The Sculpture Gallery

A few days ago, I found myself lingering along Padre Burgos drive, marveling at the grand structure of the Philippines' hub for the historical arts. It hasn't been long since my last visit, so before that day I wondered to myself how much the actual building has changed.

It was good to see many of the familiar paintings, like the puzzle-like abstract work of H.R. Ocampo, as well as the obviously famous Spolarium (that I couldn't take my eyes off even for most of the trip). the huge rooms held numerous exhibits, some new and others old, however the newer installations weren't as innovative and inspiring as I had hoped they'd be...

I stayed for a while, exploring the museum's older historical collections. Despite being a fan of more modern types of art, the best thing for me about these kinds of heritage works is the powerful link to the country's past. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who finds the story-side of art bewildering and notable, but these days the younger crowds don't seem to appreciate it as much as my generation batch did.

During the afternoon I headed back over to Mandaluyong and had lunch with some friends at the Shangri-La mall. I must say their art galleries need a little bit more exposure in that secluded section of theirs... The owners should have oriented the layout distribution better if you ask me, but somehow I doubt that business tycoons think much about art galleries other than the fact that they supply them with insanely expensive paintings and sculptures for their homes.

Ahh 2011.. what a year you are for technology. I wish I could say you paid the same attention to culture, but I'm still waiting for your younger brother 2012 to show you up. Indeed it's been a quieter year for the Philippine art scene. Apart from some national competitions (AAP and Shell's NSAC among others), I haven't seen much activity. Maybe that's why I yearned for some cultural semblance of the past. Philippine art is great at its core, but sometimes I wish people would pay more attention to using it as a means of greater expression in this new strange world filled with wireless doodads and gadgets.

An evolving movement of abstract sculpture has hit the Philippines since 2007 and the population of its art followers in the community continues to grow. The country has always been known for its history of painters and sculptors that played a crucial role in the development of a society. Juan Luna for example, was a Filipino painter that aided in the struggle for independence along with Jose Rizal, the country's national hero.

Recently, the biggest art hub in the Philippines; the Artwalk at the SM Megamall (Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila) has been a prime hot-spot for local and international collectors to view and experience a taste of true Philippine and Asian art. Sculpture is a novelty that has emerged from the recent modernist trends that encircle the local art scene. Many of the emerging talent has been drawn from the new generations that have been exposed to the path left by the historical 13 moderns (referring to 13 artists that have paved the way for modernism after the period of realism brought about by the influence of Fernando Amorsolo).

Galleries like the Artasia Gallery, Gallery Nine and Gallery Anna situated at the Artwalk are currently exhibiting several of these artistic modernist sculptors that are also beginning to catch the attention of the international art community through their successive exhibitions in foreign cities. Even online galleries from the Philippines are starting to revolutionize the sculpture world on the internet. "Sculptor.Asia" by local young artist Kylo Chua has gotten the community to appreciate sculpture in a whole new light by using 360 degree viewing technology.


Many people gravitate towards art because it tells a story of how things came about. This is most definitely true for the newer generations of Filipinos that have started to come out of their imperialist shell, and begin to create an identity for a deeply creative nation rooted in the foundations of visual symbolism.