Tracing the Human Condition: 7 Exhibitions to See This May

Galleries across Metro Manila launch light, tender, and witty exhibitions that touch on themes of mortality, memory, and imperfection–universal phenomena shared by everyone daily and in small pockets that shape each person distinctly. 

Erika Mayo (ProvenanceProvenanceThe documented history of an object's ownership, origin, and authenticity, particularly important for classic cars, watches, art, and wine. Strong provenance can dramatically raise an item's value, and collectors andGo to Provenance Glossary Gallery) and Allan Balisi (Mo_Space Gallery) discuss how we are porous creatures inevitably shaped by connections and spaces. Mac Eparwa (Space Encounters Gallery) conjures a fictitious ecology inspired by our country’s experience of typhoons. Meanwhile, artists at Modeka gallery courageously let play lead their experimental collaborations. Lena Cobangbang playfully reframes the cemetery as a site with fiber. From these shows, one might tread otherwise serious and difficult themes with ease as artists creatively meander through them.

Beneath Familiar Branches by Jemima Yabes at Mo_Space

In the midst of summer, Jemima Yabes brings to the fore the graceful capacity of the small things of nature to invoke memories that rest within the inner landscape of our beings. The Alatiris and Bougainvillea are small and not unlike any other thing in nature that is versed with birth and decay, but to the artist, these flora remind her of her childhood as well as her life in the university, memories of both having morphed over time; the branches from which the artist’s hands plucked blossoms only remain a memory in her mind. 

The exhibit concludes on May 24. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/mo_space/

Child World Grotto by Ana Verayo and Ernest Concepcion at Modeka Gallery

A collaboration between Ana Verayo and Ernest Concepcion, the show is experimental and open in approach to forms, colors, compositions, and meaning. Sheer belief in tools and instinct lead the artists, allowing for flaws to arise without shame nor judgement.

In this light, the duo probes into the personal and ephemeral role of art as tools of expression rather than attempts at perfection.

The exhibition runs from May 16 to June 6. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/modeka.art/

All the Raindrops in the World by Mac Eparwa at Space Encounters Gallery

Mac Eparwa is an artist that possesses a knack for building worlds, ecologies, and stories in his practice. In this show, he brings the reality of the Philippines as an archipelago and as a flood-prone country into a fictitious world wrought with its own adventures, evils, and quests. Those who have been fortunate to see his shows in previous years are familiar with the artist’s affinity to inject life into his characters, creating a dynamic scene full of humor. Retaining this quality, the works demonstrate Eparwa’s growing mastery in conjuring intriguing compositions in his worlds.

The exhibition concludes on June 5. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/spaceencountersgallery/

Formica by Erika Mayo at Provenance Gallery

Erika Mayo is perhaps one of the most compelling emerging painters of the Philippine art scene today. In 2023, Mayo’s works at the Art Fair Philippines under Orange Project gained traction for its raw, colossal (each panel measuring 4 x 6 ft), and mystical representation of the complexity of womanhood in the family unit. In this show, the artist focuses on the slow decay administered from cemented habits and routines that circulate at home. 

The exhibition concludes on May 30. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/provenanceartgallery/

Human Noise by Yusk Imai at Modeka Gallery

Brazilian-Japanese artist Yusk Imai brings his visual language of meticulous repetition to the Philippines in his solo show that focuses on the idea of imperfection. Using tools fabricated by the artist himself, his works bring a heightened level of human element in his figures, compositions and textures. Sharp and detailed, Imai’s works–though appearing mechanical in terms of palette–attest to our ability as individuals to reach excellence without losing touch with the tender aspect of our humanity.

The exhibition runs from May 16 to June 6. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/modeka.art/

Salamander by Allan Balisi at Mo_Space

Regaining footing when a limb is lost is Allan Balisi’s main theme for his debut show at Mo_Space. Taking inspiration from the salamander and its ability to regenerate limbs to replace the severed ones, Balisi turns this into an analogy on our capacity to adapt to various conditions, persons, and environments.

For the artist, this meant turning a meditative stance toward the spaces he inhabits, such as punk and underground events and subcultures.  

The show concludes on May 24. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/mo_space/

Almost Paradise by Lea Cobangbang at Bunso Gallery

Many artists tackle transcience of life in their works, but Lena Cobangbang does it with a peculiar reverence to the spaces that hold them. The cemetery is a site not often visited, reasons for which may vary but generally fall under the hesitation around death and those who have surrendered to it. Cobangbang, however, does so with verve.

Invoking images of various cemeteries from maps and charts, she returns them in renditions of fiber and watercolor. This show frames the grave as a coordinate in nature that is most familiar with the cycle of life and death.

The exhibition concludes on May 31. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/bunso.gallery/