25 Best Arts and Culture Moments of 2022

(SPOT.ph) When COVID restrictions loosened up a bit in 2021, restaurants, cinemas, and even tourist hotspots were allowed to reopen. Museums, art galleries, and theaters, however, were not part of the list. These establishments were unfortunately deemed non-essential. But local artists and creatives persisted and adapted to the times. For this alone, 2022 was a (relatively) successful year as Philippine art and culture continue to thrive despite obstacles.

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These are the notable moments in Philippine arts and culture in the past year:

Philippine theater returns to the physical stage

For two years, local plays and musicals had to be streamed online amid the closure of Philippine theaters, meaning theater artists, directors, and producers were forced to adapt their works to the screen. While this paved the way for innovation, nothing beats the exchange of energy between actors onstage and the audience. So when the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Huseng Batute finally hosted a live theater production of the annual Virgin Labfest, it was a big milestone in 2022. More productions followed: Mula sa Buwan, Joseph the Dreamer, and Carousel among others. Each opening was emotional as artists found their way back home. 

Philippine International Convention Center is finally declared a National Cultural Treasure

The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) is most known as a venue for graduations, industry conferences, and business meetings. But this grand building designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin is also an architectural masterpiece that's home to equally astounding works of art by other national artists like Arturo Luz, Napoleon Abueva, and Jose Joya. On September 27, the PICC was officially declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines, cementing its significance in Philippine arts and culture. 

Art Fair Philippines adapts to pandemic-era exhibition

For the first time since its inception in 2013, Art Fair Philippines 2022 had a hybrid set-up from March 23 to April 1. Virtual shows were available through their website, but special exhibitions were held at the Ayala Triangle Gardens—about 500 meters away from ArtFairPH's annual venue, The Link. This outdoor venue in the middle of the bustling Makati Central Business District was turned into an arts hub for a week. Art Fair Philippines is set to return to The Link in 2023.

Over 100 artists come together in a fundraising exhibit

On a rare occasion, more than 100 artists agreed to participate in a fundraising exhibit to support the presidential campaign of former Vice President Leni Robredo. Mas Radikal ang Magmahal opened online on February 14, and featured National Artist Benedicto Cabrera, Roberto Alejandro, Jomike Tejido, Elmer Borlongan, and many more. The event was inspired by award-winning writer Jose Dalisay Jr.'s 604-word piece "Radikal—The President We Deserve." 

Samsung Performing Arts Theater opens in Makati

Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati officially opened its doors—or should we say raised its curtains—on July 14. It later hosted Pat Valera and William Elvin's Mula sa Buwan, an all-original Filipino musical; and Ben Elton's We Will Rock You, a rock musical based on the songs of Queen. The 1,500-seater theater boasts a world-class sound system, a massive stage with sprung floors, and state-of-the-art backstage facilities. 

National Museum opens new Ethnographic Stoneware Resource Center

The National Museum of Anthropology got an upgrade on June 11 following the opening of the Elizabeth Y. Gokongwei Ethnographic Stoneware Resource Center on the fifth floor of the museum's East Wing. The first of its kind in the Philippines, the new center showcases the National Museum's varied collection of 291 stoneware pieces, which are mostly high-fired and glazed. The artifacts are from the 15th to the 20th centuries, collected from different ethnolinguistic groups in the country, including the Ilokano, Ibaloy, Bontok, Ifugao, and Gaddang communities in northern Luzon; Pala’wan and Tagbanua communities in Palawan, and Maguindanao, Maranao, and Tausug communities in southwestern Mindanao. 

Cultural Center of the Philippines unveils new black box theater

Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (a.k.a. new Black Box Theater) is the Cultural Center of the Philippines' newest venue for the performing arts. Highly flexible, it can accommodate theater-in-the-round productions with bleachers on the sides and a portable dance floor in the middle. It even has a removable trap door, which some performances may require; a loading dock that can fit a 20-foot container truck, and a catwalk that has enough provisions for a spectacle. Anak Datu, written by Rody Vera and directed by Chris Millado, was the first play that graced its halls. 

Metropolitan Museum of Manila reveals new outpost in BGC

Back in November, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila moved from its original site within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex to the MK Tan Centre in Bonifacio Global City. It has so far hosted by-appointment previews of Quick Turn on Hyper Highways by Ronald Ventura at the Groundspace and Art Alley, and The Hat of the Matter at the third-floor North Gallery. 

National Artist Alice Reyes establishes a new dance company

Alice Reyes Dance Philippines was launched in Dapitan in July. The company has since performed a series of live dance performances at the CCP Main Theater, including a collaboration between two National Artists for Dance Alice Reyes and Agnes Locsin. Reyes is also the founder of 53-year-old Ballet Philippines, which is currently under the artistic direction of Russian dancer Mikhail “Misha” Martynyuk. 

Rachelle Ann Go reprises her role in U.K. tour of Les Misérables

Filipina actress Rachelle Ann Go reprised her role as Fantine in the West End production of Les Misérables. She joined the cast on May 16 when the production moved from The Lowry in Salford to the Milton Keynes Theater. Go first played the role of the hardworking unwed mother in the 30th-anniversary staging of the musical at the Queen's Theatre—now the Sondheim Theatre—in London from 2015 to 2016. This overlapped with her performance in the Manila leg of its Asian tour that ran from March to May 2016 at The Theatre at Solaire. She was again cast as Fantine during the 2020 run of Les Misérables and the 2021 run of Les Misérables: The All-Stars Concert, both at the Sondheim Theatre. 

Newly renovated Ayala Museum launches permanent exhibitions

Following over two years of closure, Ayala Museum and Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati finally reopened on December 4, 2021. The museum went on hiatus in June 2019 for what was supposed to be only a one-year closure for renovations. The museum’s permanent exhibitions on the fourth floor were still closed off from the public during its soft opening, at least until August 3, when they launched Skeins of Knowledge, Threads of Wisdom; Ceramics and Cultural Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige; and Gold of Ancestors: Pre-colonial Treasures in the Philippines. 

Aliw Theater reopens after 2019 Star City fire

Aliw Theater—home of Lisa Macuja-Elizalde's dance company Ballet Manila—was affected by a massive fire that ravaged Star City in October 2019. After almost three years, the performance arts venue reopened on August 9 with Elizalde announcing, "The phoenix rises." 

Restored Manila Clock Tower Museum offers free admission

The Manila Clock Tower, which stands at 100 feet, was once considered the tallest clock tower in the Philippines when it was unveiled in the 1930s. Talks of its restoration started in 2020, and on October 25, the Manila Clock Tower Museum was finally opened to the public. It features an immersive and multi-sensory experience curated to tell the history of Manila. 

Museo Pambata comes out of pandemic hiatus

Museo Pambata, the country's first interactive children's museum, reopened to the public on September 25. Its most recent addition is the Bahay Pukyutan, an outdoor playground inspired by a beehive.  

CCP holds Imelda Cajipe Endaya's retrospective exhibition

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya (born 1949) is known not only for her prints and paintings, but also for her involvement in women's and people's liberation movements during the administration of Marcos Sr. in the '60s and '70s. Pagtutol at Pag-asa is the first-ever retrospective of her works, which were on display at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in September. A digital catalog is also available online.

Filipina novelist Gina Apostol receives John Guare Writers Fund Rome Prize

Novelist Gina Apostol, who is currently based in New York, is among the four grantees of the Rome Prize in Literature. This fellowship at the American Academy in Rome grants her the resources to write her next project, The Treatment of Paz, which frames "radicalism in fin de siècle Europe linked to Filipino nationalism, Freud’s early research on hysteria, and the modern history of Filipino global labor, filtered through women’s lives." Apostol is also the author of Insurrecto and Gun Dealers' Daughter. 

MCAD takes a more active role in the intersection of art and climate crisis awareness

With climate change continuously affecting everyone, it doesn't come as a surprise that more and more industries are stepping up to combat this global crisis. This includes the art sector, which is coming up with ways to raise awareness about the environment through visual language. The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Manila, for their part, is hosting Derek Tumala's Tropical Climate Forensics. This online project explores the timeline of the global climate crisis through a gamified web application, where users can click through biomes.  Tropical Climate Forensics draws inspiration from Tumala's Art Fair Philippines residency at the Manila Observatory.

Fotomoto 2022 showcases over 200 photographs from Filipino artists

Fotomoto 2022, which ran from November 19 to December 9 at the UP Fine Arts Gallery, rediscovered the concept of "home" through the different interpretations of more than 100 Filipino photographers. Among its roster are Jilson Tiu, Ben Molina, Ian Santos, Kim Canoy, and more. The exhibition is also expected to open at the BenCab Museum in Benguet and the Orange Project in Bacolod City in 2023. 

Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature returns after two-year hiatus

Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, which is regarded as the longest-running literary competition in the country, returned for its 70th edition after a two-year hiatus amid the pandemic. The awarding was held on November 30 at the Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City, where a total of 59 writers—28 of which are first-time awardees—were recognized for their works. 

Interdisciplinary exhibition on PH culture joins Venice Art Biennale

All of us present, This is our gathering (Andi taku e sana, Amung taku di sana) by artist Gerardo Tan, musicologist Felicidad A. Prudente, and weaver Sammy Buhle is the official Philippine entry at the 59th Venice Art Biennale. It was mounted at the Philippine Pavilion in Venice, Italy from April 23 to November 27. The exhibition boasts an interdisciplinary approach in showcasing the Philippines' rich culture of indigenous weaving practices. 

Silverlens expands with a new outpost in New York

Silverlens, a Manila-based art gallery founded in 2004, was initially a small studio showcasing photographic works—hence the name. It later moved into a stand-alone gallery housed in a converted piano factory along Chino Roces Extension in Makati City in 2006; then into a 1,200-square-meter of space that used to be the commissary of Pancake House in 2017. In September, Silverlens opened its second branch all the way in New Year. Their 2,500-square-foot gallery is located on the ground floor of 505 W 24th Street. 

Museo ng Pag-asa finds a home in Quezon City

Volunteerism was the main driver of former Vice President Leni Robredo's presidential campaign. Aside from people volunteering their time, effort, and resources, it also highlighted the creativity of many Filipinos as there were those who gave works of art, clothing, and souvenirs to Robredo's team. These items are now on display at Museo ng Pag-asa,  which houses the memories of the people's campaign. Admission to the museum is free of charge.  

National Artist Kidlat Tahimik's massive art exhibit graces the halls of the National Museum

INDIO-GENIUS: 500 Taon ng Labanang Kultural (1521-2021) by National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik was unveiled at the National Museum of Anthropology on October 22. This massive exhibit was originally created by Kidlat at the Palacio de Cristal in Madrid, Spain, where it was previously called Magellan, Marilyn, Mickey, and Fray Damaso: 500 Years of RockStar Conquistadors. INDIO-GENIUS explores the correlation of colonization, indigenous culture, and even reformation through the genius of Jose Rizal. 

Dolly de Leon makes history with Golden Globe nomination

Filipina actress Dolly de Leon has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture at the Golden Globes 2023 for her outstanding performance as Abigail in Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness. The satirical comedy premiered on May 5 at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or. This makes de Leon the first Filipina to get a Golden Globe nomination.

"Tumindig" artwork bags Japan’s Good Design Award

In July 2021, Kevin Eric Raymundo's (a.k.a. Tarantadong Kalbo) "Tumindig" icon made its round online and ended up becoming an unintended, impromptu collaboration with fellow Filipino artists. The image shows rows and rows of anthropomorphic fists that are bowing down in obedience—except for one, who is standing its ground (a.k.a. tumitindig). Local artists, writers, and other activists added their own fist-shaped avatars in solidarity. Fast forward to 2022, "Tumindig" bagged the Good Design Award, a Japan-based award-giving body that recognizes both tangible and intangible designs that play a role in enriching a society.

Good Design Award's citation for Raymundo's "Tumindig" was: "It’s artwork created to encourage voters to register to vote in national elections. Creators called for participation by creating derivative works from this artwork. The proceeds from merchandise sales were used for various support activities such as donating to the artists' labor union. In the face of the severe pandemic, it has become a means for people to connect with each other through SNS and other media. It has high appeal and is accessible not only nationwide but also worldwide."

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