Your Guide to 10 Days of Art in the Philippines 2025!
ByAena NabongImage courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
This February, look forward to a ten-day celebration of art displays and installations across the Philippines.
Keep reading to check out some of the upcoming event highlights!
ART FAIR PHILIPPINES
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
Art Fair Philippines lines up premier galleries on its 13th edition at their newest location at Ayala Triangle, Makati City. This year, 47 of the leading galleries in the Philippines will be joined by 14 international galleries from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea to showcase curated exhibitions from local and foreign visual artists.
When: 21 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Ayala Triangle, Ayala Avenue, Makati Ave, Makati, Metro Manila
PUBLIC ART
BARRIER TAPE 2 by SpY Studio
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines and Portu Magazín
Often, it takes a simple, strange thing to make people notice the world around them. For Art Fair Philippines this year, SpY, an anonymous urban artist, hangs thousands of barrier tapes on the branches of an old Acacia tree in Ayala Triangle Gardens.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Garden Area, Ayala Triangle, Paseo De Roxas St Cor Makati Ave, Cor Ayala Ave, Makati, 1209 Metro Manila
Sentinel, Cognitum by Briccio Santos
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
Briccio Santos’ latest work extends the ongoing narrative of his Sentinel series, a project he has passionately pursued for the past four years. These sculptures serve as a powerful, three-dimensional metaphor, embodying guardians and protectors in the face of contemporary challenges. They stand as silent witnesses and responders to the multifaceted crises of our time: the global pandemic and its lingering effects, the increasing frequency of environmental calamities, the isolating and numbing impact of pervasive technology, and the disturbing rise of destructive social and political spectacles born from the excesses of unchecked modernism.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Legazpi Active Park, Rada, Legazpi Village, Makati, Metro Manila and Sky Lobby of the Seda Residences Makati, Ayala Avenue corner Amorsolo, Salcedo, Legazpi Village, Makati, 1229 Metro Manila
Walk With Me by TLYR Collective
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
This collection revisits the milestones that shaped us—artworks that embody our exploration of art, technology, and human connection. As we reflect on where we’ve been, we also embrace new creative possibilities, exploring broader perspectives, deeper narratives, and more impactful ways to engage with the world through art.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Paseo Villar Underpass, Ayala, Makati, Philippines
The Words You Speak Become the Home You Live In by Kim Borja
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
In a country where silence has long been mistaken for endurance, where the weight of unspoken words thickens the air like humidity before a monsoon, Filipino visual artist Kim Borja offers us a structure—a home, if you will—built entirely of language.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Palm Drive Activity Center, Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati, Philippines
Talking Heads by Jefrë
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
In his Talking Heads series, a group of suspended plastic vacuum shaped heads, Jefrë has placed brightly colored neon lights representing words in a plethora of foreign languages. Each word represents an adjective of affirmation in a foreign language, “I am loved, I am beautiful, I am free…” Here again Jefrë celebrates the individual and the indispensable part they play in the multitude, mixing again the universal and the personal.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Ayala Malls Circuit, Circuit Makati, Makati, 1207 Metro Manila
Wonderland of Lights by Olivia d'Aboville
Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
Olivia d’Aboville’s art installation "Wonderland of Lights" at Ayala Circuit is centered on sustainability and blending art anchored and inspired from Nena Saguil works with the environment, serving as a visual representation of the Ayala Group’s commitment to eco-conscious practices in their developments. The piece aims to highlight Ayala’s ongoing initiatives to refine their methods and promote environmental stewardship, contributing to sustainable development in the country.
When: 14 February – 23 February 2025
Where: Circuit Makati, Ayala, Makati, Philippines
METRO MANILA
No Winter Lasts Forever by Norberto Roldan
Image courtesy of Silverlens Gallery
Silverlens Manila is proud to announce No Winter Lasts Forever, Norberto Roldan’s sixth solo exhibition with the gallery and first solo in Manila since his 2024 residency at the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in Germany, during which he created most of the works for the upcoming exhibition.
Visionary Position by Robert Langenegger
Image courtesy of Silverlens Gallery
To live in Robert Langenegger’s speculative world of paintings is to live in elegy and anomaly. These are lost, abandoned, and depleted worlds—but no corrective is being done here, as they ultimately show the vast possibilities of their continued yet fatal existence. Visionary Position is yet again testament to his unique gift for building theoretical worlds that are rarely seen through this kind of uninhibited perspective.
When: 13 February – 15 March 2025
Where: Silverlens Gallery, 2263 Chino Roces Ave, Ave, Makati, 1231 Metro Manila
As if it was Swimming by Luis Antonio Santos
Image courtesy of the Drawing Room
Fragmentation begins similarly to how one would begin a painting: dividing an image into grids, and laying down a foundation that will affect later on what part of the image is made visible. Luis has likened this process to laying bricks. This arduous process bears witness to the signs of labour that went into the work. Each error, misprint, misalignment, or abrasion, even the integrity of the paint and the silk mesh, is a trace of the hands that were involved in making these images. In more recent iterations of the series, his concerns are focused more on the formal aspects of the work, introducing more colour into the work, with an aim to trigger feelings and memories with these configurations, rather than attempting to express a prescribed set of feelings as an ending.
Each A Small Universe by Elaine Navas
Image courtesy of the Drawing Room
The palette is not just an accessory in the studio but a crucial, living object that embodies the essence of the painter's practice. It is a bridge between the artist’s intention and the finished work, an intermediary that carries the evidence of all the unseen moments that shape the final composition. When examined closely, the palette, though humble in appearance, reveals a deep, intimate connection between the artist and their craft.
The Philippine Wine Dance by Mark Justiniani
Image courtesy of the Drawing Room
The focus of this thread of thinking for now is binasuan, the Philippine wine dance, and the precise movement of spinning. For those who are familiar and follow his artistic practice, we know that Justiniani has been pursuing the integration and relationship of physics and art; he seems to gravitate towards the parallelism of these disciplines. He relates the mathematical idea of spinors to one of the most documented debates in Philippine art history between Victorio Edades and Guillermo Tolentino.
When: 15 February – 15 March 2025
Where: The Drawing Room, GF, Building C, Karrivin Plaza 2316 Chino Roces Ave Ext., Makati 1231
Sorting Facility by Cian Dayrit
Image courtesy of the Drawing Room
In collaboration of Nome Gallery (Germany) and The Drawing Room, this flash exhibition by Dayrit takes a cue from the act of sorting, a systematic approach to organizing as a way to think through a body of work, and eventually reactivating it. Sorting Facility, viewed by Dayrit as a metaphor for continuous sharpening/honing, demonstrates his use of the exhibitionary platform– within a given space and time– to highlight pressing concerns and dominant narratives that he deals with and are represented by artistic work.
When: 19 February – 27 February 2025
Where: 63 Comuna, 238 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Ext, Makati, 1203 Metro Manila
To Conquer A Home by Faye Abantao
Image courtesy of Finale Art File
Home is a complicated concept, often riddled with clichés. Home is where the heart is. There is no place like home. For Faye Abantao, home is her anchor for artistic production. She uses paper, old photographs, and everyday objects gathered from her home. More potently, her artistic growth evolves as her lived experience within her home shifts. As a child, it was the walls she colored in creative expression. As an adult and developing artist, it was the bits and pieces of peeling paint, slowly dilapidating over time–transcending toward portraiture and installations. Now, the home unravels with children grown and parents aging.
The Weight of Being. A Living Thing Cracked Open by Pam Quinto
Image courtesy of Finale Art File
The Weight of Being. A Living Thing Cracked Open, Pam Quinto’s third solo exhibition, whose practice is largely recognized through her interdisciplinary forms has produced a video installation and ceramic works showing her playfulness in her craft.
Spectrum of So Far So Good by Dex Fernandez
Image courtesy of Finale Art File
Spectrum of So Far So Good is a reflexive moment. We are taken into a journey where we can enjoy speculations of a narrative made possible by transformation of figures and vectors that are both ambitious and deliberate. Sometimes viewers can be distracted by the artist’s vivacious demeanor, but Fernandez is deeply concerned with the formal and aesthetic qualities of his art. It’s exciting to see how the new works display technical skill and thoughtful conceptualization. The contradicting position of exposing and cloaking becomes necessary for the storyteller to keep us off balance, a feeling that is both uncomfortable and exhilarating.
When: 7 February – 1 March 2025
Where: Finale Art File, La Fuerza Compound, Warehouse 17, 2241 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, Metro Manila
UG 10th Year Anniversary Group Exhibition
Image courtesy of Underground Gallery
As the gallery celebrates their 10th anniversary, Underground gallery presents a group exhibition featuring the works of Juan Alcazaren III, Jan Balquin, Yasmin Ching, Mariano Ching, Jigger Cruz, Gale Encarnacion, NIlo Ilarde, Pete Jimenez, Bernardo Pacquing, Jose John Santos III, Pam Yan Santos and Oca Villamiel.
When: 29 January – 21 February 2025
Where: Underground Gallery, 2nd Level, Makati Square, 2130 Don Chino Roces Ave, Pio Del Pilar, Makati, National Capital Region 1231, Makati 1231
A Hundred Words to Describe a Portrait by Lui Manaig
Image courtesy of Art Verité Gallery
Lui Manaig’s A Hundred Words to Describe a Portrait reimagines portraiture beyond the traditional focus on faces, shifting attention to movement, attire, and the dynamic ways people present themselves. Blending elements from his Hair Restoration and Walk That Walk series, Manaig crafts vivid compositions expressing identity through fashion, posture, and transformation rather than fixed likeness. His works burst with extravagant costumes and inventive footwear, playfully challenging the rigid expectations of self-representation, juxtaposing them with an embellished representation of the artist's head facing away from the audience. “Why stop at the face when identity is a full-body experience?” asks exhibition notes writer Kaye O’Yek. Each piece resists a singular definition, portraying identity as a fluid, ever-evolving performance.
When: 8 February – 15 March 2025
Where: Art Verité Gallery, 2C-05 Shops At Serendra, Bonifacio Global, Taguig City, Philippines 1630
Earthbound by Marionne Contreras, Steffi Cua and Geraldine Javier
Image courtesy of MO_Space
Can ecological art be both impactful and practical? Geraldine Javier, Marionne Contreras and Steffi Cua propose connecting with the earth by using natural materials and rethinking individual consumption in art and in daily life. Ecoprinted tapestries, sculptural objects and clothing highlight the possibilities of botanical printing, an easily self-taught process anyone can try at home.
When: 15 February – 16 March 2025
Where: MO_Space, 3rd floor, MOs Design Bldg., B2 Bonifacio High Street, 9th Ave., Taguig 1634
In the dust of this Planet by Marybob Arce and Regina Reyes
Image courtesy of Cartellino
In the dust of this planet, land is stripped down to its essence. This series of collage works and paintings by Marybob Arce and Regina Reyes reflects on the constitution of place and the histories, experiences, and tales that transform it beyond mere physical matter. Pursuing distinct conceptual slants, Arce turns temporal and emotional while Reyes waxes spatial. Yet together, their works convey places in unsteady and transitory states—where land is no longer a cloud of dust and gas, but a surface on which life and meaning unfolds.
When: 11 February – 2 March 2025
Where: Cartellino, 6th Floor East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong, Philippines
Breaking to Mend by Ciane Xavier
Image courtesy of Galerie Stephanie
In Breaking to Mend, Ciane Xavier explores the fragility and resilience of relationships through a layered installation that invites viewers to confront the cycles of connection, rupture, and repair.
Swimming in my Head by Imam Santoso
Image courtesy of Galerie Stephanie
For Imam Santoso, life is a balancing act atop turbulent waters. While his latest solo exhibition remains faithful to his technicolor reverie, the thrust is autobiographical. Its title is lifted from the idiom referring to a state of being overwhelmed and confused. From this, what emerges are dreamscapes gleaned from his personal life as an artist, professional, husband, and father.
When: 11 February – 2 March 2025
Where: Galerie Stephanie, 6th Floor East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong, Philippines
/SERIGRA’FIA/ by Brandon Apa
Image courtesy of Secret Fresh Gallery
In this exhibit, Brandon Apa explores the dynamic fusion of traditional painting techniques and the meticulous process of serigraphy (screen printing). Combining the fluidity of paint with the precision of printmaking, this collection reveals a new dimension to the artist’s signature style, offering viewers a fresh perspective on familiar themes.
When: 9 February – 7 March 2025
Where: Secret Fresh Gallery, Ronac Art Center, Greenhills, Ortigas Avenue Extension, San Juan City
MUSEUM EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
maria taniguchi: body of work
Image courtesy of MCAD
maria taniguchi: body of work is the artist's first survey show. Taniguchi, whose practice is largely recognized through her ongoing work of "brick paintings," has produced a body of work diligent in its inquiry into the concepts of systems, surface, scale, and time.
When: 14 December 2024 - 30 March 2025
Where: MCAD, Ground Floor, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Design and Arts Campus (D+A Campus), Dominga Street, Malate, Maynila, 1004 Kalakhang Maynila
Art as Pedagogy: Neighborhoods and shared resources
Image courtesy of UP Vargas Museum
The UP Vargas Museum presents Art as Pedagogy: Neighborhoods and shared resources beginning February 2025. This project aims to develop expanded pedagogical materials that weave art practices, sustainability goals, and the museum's social practice project., It expands the museum's ongoing Gardens and Homesteads initiative which proposes art institutions like the museum as a site for gathering and sharing. It also foregrounds education as one core thrust alongside curation and research.
When: 22 February 2025, 3 pm
Unfolding (언폴딩)
Image courtesy of UP Vargas Museum and Philippines Graphic
Unfolding (언폴딩) considers the experiences of two artists who embody othered identities in a society largely devoted to masculine ideals. Inhwan Oh and Kyungmook Kim unpack vignettes of life in South Korea as members of the LGBTQIA+ community in film and video works, and through art that engages labor and marks processes. Through them, they summon the worlds of prisons and places of incarceration juxtaposed with spaces of freedom and gaiety - to discover and mark a social identity that refuses to settle with the laws and sanctions of a patriarchal nation.
When: 14 December 2024 - 22 February 2025
Where: UP Vargas Museum, UP Diliman, Roxas Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila
The Goldenberg Mansion Art Series 3 Presents Tapiserya: Joel Geolamen and Lynyrd Paras
Image courtesy of Salcedo Auctions
The show, which features the works of contemporary artists Joel Geolamen and Lynyrd Paras, brings together the storied terrains of the archipelago draped in Geolamen's impressive paintings of indigenous textiles pertaining to their places of origin, with the embellished figurative expressionism of Paras' human subjects in a seamless tapestry of markings, foregrounding notions of identity, territoriality and ultimately personal and societal recovery.
When: 22 February - 23 February 2025
Where: Salcedo Private View, The Goldenberg Mansion, 646 San Miguel, Manila, Metro Manila
The 2025 edition promises a variety of exciting and contemporary visual artists within and outside the Philippines, making art accessible to all.
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