Featuring even more walking! Catch this art walk in Makati until tomorrow.
Happy National Arts Month!
Art Walk by Ayala Land
Art Walk by Ayala Land celebrates the best in Philippine contemporary art –both familiar installations, and the new just for the month– and encourages enthusiasts to walk through the parks, streets and many malls of Makati CBD.
The city as a giant canvas; and the people, both its highlights and critics.
Aside from Makati CBD, there are also art installations in the Circuit area. That was a bit too far for our weekend afternoon stroll, so we stuck with the basics from EDSA to Ayala Ave.
This is a collaboration between 10DaysOfArt and the LGU #MakeItMakati, as a run-up to Art Fair Philippines.
1: OFFTHEWALLMANILA-PARIS CONNEXIONS
Vibrant contemporary murals have decorated the space of AYALA ONE TERMINAL since 2022. French and Filipino artists came together in celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations.
I love how murals in everyday spaces can make even your daily commute feel a little more special and beautiful.
2: THE COURSE OF THE SUN
This installation requires live viewing for full appreciation. Hanging from the mall’s central atrium of the mall, B+C’s 2023 work asks us to contemplate the rhythms of life as the earth orbits the sun.
Best viewed on the second floor, but to each their own.
3: DIGITAL PHOTO EXHIBIT BY TRISH SHISHIKURA
Trish Shishikura’s photography shines in a well-staged digital photo exhibit in Japan Town, Glorietta. She primarily exhibits stylized portraits as well as prints with floral or organic motifs.
The exhibit itself is complemented by some Japanese-inspired music, as well as a cute art cart where you can paint a canvas for free (if you can show a PHP500 receipt from nearby establishments).
4: I TEACH MY CHILD BY GEMINO ABAD AS INTEPRETED BY EMMANUEL GARIBAY
Since we made this walk last Sunday (Feb 11), we missed out on this interpretation —Ayala Museum only opened this up last Feb 13. Unfortunate.
5: FOTOMOTO PRINT EXHIBIT
Fotomoto is one of the recurring names in this art walk; the group also happens to be one of the main organizers for ArtFairPH.
This temporary exhibit in Greenbelt 5 juxtaposes the unique variability of captured life, from a portrait of Cherie Gil, to this quiet watery landscape called Kanlungan sa Binuagan by Ricky Ladia, to this arresting photo of three girls, The Twins 06 by Hersley Casero, set against the meta-backdrop of designer luxury goods.
10: SCULPTURES BY IMPY PILAPIL
We took the journey with a few stops mixed ahead, because we wanted to catch some pieces in daytime and some pieces after sunset.
The sculptures in Washington Sycip Park, including those pictured here The Mangrove — Nature’s Embrace and Wish Stone, were familiar to me from a previous visit to the park. I even just recently wrote about it.
I think public art is so deeply underappreciated in many ways. Spaces which spark interaction and conversation enrich lives and act as an added flavor to community building. Whatever else I can say about the sculptures —that is, I might prefer mine a little less bright— they serve well their form and function.
11: !XCLAIM
The farthest we had to walk was to Ayala North Exchange, another terminal-slash-mall for commuters. We almost couldn’t find the installation; there was no approachable concierge. We just kept walking until what we felt was a central area.
And there it was. !Xclaim, done in 2019 by B+C (the same mind or minds behind the earlier work in the second stop), explores identity and image in the era of technology. It’s a nice enough place to contemplate life, or to contemplate your face —while staring into the Narcissus pool.
6: FOTOMOTO DIGITAL PHOTO EXHIBIT
Fotomoto continues to represent photography as an art form, this time with another digital photo exhibit lining the media displays along the Legaspi Underpass.
The series of photos appear to be from previous collections of Fotomoto, some highlighting the isolation of the pandemic and others redefining “home”. It’s a tease for this year’s collection in ArtFairPH.
For a better idea of what these displays contain, view the YouTube short video below!
9: PAPERCLIP BY ARTURO LUZY
You’d think a well-loved piece from a national artist would be more visible to ordinary pedestrians, but no. We actually missed this the first time we passed by the Tower One and Exchange Plaza in Ayala Triangle Gardens. Thank you to the helpful guards who pointing us back to the right direction.
7: A WARM ORANGE COLORED LIQUID BY DAVID TUMALA
One of the highlights of the art walk is this temporary light installation in the central canopy area in Ayala Triangle Gardens. The mix of bright and deep lights evoke warmth, passion, and even the sun.
Made out of recycled pulp paper and metal, it invites viewers to contemplate our changing climate and to consider what we can do next.
This piece is clearly best viewed at nighttime. Lights turn on at 6PM.
8: PRISMATIC EMBRACE BY ISAIAH CACNIO
Delighting the senses —sight, sound, even touch— this playful looping addition to the Ayala Triangle Grounds invites anyone who walks by to rest in the light (or as the official commentary would like: to rest in the embrace of the Lord).
Though our art walk officially ended with this show (as we had no energy for Circuit at 8PM), I would imagine this place a great place to chat or even to eat some food from the nearby restaurants. It’s a calming and hopeful vibe.
With over three hours and eight kilometers travelled, Art Walk by Ayala Land is an opportunity to refresh the spirit and the body. There’s time to contemplate life and to simply breathe.
I highly recommend doing the journey anytime, even betond the official period. Make life a little more beautiful everyday.
P.S. Some more architecture and literature as art
I spent part of my quiet Lunar New Year working and reading in Gourmet’s Cafe – Manila, situated in the first floor of the Ramon Magsaysay Center. It’s the rebrand of The Library Cafe, which I visited for my birthday last year, but now there’s more library to go with the cafe.
Looking up and around while walking is a habit of mindfulness who has can reveal the beauty of the mundane around us. Like the view of this bright blue sky framed by this brutalist classic.
Today I’m having lunch with family, then heading over to ArtFairPH —probably my favorite art event every February, as I haven’t missed one since 2015.
See you around.
Until next time! ♥️
jari m 
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