pagmamahal | Faberuary 14 - M1rch 7, 2026 Pagmamahal Demosthenes Campos Faberuary 14 - M1rch 7, 2026 DSC04759.JPG 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release When Love Is Truthful Demosthenes Campos' Pagmamahal means love in Filipino, but in everyday conversation, it also signals something becoming more expensive. The dual meaning is tangential to this exhibition, because in a time when the pace of life accelerates at such a rush that we can barely cope and the cost of living continues to rise, what does it mean to speak of love? Has it, too, become something difficult to sustain? Can we still afford to love and be loved? The artist approaches this question through material and form. Using dried paint, recycled wood strips, and clever use of colors, Campos creates his works which are renowned for their mosaic-like abstractions and assemblages. These pieces emphasize process, accumulation, and reuse, thus are not incidental. The pieces display surfaces that are layered, scored, and put together rather than with the smooth finish of traditional painting. Materiality becomes central to meaning. In the large-scale works, angular planes interlock in compact formations. A heart in Tibok, flowers in Eros and Affection, and in Philia, a single-stemmed bloom. Lines outline and scaffold their structures, suggesting provisional architectures, forms that appear built rather than painted. This structural logic perhaps underscores the artist's statement: love is work is art. Campos' love here is not sentimentalized. It is constructed, requires alignment, adjustment, and the willingness to integrate disparate elements. The visible joins and seams emphasize that unity is achieved through effort. The artist does not conceal the process, making everything legible on each surface. His Agape series, ten small works under glass, extends this inquiry at a more intimate scale. Framed and enclosed, these pieces function almost as studies or meditations. Agape, often defined as selfless or unconditional love, is translated into compact arrangements of fragments carefully composed within limits. The glass both protects and distances, suggesting preservation as well as contemplation. Here, love is examined closely, measured, contained, yet still layered. A controlled restraint is maintained by Campos throughout the exhibition. The surfaces are punctuated with strokes and angular expressions of color and texture, yet the general tone is steady. The pieces prioritize structure, rhythm, and gradual building above extravagance. By doing this, they reflect love in the modern world, where caring, devotion, and affection must be maintained in the face of conflicting demands and growing expenses. If Pagmamahal today implies escalation, Campos redirects the term toward value rather than price. His works propose that love is less about abundance and more about maintenance. It is an act of assembly, a continuous negotiation between parts. Can we still afford love? Perhaps the better question is: can we afford not to? -Kaye O’Yek

Behind the Everyday | August 2 - 30, 2025 Behind the Everyday Ross Gadiana August 2 - 30, 2025 1/9 View Catalogue Video Press Release The Gravity of Small Gestures In Behind the Everyday, Ross Gadiana pursues a line of inquiry that transcends surface depiction. He isolates the mundane not to sentimentalize, but to elevate its being; to press into its form and structure until it yields the sublime. The works on view proceed not from invention but from recognition. Titles such as Uhaw, Kasalukuyang Yakap, Muni, Ulirat, Self-care, Loob, Sigaw, Hinahon, Malay and Hapag signal the artist’s interest in actions so ordinary they are often invisible. A person drinks water. A painter paints. Someone zones out while looking at his reflection while plucking thorns from his face. These are not performances, not rehearsed or posed. They are captured as they happen, undramatic yet emotionally precise, reflecting life as it is lived. Gadiana’s realism is conceptual rather than merely mimetic, making not only replications of reality, but distilled experiences of it. The method, anchored in oil on canvas, then expanded with hardwood, resin, and natural elements such as vine, tethers each piece to both tradition and nature. The artist’s choice of material and the tactile presence of his surfaces demonstrate an awareness of the medium as more than vehicle. The heavy hardwood frame becomes scaffold, the vine an echo of life’s entanglements. These become not only accessories to the image but integral components of the composition, extending the painted world into real space. In addition to his wallbound pieces, he includes a challenging assemblage, The Roots, Vines and Thorns, which is meant to be viewed in the round, though not too close. What Gadiana understands, and what this exhibition makes clear, is that art does not need a grand narrative. It needs necessity. Each brushstroke, whether tracing from a photo study or laid down freehand, asserts a kind of ontological truth: that meaning accrues in repetition, in dailiness, in the labor of simply being present. In these works, there is a gravitas that emerges not from scale or spectacle, but from the refusal to look away from the commonplace, and in the assemblage previously mentioned, one simply cannot draw on self-control to resist. If modernism taught us to see truth in material and form, Gadiana teaches us to find it in the repeatable actions of life: drinking, pausing, embracing, working. Behind the Everyday reminds us that these motions, frequently overlooked, are not lesser subjects. In an age enamored with spectacle, Gadiana’s work offers resistance, insisting that authenticity is not to be found in what breaks the pattern, but in the pattern itself. These artworks, humble in subject yet rigorous in execution, offer not transcendence but something perhaps more urgent: a return. To self, to space, to the acts that shape a day, and thus a life. - Kaye O’Yek