In a digital roundtable, AWITA forecasts Filipino artists emerging in major international events
While the word “awita” has a lyrical, almost Spanish ring to it as well as reminiscent of the Filipino term for song, the word is actually the name of a London-founded nonprofit, the Association for Women in the Arts (AWITA).
Its purpose? “Supporting female ambition in the art world through mentoring, professional development and networking,” says co-founder Sigrid Kirk.
In a digital roundtable, AWITA hosted a Manila forecast moderated by the indomitable Trickie Lopa, founder of Art Fair Philippines and a key figure in elevating the country’s art scene.
The deep dive into the Philippine art ecosystem included panelists such as longtime art collector Abby Chan, National Gallery of Singapore curator Clarissa Chikiamco, and Isa Lorenzo, director of Silverlens Gallery in Manila and New York.
“See this as an insider’s guide or cheat sheet into the Philippine art scene,” says Lopa, as the conversation touched on Filipino figures making waves internationally. Together, the panelists walked through the commercial side of galleries and auction houses, with a rundown of institutions, academic support, and art history.
Jumping off 2024
Looking back to last year, 2024 proved to be a banner year for Philippine art with Pacita Abad’s traveling retrospective at the MoMA PS1 and the Hammer Museum’s retrospective of David Medalla on the West Coast. Pio Abad’s shortlisting for the Turner Prize also signaled growing global recognition.
Meanwhile, the all-women roster of work by Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Nena Saguil, Maria Taniguchi, and Pacita Abad represented the Philippines at the 2024 edition of the prestigious Venice Biennale.
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Silverlens is also exhibiting major shows including James Clar at the Weisman Art Museum at Pepperdine University and Maria Taniguchi at the MCAD in Manila.
As Filipino artists continue to gain international acclaim, discussions like these serve as essential guides to understanding the ever-evolving landscape of Philippine art, giving insight into the cultural temperature of our times.
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Both the curator, Chikiamco, and chief curator of the National Gallery of Singapore, Patrick Flores, are Filipino—signs of regional collaboration and strong Filipino art education.
Chikiamco shares with AWITA how the National Gallery Singapore is currently working on an exhibition focused on Fernando Zobel, who contributed to the “international language of abstraction” as a transcontinental artist active in Asia, Europe, and North America. Along with Flores, they are developing an iteration of “The Future of the Past,” which was previously at the Prado Museum in Spain in 2022 and will open in May 2025.
She also points to upcoming international exhibitions, including Wawi Navarroza’s show in Shanghai, Taloi Havini’s exhibition at a major New York institution in May, and Yee I-Lann’s presentation at the Singapore Art Museum. Havini, though Australian, and Yee I-Lann, Malaysian, are both represented by the Filipino gallery and continue to gain global recognition.
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Beyond these, three international shows by Silverlens artists feature prestigious art prizes. Pio Abad is shortlisted for the Turner Prize, Norberto Roldan will participate in El Museo del Barrio’s Triennale in New York, and Stephanie Syjuco’s work will be featured in the Hawaii Triennial.
“It’s funny because I’m from a gallery, but I’m telling you about our museum shows,” Lorenzo says. “For our gallery shows, I can tell you off the bat which artists will have a big year—not just in the Philippines, but internationally.”
Lorenzo continues to cite more Filipino artists making waves abroad, including veteran activist-artist Imelda Cajipe Endaya, San Francisco-based Keka Enriquez, who is returning after 20 years, and established names like Geraldine Javier and Norberto Roldan. Martha Atienza will unveil a massive exhibition in Naoshima in May, while Patricia Eustaquio is set to show at Art Basel in Switzerland.
Lopa also highlights successful artists beyond traditional three-dimensional work, mentioning “curator darlings” and performance artists Eisa Jocson and Joshua Serafin.
“All this work was born in the Philippines,” Lorenzo emphasizes, underscoring the global impact of Filipino art.
Market dynamics
The Philippine art scene is experiencing unprecedented international recognition. As Lorenzo explains, “There really is a buzz around Southeast Asia” that has been 20 years in the making. The region is no longer a blind spot, with museums increasingly seeking to diversify their collections.
Chikiamco notes the excitement, highlighting that people are “amazed by the energy in the art scene, even in just Manila alone.”
Lopa adds to this, citing the creative economy in the Philippines as valued at P21.72 trillion in 2023 (approximately 23 billion pounds), with the visual arts market roughly estimated at around P2 billion annually.
Lopa says, “When we started Art Fair PH in 2013, we had 24 galleries. At that time, if anybody asked me if an international gallery wanted to join the art fair, I would have said, ‘No, I’m sorry, Filipinos would not look at your work’…. But over the years, as the awareness of contemporary art has grown, it’s also brought in galleries from within the region—Japanese and Taiwanese galleries, for example, do well when they come to the fair. I guess that’s safe to say that there are Filipinos who are buying international art at a certain price point.”
On the other hand, international galleries are showing increased interest in Filipino artists. Gallery owners like Lorenzo report that “about 75 percent of what we sell in New York is to international clients… We’re selling to a lot of museums. A lot of institutional acquisitions are happening.” She gives the example of Javier at Art Basel, where all works were sold to US-based clients, not a single Southeast Asian client.
Chan reiterates this fact of navigating multiple art acquisition channels. “We buy from the galleries, the fairs, the so-called primary market, and that’s where we discover the upcoming artists. But of course, as collectors, we also have our personal collecting goals, and so there are times wherein we need to fill the gaps in our collection. That’s when we turn to auction houses both locally and abroad. Nowadays, you can actually search and purchase in the physical space and the online space. In terms of access, you’re not bound anymore by what is locally available.”
Southeast Asian gallery networks are also increasingly featuring Filipino artists. Galleries like Gajah and its foundry in Indonesia are also doing ambitious work for Filipino artists like BenCab.
Based in Singapore, Ames Yavuz is expanding its reach, with the gallery’s opening of its London space with Filipino artists Isabella and Alfredo Aquilizan. “I think that says something about how universal the themes of Philippine artists are,” Lopa says.
Historical artists getting fresh attention
Collectors like Chan are exploring both established and emerging artists. She highlights overlooked talents like Saguil, a “trailblazer of modern Philippine abstract art well known for her cosmic forms, which during the ’50s, was very avant-garde,” and who challenged male dominance at the time. She also cites Alfonso Ossorio, who was a personal friend of Jackson Pollock and made a mark on the international stage of abstract art with local Indigenous motifs.
Chan also cites Onib Olmedo who depicted Philippine urban daily life through bold, distorted forms. “He’s significant as the inspiration of contemporary stars right now like Elmer Borlongan and Manny Garibay.”
“Southeast Asia is a real blind spot for a lot of the museums around the world, and they need artists from these countries in their collections,” says Lorenzo. “The cultural narrative is we are important through this diaspora and cultural influences of second-, third-generation migrants.”
Lorenzo says, “There are private collections that pour in a lot of research, or curatorial program building… The way they’re able to be contextualized and how they enter the contemporary art context historically is very important. I can’t even begin to tell you the story of Filipino art needs—to be told through a narrative, rather than through trends.”
“It’s important to find out who was the first one who did this, and how that school cascaded. In Filipino art, there are a few OGs—David Medalla, Ray Albano, Roberto Chabet, and possibly Santiago Bose.”
How the country can get ready
Despite lacking a contemporary art museum, the Philippines has a rich museum ecosystem. Chikiamco recommends must-visit locations including the National Museum of Fine Art (home to Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium”), the Ateneo Art Gallery, the Ayala Museum, the Vargas Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. As she notes, visitors could easily “stay a month in Manila and enjoy the art scene.”
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Meanwhile, Lorenzo emphasizes this international attention raises the important need for infrastructure. “We need to be ready. We need to have infrastructure that people from outside can recognize, understand, and access. We need a proper contemporary art museum. We probably need a Biennale or a Triennale.”
With many Filipino artists recently having been exhibited in Singapore Art Week, and many Filipinos set to exhibit at Art Basel Hong Kong from March 28 to 30, 2025, the narrative is clear—Filipino art is no longer waiting to be discovered. Filipino talent, skill, and concept are actively claiming a space on the global stage.
Photos by JT Fernandez