This is probably one of the biggest events for all the art lovers in the Philippines. Art in the…read morePark happens only once a year for only one weekend which is why once it opens or even before it does, people are already in the area scouting for possible paintings and artwork that they can get their hands on. I'll tell you honestly, it can get crazy! What I love most about this event is that it allows people like me (who don't have much money, who don't know much about the art world) to be more exposed to all the young and old artists, the famous ones or the rising stars and have a greater appreciation of art. It also gives artists who are not always featured in the big and fancy museums to showcase their work in the public. You never know, you might find the next Manansala or Luna amidst it all.

Deep sigh. This is just going to be a rant on Philippine Art, move on while you still can!…read more Art in the Park is another exercise in showing who-you-know and is more of a"seen and be seen" kind of thing, more than anything else. Sure, there are cool artworks displayed that's under 20,000 pesos, and that brings down art to a level where the "Average" Filipino can afford it (Cause seriously, some paintings? scary. That's my annual income already.) And some works are really simple, letting people understand and experience art in an open, and less stuffy setting than, say, in a museum or one of those international galleries that are intimidating to set foot in. Apart from that? It's a lot of hipster kids dressing up in their weekend best, go around the park with a bottle of beer and a cigarette in the other hand. It's kind of... well. I don't think it brings the community together at all. Oh, well. Maybe next time would be better? (I am one of those kids trying to fit in with the "cool crowd". Haha, please notice me so I can sell artworks too.)

I like being surprised by a place that I thought I was familiar with. All these years and I thought…read morethe area of MoDesign and BoConcept was just floors upon floors of really well-crafted modern furniture. I recently found out that on the third floor of their building, a small space called Mo_Space was there specifically for the art enthusiast. The place is just really small, I bet it's just around 10 x 20 feet. I'm not good at estimating so bear with me. When I decided to drop by today, I chanced upon seeing the many sketches of Kawayan de Guia which was entitled as Bezoar (Non-Linear Drawings). Today was the last day so I was glad that I was able to see how some of the details of her art process. It is, after all, a fundamental skill that most artists have to at least have an idea on. I look forward to seeing more artists from their roster exhibit here. They're open until 8:00 in the evening, so when you feel like you need a dose of inspiration or insight after work, this would be a great place for that especially if you just work around BGC.

Fort Bonifacio is known primarily for its dining, retail, nightlife and residential locations, but…read moreone thing that people hardly ever notice about it is that it actually houses a beautiful art gallery in the form of Mo_Space Gallery. Located just above BoConcept, Mo_Space is an artist-owned, non-profit gallery. Most of the artists that exhibit at Mo_Space are known for their edgy, contemporary take on modern art. Big names such as Kawayan de Guia, Catalina Africa, Jeona Zoleta, Kiri Dalena and Fernando Modesto have exhibited their works at Mo_Space, whose advocacy encourages artists to freely create art, instead of doing it for the money. I love Mo_Space's location because it affords one a fairly comprehensive view of Bonifacio High Street, giving you the feeling of being 'above it all,' while still being fully immersed in the dynamic energy of Fort Bonifacio. The well-curated exhibits at Mo_Space make it a must-visit location when you are in the area, regardless of whether or not you are there at an exhibit launch.

Art Verite prides itself with providing a home to Filipino contemporary and modern art. They have a…read morepool of established artists and art collection but they seek out talents who are of a different mold. What sets them apart from the other galleries in Serendra is that it has artworks that show the realities of the Filipino way of life. May it be in the cities or provinces. Most of which are brimming with colour! When I went there to visit them last Sunday, I got the chance to talk to their gallery assistant, Ina. She asked me about what I do. I told her that I film and photograph. She told me to send my work to them and they'll review it. As long as it fits their aesthetics, they will hang one or two of my works in their gallery. It's nice to know that they're very supportive of young artists. If you're an artist who wants to showcase his or her talents in their gallery, try your luck! It wouldn't hurt. However, if you do decide to submit photos of your artwork today, you might have to wait for it to be shown next year if it's approved. Ina told me that they're already fully-booked until the end of this year. BUT. STILL. Try. It. Out. One of Art Verite's aims is to promote art appreciation. My visit to their gallery has inspired me to think of something that I could submit already. Ohhh. The ideas keep coming in!

It's a cute and quaint museum. There are 3 floors of exhibits and the main one right now was the…read moreBenCab exhibit which was actually super cool cause it was sponsored by Samsung digital lol. We mainly came to just educate ourselves more and this is where I learned about the most famous name in the Philippines aside from God, Jesus, and Ayala: Rizal. They have buildings, parks, streets, you name it after this guy and the yuchengco museum had an entire floor dedicated to this guy and what he did for the Philippines. It was super cool. They have a good selection of paintings on the first floor including several Vincente Manansala's which are a big deal here (at the Ayala museum they had THREE huge rooms dedicated to Manansala's Art alone).

If you work or live in Manila and didn't know that the RCBC building was a cultural center, I'm…read morehere to tell you! The RCBC building at the end of Ayala Avenue has a fine arts theatre that has a lot of plays and shows and a museum! I've personally gone to the Yuchengco Museum quite a few times and I really like it there. Their permanent collection isn't so extensive but I enjoy how they always have new exhibits and even workshops. At least once a year they have the Habi exhibit and trade fair where entrepreneurs from around the country come together with local textile. I absolutely love this! I always come out of there with yards of textile for myself. There was once even a talk they gave about different tribes and what their patterns mean, it was a great experience! I love learning about our culture (especially when translated to textile) and I'm glad that there are venues like these that provide the opportunity to do so.

I never really noticed the Prism Gallery before up until I was taking a late night stroll around my…read moreneighborhood after some drinks at Blind Pig. On the very same street as Blind Pig and interestingly enough, my office building, I made a mental note to go visit the gallery as soon as I can. Its a small space but good enough to showcase fresh, modern and contemporary art done by new artists of the Manila art scene. I like the well-curated collection that they have and they also have a small gift shop that sells prints of artwork as well as some postcards. A cool place to check out for anyone interested in the local art scene. In the current exhibit by Ang Illustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) in partnership with Fedrigoni papers, they gallery showcases works of more than 40 different artists and their interpretations of art and its relationship with the complexities of paper as a medium. INK On Paper runs til end of June but I am very much excited to see the other line ups that they will be having!

As we all know, SM Megamall's The Artwalk has a number of art galleries. I've known this all my…read morelife but I never really got to visit any. I was on the way down from the fifth floor after buying paint brush cleaner and an exhibit caught my eye. I suddenly thought that it was time to actually enter a gallery rather than just looking through the windows. The Crucible gallery was holding an exhibit for an artist I'm quite familiar with named, Nemo. His art is very out of the box weird. The good kind of weird. He paints/sketches monster-like people or creatures but making them look friendlier (in my perspective). He uses really eye-popping neon colors and portrays them in a really funky way. His style are one of the styles I really like when it comes to art! It was a really good experience there in the gallery because the way they placed the works were so people could see his concept well and the contrasts of the different materials he used such as paper and wood. The people in charge were also kind enough to answer the questions I had. The gallery showcases a lot of artists with different styles. They always update their exhibits as well! It's a good idea to drop by and check out all the amazing art they have from time to time. It could be very relaxing!

I think it's always nice to see groups or organizations supporting the arts and I absolutely love…read morehow Bonifacio Global City does it! Everywhere you go you'll find murals, paintings, structures of art and it's so nice to see! I don't think I've even seen them all which makes me happy when I discover a new one! My favorite one might have to be the one of Bonifacio (my personal national hero!). I love how it was so creatively done with a modern twist which makes it look so iconic. Also, the size alone makes your neck stiff, it's huge! I had an old favorite but it's been painted over :( it was a mural on the floor of an old man doing gymnatics (it was by the Mind Museum) it was super funny! Hope this inspires you to take a walk around BGC to check out the other works of art, they're really well done!

When you are an artist looking for some inspiration, better head to the National Art Gallery and be…read moreinspired by works of the great masters! Art Gallery is one of the buildings that make up the National Museum. The other one being the Museum of the Filipino People (which I highly suggest you visit as well). The Art Gallery houses the very popular Spoliarium by Juan Luna (yes, years of hearing this in the classroom over and over again finally paid off) and also The Assassination of Governor Bustamante (El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante by Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. I would like to thank my teacher in my Jose Rizal course in college for teaching me everything I needed to know about these paintings. After you have been mesmerized by those two paintings, which by the way, is located in the old House of Representatives Session Hall, you will encounter the 1st Gallery that houses religious artifacts dating back from the 17th-19th centuries. Then more paintings await you upstairs. Two of my favorite galleries are the Gallery IV: Academic and Neoclassical Sculpture and Gallery V: Homage to Dr. José Rizal.

The National Art Gallery, the art arm of the National Museum, is a rather impressive collection of…read morenotable and historically significant local artworks. The building that houses this gallery used to be the Legislature building, and served double-duty as the home of the Senate of the Philippines until 1996. Talk about relics. Just to clear up some confusion, when locals point to this building as the National Museum, they're technically half-right. Up until a decade ago, this building WAS the whole National Museum. Now, the artifacts of the National Museum have been divided between two buildings, with all the anthropological stuff moved to The Museum of the Filipino People at the former Finance Building. This building, however, still houses the Natural Sciences exhibits until the National Museum of Natural History building has been completed. Now with that out of the way... Admission to both museums is at P150 from Monday to Saturdays. On Sundays, you can come in for free. The P150 is a steal from the first hall alone when you scope out the first painting you will see: The Spoliarium. The Spoliarium, a huge mural depicting fallen gladiators, is arguably the most important artwork done by a Filipino (Juan Luna). The artworks featured in the building are divided by time periods, and I won't go discussing them in detail because hey, my idea of a masterpiece would probably differ from yours. But you know what? Do yourself a favor and go through the entire museum. It's a fascinating peek on how we as a people, historically speaking, took so-called "elitist" art forms and made it our own. The building itself is an attraction; do check out the former Senate Plenary Hall and take it all in.