Dulo ng Langit Jojit Solano November 4 - 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 Dulo ng Langit The maxim, "Nothing is true, everything is permitted," serves as the guiding ethos for a particular society that has artfully constructed an illusory utopia. Within this societal framework, paramount importance is assigned to the convenience and affluence of a select few, while simultaneously inculcating fear as a mode of faith. In this realm, conventional notions of morality are regarded as the stuff of legend, overshadowed by a pervasive illusion of immortality, wherein the unrestrained expenditure of wealth is fervently pursued with the primary objective of warding off the specter of mortality. Within the folds of this enigmatic society, certain individuals, characterized by their manipulative tendencies, solipsistic disposition, and tendencies toward psychopathy, don disguises and cloaks, masquerading as heroes. Employing time-worn stratagems, they resort to a form of misdirection, akin to the deceptive allure of the pied piper, thereby beguiling the populace into regarding them as deities incarnate. They deliberately withhold the truth from us and compel us to engage with a distorted narrative. They have made grandiose promises of a sanctuary for salvation, constructed from a foundation of corruption, and their primary driving force is monetary gain. All their actions are veiled with this underlying motive. With their immense influence, they maintain control over us, even at the cost of our own moral integrity, all under the pretense of serving the so-called 'greater good.' We remain oblivious to the activities occurring behind the scenes, and they propagate the notion that they are impervious to wrongdoing, blurring the lines between love and hate. In the relentless quest for salvation amidst impending catastrophe, the paradisiacal landscape on the horizon appears distorted, obscured by a shroud of obfuscation, inducing a pervasive sense of madness. So entwined are the inhabitants with their illusions that the path toward veracity and enlightenment is all but forgotten. Frenk Sison Jojit Solano 1/1

Illimité Sal Ponce-Enrile March 15 - April 5, 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 her solo exhibition Illimité, Sal Ponce-Enrile delves into the boundless nature of painting, where abstraction and figuration can hold their own respective spaces, and where the interior world and the visible world find a point of convergence. The exhibition explores the limitless possibilities of the medium, revealing a deep engagement with form, color, and the expressive potential of the artist’s brush. At the core of Illimité are two distinct yet interconnected suites of works: one devoted to abstraction, the other to figuration. Ponce-Enrile’s abstract compositions are grand orchestrations of curvilinear shapes and tonal harmonies, their interplay generating a dynamic yet balanced visual rhythm. The overlapping layers range from opaque to diaphanous, each variation in translucency hinting at the shifting connotations and interpretations carried by their respective titles. In the series “Blessings,” forms resembling a flurry of wings emerge—gestures of benevolence, an offering akin to manna from heaven. In “Harmony,” feathery strokes pulsate in unison, their lively dispersion anchored by the solidity of a central rectangle, a compositional fulcrum that steadies the movement. Unlike geometric abstraction, where forms interlock with rigid precision, Ponce-Enrile’s abstract elements luxuriate in their spontaneous arrangements, offering the viewer a free, intuitive path into the composition—a visual entryway without prescribed direction. Juxtaposed with these abstractions are Ponce-Enrile’s figurative works, which retain the vibrancy of her palette while foregrounding the presence of the human form. In one striking piece, individuals clad in lively hues gaze in admiration at Picasso’s “Guernica,” their own dynamic arrangement mirroring the raw energy of the masterpiece. The juxtaposition suggests that a painting’s vitality is not solely contained within its frame—it is ignited by the viewer’s gaze, by the act of looking itself. In “Reverie,” a woman stands absorbed before Monet’s water lilies, her contemplation so deep that she seems to dissolve into the very landscape of the painting, as though she has transcended the boundary between artwork and reality. It is a meditation on the immersive power of art, its ability to transport and transform. Through Illimité, Ponce-Enrile underscores how the imagination, unbridled and expansive, animates life and the world around us. Her works capture the energies that propel our dreams, memories, and ideas, illuminating the inexhaustible wellspring of creativity that defines human experience. As the exhibition title suggests, les possibilités sont illimitées—possibilities are indeed limitless. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana 1/1

Plastics and Colors of Youth Fernando Sena April 1 - 29, 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 Fernando Sena, considered as one of the masters of the still life genre, revisits his toy series in his solo showcase, Plastic and Colors of Youth, for Art Cube. Showing no loss of figurative skill and vitality, Sena once again depicts the joyous tumble of toys and their parts, all commingling together in their varied shapes and hues, so much so that no single piece asserts dominance. The viewer, regardless of where they look at the canvas, is treated to an eye-catching pop of color and shine, with the toys’ harmonious configurations being at once accidental (their arrangement in a box) and intentional (as the artist has devoted his attention and chosen to paint them). When Sena began this series two decades ago, it was meant to celebrate his bond with his then-young sons who showed encouraging inclination toward art. The artist raised them single-handedly and made ways to compensate for the loss of their mother, such as playing with them over the toys that Sena so meticulously painted. With his sons all grown up, these recent works take on a nostalgic veneer and a bittersweet tone as they mark the memories of togetherness that the father and the sons shared—a testament to the enduring nature of parental love. To a great extent, these works also mark a time in which children were encouraged to use mechanical toys to help them develop essential cognitive, motor, and social skills. Toys were not just objects of play and entertainment, but powerful tools in shaping psychological growth and development. With more and more children playing with tablets and phones instead of handheld objects, Sena’s paintings serve as a reminder that tangible, physical toys are still a necessity in childhood, as they encourage the use of hands and the imagination, establishing a child’s direct relationship with the world around them, which no digital plaything can replace. What is compelling in this suite of works is how Sena renders these toys descriptively, as if the viewer could easily pluck a piece out from any of the clusters. Just like in the early versions of this series, the artist has employed the top-view perspective to render the richness and diversity of the toys, without neglecting the layering and the sense of depth that makes these paintings so credible. As models of the still life, they testify to the genre’s infinite possibilities, of how ordinary objects achieve an extraordinary quality in the hands of a master such as Sena. Plastic and Colors of Youth is a beautiful and heartfelt exhibition that celebrates the enduring nature of parental love and affirms the centrality of Fernando Sena’s place in Philippine visual arts. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana Fernando Sena is known as the Father of the Philippine Art Workshop, sharing his knowledge and talent with the less fortunate, he was born in Tondo Manila to a family of humble means. At a young age, he became aware of the social conditions in his community. Sena started his career by attending a free summer art workshop conducted by the Children’s Museum and Library Inc. he was given a painting scholarship to the School of Music and Fine Arts of the University of the East where he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Painting in 1971. After finishing college, Sena started volunteering and conducting free workshops for indigents, orphans, deaf and mute, cancer patients, and children with disorders. He is adept in using different mediums and can shift from one style to another, from being a cubist-pointillist to a realist-impressionist. Sena is recognized for his exquisite still lifes such as his trademark pandesal and toys but also tackles a whole range of subjects, such as landscapes, portraits, religious icons, and everyday people. 1/1

Closing the Gap | November 05 - 26, 2022 Closing the Gap Martin Honasan November 05 - 26, 2022 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release CLOSING THE GAP A series of portraits exploring the mysteries and wonders of life is at the center of Martin Honasan’s latest solo exhibition, “Closing the Gap.” Here, the artist investigates meanings through the process of deconstruction, which involves events that test the durability of the material and medium. The method is symbolic of rebuilding and reconstructing images, concepts, and ideas. Honasan employs damage-based modes of production and arranges works that are somewhat weathered, beaten, and distressed, using the physical language of painting to assembling portraits. In doing so, he sees his work as an effect of how he wrestles with ideas. Similar to the actions done to the work, these ideas are tested out again and again until they form something more concrete that represents the abstract. The transformed condition of the canvas is apparent among the large paintings one may find in the exhibition. The work “Love” references another artist, and the verse “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” from the book of Matthew. These two canvases are joined but are separated from the mouth while the subject has an “A” tattooed on his left cheek, which is linked to his relationship with his father. The symbols attached to the work somewhat allow the demystification and revelation of the influences of the pictured subject. Meanwhile, another work, “Faith of the Ancients,” is based on the artist’s better half and the verse “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” from Hebrews 11:1. The work is a diptych, which is separated at the eyes of the portrait. Perhaps, a testament that faith lies in between partly hidden junctures but remains present. In his practice, Honasan often reflects on philosophical and existential questions through art. However, these ponderings do not necessarily end in a resolution and offer a sustained, visceral catharsis. He sees these inquiries as spontaneous mysteries like prophetic utterances directed to the future. Hence, the works in this exhibition are meditations on proximities and gaps--- voids that exist between the artist and the mysteries that he embraces and has yet to comprehend fully; spaces and fragmented areas exist within the artist and his relationships. The ensemble highlights portraits of people who are somewhat close to him. Hence, the usual technical steps that Honasan applies in image-making suddenly become obsolete as he begins to intuitively draw the contour and render the physical features of the sitter, who is either a friend or a relative. Thus, it is as if their characters practically pour out from Honasan’s hand, free from any baggage. As such, these portraits send us an insight into what we must make of mysteries: a deeper level of faith, unexplained but felt through those we deeply love and care about. -Gwen Bautista Martin Honasan Martin Honasan is a Philippines-based artist who works with collage, acrylic, and various water-based media. He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a major in Psychology and Communication Arts clusters. Prior to pursuing a full-time career as a visual artist, Martin worked as an Art Director in an advertising firm. He has done several individual and group exhibitions in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the U.S.A., and France. In 2016, Martin participated in an artist residency program in Osaka, Japan where his completed works were exhibited at the YOD Gallery. He was recently part of the 8th edition of Asia Now Paris with Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery. For his upcoming exhibit– Titled: Closing the Gap, A series of portraits exploring the mysteries and wonders of life is at the center of his works. In his practice, Honasan often reflects on philosophical and existential questions through art. However, these ponderings do not necessarily end in a resolution and offer a sustained, visceral catharsis.

Ghosts | August 5, 2023 Ghosts Don Bryan Bunag August 5, 2023 1/5 View Catalogue Video Press Release Mga Mumunting Multo Mga Mumunting Multo (ayon sa eksibisyong “Ghosts” ni Don Bryan Bunag) Dito ko itutungkod Ang kamalayan Kung saan naghahati Ang langit at kapatagan. Matagal nang patay Ang lungsod: Sisilong muna Sa salakot ng ulap At doon tatanawin Ang hangganan Ng buhay At uniberso. Maski sa pusikit Na dilim, May sigalot Ang mga bituin. Saan ba Nananahan Ang Diyos Na nakatikom ang bibig? Pinapaluhod Ng hangin Ang mga ligaw Na damo Habang ako Ay nakatanghod Sa kalawakang Sinusulsihan ng abo. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana Don Bryan Bunag Don Bryan Bunag's works explore the concept of visualizing an internal landscape— an imagination of what his mind would look like if it were a place—as a representation of his state of mind. For Bunag's upcoming exhibit, entitled Ghosts, he was trying to find a personal definition of a ghost. Since 2018, he has always gravitated toward using this word as the central idea of a specific show. But as someone who likes to plan, he did not rush it until he felt that his work and himself were aligned and ready to justify what he envisioned. In his 8th solo exhibition, he intended to keep the works untitled. Giving an artwork a title might box it in terms of interpretation. Throughout his practice, he has always been combining traditional and modern methods in his art-making process, finding the balance between raw expression and deliberately implying a message, depicting simplicity yet suggesting complexity.

Alingawngaw ng Katahimikan | September 6 - 27, 2025 Alingawngaw ng Katahimikan Argee Dacuyan, Ben Albino, Carlo de Laza, Christopher Fernandez, Jeanroll Ejar, Lymuel Bautista, Mark Laza, Marvin Quizon, Rachel Anne Lacaba, Rolando Jucar, Tyrone Dave Espinosa September 6 - 27, 2025 1/5 View Catalogue Video Press Release Echoes of Silence When the air trembles with noise, silence bears the heaviest burden. It is not absence but the sedimentation of the unsaid and the gathering of what has been deferred. Echoes of Silence unfolds as a field of suppressed narratives in translation, where quiet becomes a fragile architecture for stories too brittle to survive the violence of speech. The works assembled here – paintings in oil and acrylic, sculptures in wood and resin, embroidery and prints, assemblages and mixed media – are not inert objects but lived articulations and charged surfaces that breathe through the fissures of society. They hold within them the tremors of a nation’s unfinished struggle, and the unrelenting shifts of a people negotiating hunger and survival against the granite walls of power. These works do not merely trace the shadows cast by authority, they illuminate structures of poverty that partition lives, as well as the invisible boundaries that carve privilege from dispossession. To enter this space is to listen, not with the ears but with the eyes. Each piece hums with reverberations that resist erasure, insisting on presence even when language falters. The works here ask: what does silence conceal, and what echoes when its edges are disturbed? Echoes of Silence opens a critical interval where the unspoken acquires material form. It lingers as a counterpoint to speech, and an enduring presence that compels us to reckon with what power seeks to efface. -Janine Go Dimaranan

Plan B | April 11 - May 2, 2026 Plan B Alee Garibay, Bam Garibay, Chrics Culangan, Delmo, Jebo Padernal, Kennette Luague, Lance Gomez, Lyn Patricio, Marrenz Antonio, Salvi, Thria Reboquio April 11 - May 2, 2026 1/8 View Catalogue Video Press Release Into the Unplanned Plan B is not about failure. It is about knowing how to adjust. The eleven artists in this exhibition share an understanding that things do not always go as intended, and that proceeding anyway requires a particular kind of grace. There is a phrase in Filipino that captures this: magaling magdala. It is the compliment you give someone who walks into a difficult situation and makes it look effortless. Someone who knows how to carry themselves, how to hold complexity without showing the strain, how to pivot when the ground shifts and make it seem like they intended to end up there all along. The works in this exhibition do not dwell on what went wrong with Plan A. They simply demonstrate what it looks like to have moved on. What they carry varies. Alee Garibay’s Dala-dala makes the metaphor literal — a stone-heavy sculptural bag, graffitied with the notes of a life in motion, resting on a floral pillow. Christian Culangan’s Ligtas carries a grandmother through floodwaters alongside the sacred objects of devotion, tradition passed through the body rather than the word. Delmo’s Huling Pagkakataon carries a backpack — monumental, mournful — the vessel of a generation trained for departure. These are not images of burden so much as images of choice: what you decide to bring when you go. Others in the exhibition carry a sharper edge. Jebo Padernal’s pastel triptych — ‘Di Ako Yun!, Ako? Na Naman?, Okay Na!— runs through the emotional vocabulary of those who are never accountable, the masklike faces of denial cycling back to business as usual. Bam Garibay goes further: a Mickey Mouse figure drinking alone on a wheel of cheese; a grinning monkey cradling a missile shaped like a banana. The abundance is real. So is the destruction. Neither was planted by the one holding it. Not everything announces itself so loudly. Marrenz Antonio’s cat lies unbothered on a slab — stillness as its own kind of position. Salvi’s small, bespectacled face in rust and oxide asks nothing, offers nothing, simply looks back. Lyn Patricio folds organic forms into near-symmetry that never quite resolves. Thria Reboquio strips the figure to shadow. Kennette Luague weighs things — literally, in Kalahating Kilo — and sits with the figure who does the weighing in Hulma. Lance Gomez shows two hands going through the motions of washing, in something that is decidedly not water — the oldest gesture of absolution, rendered quietly damning. Taken together, these works do not share a style or a medium. They share a posture — the posture of artists who have assessed the situation clearly, decided what to keep, and kept moving. Plan B is not a consolation. It is, more often than not, the better plan. -AG

The Expansive Window | The Expansive Window Albert Sevilla, Alee Garibay, Amy Aragon, Anthony Palomo, Arley Carig, Azor Pazcoguin, Bam Garibay, Cedrick Dela Paz, Chad Montero, Delmo, Demosthenes Campos, Doktor Karayom, Don Bryan Bunag, Eri Abe, Ferdie Montemayor, Ian Inoy, Ikang Gonzales, Isko Andrade, Japs Antido, Jason Delgado, Jay Ticar, Jayme Lucas, Jep Dizon, Jett Osian, Jim Orencio, Jirah Labanza, Joen Sudlon, Joey Cobcobo, Jojo Austria, Joven Mansit, Jowee Aguinaldo, Joy Mallari, Julianne Ng, Julius Redillas, Katrina Cuenca, Kim Gaceja, Kim Hamilton, Lui Gonzales, Lui Manaig, Lymuel Bautista, Maribel Magpoc, Mark Andy Garcia, Mark Justinani, Mark Laza, Martin Honasan, Marvin Quizon, Max Balatbat, Narra Marin, Nica Acantilado, Nina Garibay, Noel Elicana, Norlie Meimban, Orley Ypon, Otto Neri, Paolo Icasas, PJ Cabanalan, Rafael La Madrid, Raffy T. Napay, RC Caringal, Renato Habulan, Renz Baluyot, Rey Labarento, Reynold Dela Cruz, Ryan Jara 1/28 View Catalogue Video Press Release The Expansive Window As the year draws to a close, Art Cube presents a cherished annual tradition: the year-end exhibition, this time titled, The Expansive Window. This showcase gathers the creative brilliance of emerging, mid-career, and established artists, united by their devotion to painting—the country’s most enduring and dominant artistic medium. Occupying all spaces of the gallery, The Expansive Window highlights the rich and multifaceted tradition of painting in the Philippines. For centuries, painting has been a vessel of expression, evolving with the times while retaining its vital connection to history. This exhibition offers a glimpse into this dynamic continuum, presenting a spectrum of stylistic approaches that span Pop Surrealism, Realism, and Abstraction. Each work testifies to the versatility and vitality of painting as an art form. The thematic concerns of the exhibition are equally diverse. Visitors may encounter genre themes such as still life, landscape, and portraiture, alongside deeply personal autobiographical reflections and poignant engagements with pressing social issues. This broad thematic range mirrors the pluralistic nature of contemporary Philippine art, where tradition and innovation coexist in harmony. The title, The Expansive Window, encapsulates the exhibition’s essence. Like a window offering a breathtaking view, this show provides an opportunity to observe the current state of Philippine contemporary art while imagining its future trajectories and possibilities. It serves as a celebration of the artistic vision that shapes and redefines our understanding of the world. Beyond its role as an artistic showcase, this year-end exhibition represents a heartfelt expression of gratitude. To the artists who have entrusted us with their works, to the collectors who have nurtured the art, and to the audience who has continued to engage and support us through the years—Art Cube extends its deepest thanks. Their unwavering belief in the power of art continues to inspire the exploration of new vistas of creativity and expression. -Carlomar Arcangel Daoana

Praxis Lucis Alee Garibay & Delmo November 8 - 29, 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 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 1/1

Dapo Chad Montero July 5 - 26, 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 “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 1/1

Promete Iggy Rodriguez November 8 - 29, 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 Wretchedness precedes a promise. In burning silences where hope festers, heads are bowed and palms clenched up to oblivious skies. Promete expounds on perplexities of desperate longing, of frenzied clutching in lieu of tangible progress. Promete -- to promise – harks back to Rodriguez’s Chavacano roots, to growing up in Zamboanga City where both societal status and religion cut a gaping divide that only distance and introspection divulge. The exhibit is, in a sense, the artist’s self-scrutiny; methodical pen and brush strokes are a form of desperate worship as much as they are of systematic condemnation. The Politics of Longing Rodriguez’s meticulous pen and ink details painstakingly capture the cacotopia of faith in “Garden of Unearthly Desires,” a candidly Boschian rendition of the grotesque spectacle of devotion where the manufactured idea of paradise is matched in idiocy by resulting exhibitions of reverence. Veneration is a performance as much as infallibility is a farce. In this obscene landscape, the unmovable taunt with contrived indifference. The destitute kneel in the belief that suffering is a prerequisite to dangled salvation, their fervent faith sustaining the powerful. Uncertainty blooms in a morphology of writhing limbs in “Dance of the Anguished,” where the symphony of misery is dehumanized bythe logic of geometry: it is as painful as it is expected. But faith largely relies on myths of deliverance and therefore balks under the gravity of unfulfilled promises in “Weight of the Wind,” for the responsibility of belief falls on those who contort, just as the idea of rain rests on the ardent hope of those who dance. Known for his brand of social realism that centers on the absurdity of human existence eternally trapped in nuances of politics and power, Rodriguez traverses murky silences in dynamics of society– the promisor blunders as the hopeful squirm in the agony of waiting. In works from the ‘Asa’ series, postures of yearning are inevitably trapped in the inanity of desire. This series of semi-sculptural pen and ink drawings from the artist’s collection probes the sanctity of devotion in the grip of futility. The Paradox of Self As the canvases smolder with red-orange undertones, questions arise and disturb: are the quiet seething rather than cowering? Are the mighty paralyzed rather than supine? Identity dissolves into hollow patterns in “Anonymous II” as bodies become fragmented puzzles in search of coherence. But it is precisely in these fissures of despair that the will to assemble persists, albeit muted by doubt. Hesitance is confused for anticipation. In contemplating nightmarish dystopias, Rodriguez scrutinizes structures of dominance held captive by their own authority. Unyielding horsemen in “Monumental Entropy” epitomize architectures of empires that attempt to merge but melt with their own weight – grandeur blooms with decay as corporations dissolve but refuse to crumble. Turmoil, thus, is not exclusive to the powerless. Adam, a parable of possession, is entangled in an unsettling mix of manic triumph and delusion in “Inheritance of the First Man,” perforce wearing his arrogant, idiotic grin, eternally trapped in his own hubris. Presupposed wisdom is an insult as the powerful eternally fumble. Eminence offers no reprieve. In the unforgiving dichotomy of dominion and desolation, empires have none to plead to but their own fragility. “Petition of the Unmoved” embodies society ensnared by its own systems. It is a testament to the realization of vulnerabilities, and a contemplation of the ironies of its own existence: jagged monoliths pierce through and take control as thought is wryly debased in a contemptible figure bloated by its own consumption. The infallible kneels and prays for its own salvation. Promete invites the viewer to relish in both reverence and disillusionment, and to ponder contradictions in the rhetoric of absurdity. Geometric rigidity intersperses with quivering bodies as the indestructible feigns complacence. In Rodriguez’s persistent interrogations of societal systems and politics of the self, the sacrosanct is as steadfast as it is weary. Piya Constantino 1/1

Koleksyon Neil Pasilan 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 Koleksyon shares with us Neil Pasilan’s personal compilation of his own works; an anthology of stories in the fringe of his grand narrative. Much like objects in a museum, they are likewise preserved, cared for, and revered. They represent fragments of his imagination and forms of expression. The pieces are remnants of pursued visions and completed endings since they were made of leftover paint and used palettes. We find meaning in the materiality beyond what was prescribed, complemented by the artist’s confidence in the dynamic behavior of color. As a self-taught artist, artmaking for Pasilan has become an extension of his life when painting was organically integrated in his routine. Nevertheless, the mundane that is illustrated is not mediocre nor indifferent. There is a group of people rendered as black figures, certainly dim but not tragic. An angel is against a sea of blue, adorned with a single tree. There are a few lone characters who appear messianic with the light they bear. Some persons seem nomadic. The image and format of the landscape is disrupted in the collection: by a black and white textured portrait that is imposing with its puzzling wry face; and a collage work depicting a sword piercing a frame, the sharpest point at the end is held by an outreached hand. The familiar communities and characters reflect the consistency that was developed and nurtured in the artist’s practice. The crudeness of the edges of the picture plane implies there is more we can uncover; the artist paints and will paint some more. We might think that this is because of the persistence of excess, but in fact it is working within limitations that drives his creativity. Perhaps, this is a conscious diligence in creation–to fulfill his purpose of being. '-Con Cabrera 1/1