Filipino art invasion of London
The first—and biggest—exhibition of Filipino art just landed in the UK, at the prestigious D Contemporary London Gallery in Mayfair. Titled “Pearls of Colour,” it’s a full-blown Pinoy invasion featuring 36 works by 17 artists, covering the entire spectrum of the art that is sought after not just in the Philippines, but in the rest of Asia.
Philippine Ambassador to Great Britain Teodoro Locsin Jr. quickly dubbed it (and without exaggeration) as “the first major exhibit of Filipino contemporary art in London in this century.”
The landmark exhibit runs till mid-October at the gallery’s posh address on Grafton Street, a stone’s throw away from the chic trifecta of New Bond, Regent and Dover Streets.
Indeed, it’s high tide season for Filipino art, with auction results and gallery openings at record highs while the Western hemisphere art landscape slides into a downtick.
There hasn’t been as much interest in all things Philippine in these parts since the days when Benedicto Cabrera (aka the National Artist BenCab) and enfant terrible David Medalla both trod this city’s cobblestoned streets. Incidentally, Medalla reportedly missed winning the nation’s top art prize by a whisper in the 2022 culture hustings. It’s not really a coincidence that both British-based talents reached the highest reaches — after all, London remains the world’s capital for contemporary art and is its ultimate testing ground.
Leading this important Filipino show was a new generation of painters: Demi Padua and Dino Gabito, two young turks whose works have already crossed borders elsewhere in Asia. Padua favors kaleidoscopic wide-eyed portraits while Gabito is well known for his shrouded figures, a nod to his mother’s dressmaking days in a Manila exurb. Women artists Anna Bautista and Marrie Saplad also make their London debut, with Bautista offering folding-fans and foliage and Saplad, pictures of suitably hyper-realistic Earl Grey teabags. Their works, along those of Cedric de la Paz, Isko Andrade and Pong Bayog, were all snapped up at the private preview, ensuring that almost half of the works were sold even before the gallery doors opened to the public.
Co-curator and art expert Derek Flores of DF Art Agency called it “an ode to Manila’s rich culture and history, built on the world’s first global trade route from the Pacific to the Spanish Americas.” The exhibition thus celebrates the diverse and dynamic artistic expressions that have emerged from the Philippines, capturing the essence of a nation with a deep and multifaceted heritage. Flores emphasized that “each piece tells a unique story that speaks to the heart of Filipino identity and experience.”
The Philippine pearl gave its name to the show since it is a touchstone of ethereal but lasting beauty that best exemplifies Manila’s contemporary art scene. Also featured in the show are emerging talents Adrian Evangelista, Angelo Quintos, Ian Anderson, Jill Arteche, Miller Laberinto, Omar Ramos, Sean Go, Ted Cacnio, Tita Halaman and Yanna Guillermo. Each of them has carved out their own distinctive style and correspondingly enthusiastic collectors.
Peter O’Kane, one of the two gallery owners, sees this as a major opportunity for Philippine art. “I first came across a vibrant art scene in Manila in the early ‘80s—but nothing had prepared me for the explosion of talent I saw on a visit last year. It’s a real privilege to be able to bring this to the heart of the London market, still one of the world’s major art centers for collectors and to do so at a time when, for many reasons, the Philippines and the UK are closer for a whole range of economic, cultural and geopolitical reasons.”
Ambassador Locsin summed up the show thus: “This event showcases the creativity, talent, and cultural expression that speaks to the heart of the Philippine art experience. Modern art speaks to something shared by everyone with a studiously acquired and enriching taste for it. The word for them is ‘appreciators.’ Appreciators live richer lives for seeing deeper and wider for the best that the world of art offers.”