Arts & Culture (05/20/26)

Spanish artist Cristina Mejías exhibits at Vargas Museum

THE exhibition Embracing the wind, Cradling the water by Spanish artist Cristina Mejías will open on May 22, a project done with the support of the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, AECID, and Instituto Cervantes Manila. The exhibition explores the unseen forces and structures that shape our lives through works that move, resonate, and transform with their surroundings. It will run until Sept. 5 at the Vargas Museum, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.

Nestor Perez Ong mounts exhibit

THE exhibition The Philosophical Tales Of The Ancient Raconteur: The Steampunk Surrealism Of Nestor Perez Ong is an ongoing one-man exhibit at Gateway Gallery. It showcases the work of Nestor Perez Ong, leader of the Steampunk Indio Collective, who aimed to turn the gallery into a brass-bound archive of dreams. Each piece came to life through the steampunk lens to deliver nostalgic Filipino scenes colliding with industrial futurism in one surrealistic canvas. The show runs until May 22 at the Gateway Gallery’s Small Room in Gateway Tower, Araneta City, Quezon City.

CCP Encyclopedia spotlights GAMABA awardees

THIS National Heritage Month, the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art is highlighting seven Filipina culture bearers and traditional craft artists whose historic contributions preserve the country’s rich cultural legacy, all awarded the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA). They are: Lang Dulay, the torchbearer for t’nalak, the sacred textile of the T’boli people of South Cotabato; Magdalena Gamayo, a master weaver of inabel from the Ilocos region; Haja Amina Appi, a Sama mat weaver from Tawi-Tawi; Apuh Ambalang Ausalin, a master Yakan textile weaver from Basilan; Estelita Bantilan of Sarangani, renowned for her vibrant and intricate igēm; South Cotabato’s Yabing Masalon Dulo, known for her mastery of traditional Blaan textile mabal tabih; and Abina Coguit, master of suyam, the traditional embroidery of the Agusanon Manobo.

Palanca Awards issues call for entries

THE Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. is now accepting entries to the 76^th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. The Palanca Awards welcomes Filipino citizens or former Filipino citizens of all ages, whether based locally or abroad, to participate. Authors may submit only one entry per category. Submission must be completed online through the Palanca Awards website at http://www.palancaawards.com.ph. The Carlos Palanca Foundation will not accept printed and e-mail submissions for any category. The deadline for submission is June 30. For the official contest rules and forms, visit the Palanca Awards website.

CCP opens nominations for Gawad CCP Para sa Sining

NOMINATIONS for the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining are now open to the public. The Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining is the highest award given by the Cultural Center of the Philippines to artists or groups of artists in architecture, dance, film and broadcast arts, literature, music, theater, and visual arts who have/had consistently produced outstanding works or have/had evolved a distinct style or technique that enriches the development of their particular art form. The deadline for the submission of nominations is July 31. Completed nomination forms should be sent to [email protected].