Manila is the capital of the Philippines and one of its most populous cities. The city and the greater Metro Manila region are comprised of densely populated districts with a mixture of American, Spanish, Chinese, and Malay architecture. At the centre of Manila is the early Spanish-era city, Intramuros, which was largely reconstructed after the city was levelled in World War II.
An economic hub and cultural crossroads of the Southeast Asia and Pacific region, Manila is rich in regional culture including contemporary art. It is a great place to experience and learn about the Philippine art scene. Manila art galleries, cultural spaces, and institutions not only offer a wealth of history, but also sustain a burgeoning contemporary art scene.
Manila is home to a myriad of art institutions with local, national, and regional importance. Located across the road from the city's historical centre, Rizal Park, is the National Museum of Fine Arts. It houses a collection of classical Filipino paintings and sculpture, as well as modern and contemporary artworks.
The Metropolitan Museum of Manila offers the work of international and Filipino contemporary artists through accessible presentations. Located on the waterfront between Manila and Pasay, the Cultural Centre of the Philippines promotes contemporary visual and performing arts, music, literature, and cinema to a national audience.
Further inland, the Ayala Museum in Metro Manila's Makati Central Business District offers historical and contemporary Filipino art and artefacts, while the Lopez Museum and Library in Pasig, Metro Manila, holds a collection of significant Filipino visual art and literary history.
Further inland is another Manila art space, the Ayala Museum in Metro Manila's Makati Central Business District. It offers historical and contemporary Filipino art and artefacts, while the Lopez Museum and Library in Pasig, Metro Manila, holds a collection of significant Filipino visual art and literary history.
Manila's educational institutions have strong links to the cultural scene. The University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Science is the oldest existing museum in the Philippines. Located within Manila's De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design offers a contemporary programme showcasing the possibilities of new media and technology in art. Ateneo de Manila University is home to Ateneo Art Gallery, which presents an extensive collection of Filipino post-war Modern art.
One can also find a number of popular, offbeat museums in Manila, such as the Dessert Museum and the Upside Down Museum.
Metro Manila is also home to a plethora of independent galleries and artist spaces. Concentrated mostly in Makati, the nation's leading commercial hub, these include established dealer galleries like Artinformal, The Drawing Room, and 1335 Mabini. Just up the road, one can find Silverlens, as well as Pasay-based Galeria Duemila.
Manila artist-run spaces and other such initiatives include 98B COLLABoratory. It is based in the old town district of Binondo; the exhibition space and international residency programme Bellas Artes Projects; and Calle Wright, an art house in the centrally located Malate district.
Reflecting its rich culture and wider regional connections beyond the Philippines, Manila hosts several major cultural festivals and art events. Pasinaya, held by the Cultural Center of the Philippines since 2005, is the Philippines largest annual arts festival, offering an array of visual arts, performances, film, music, theatre, and cultural activities.
Launched in 2013, Art Fair Philippines (ArtFairPH) brings together a variety of local and international galleries and artists. In 2018, this was complemented by the first edition of the Manila Biennale, which served as an homage to the destruction of Intramuros during the Second World War. In 2020, ALT Philippines emerged as a rival to ArtFairPH, formed by a breakaway group of ten influential Metro Manila galleries.
Alongside these major regional art events, Manila also hosts the annual national art fair ManilArt and the alternative arts festival Fringe Manila.
Image: Image by AGDProductions from Pixabay.
