THE Center for Art, New Ventures, and Sustainable Development (Canvas) celebrated their 20th anniversary by launching last month the exhibition, “Twenty Years of Art and Stories,” at the National Museum. At a time of literacy crisis, the space brings books and their importance back to life. It also encourages the public to confront and learn visually the issues that confront their generation like climate change and internet safety.
Canvas Executive Director Gigo Alampay and Curator Jaime Pacena II selected nine artworks and sculptures by Lito Mondejar, Daniel dela Cruz, Susanito Sarnate and Jojo Barja, including eight of his dogs from their vast archive. The space with several “learning pods” and a multi-functional activity area was designed by design studio Arkisens Co.
The Manila Times sat down with Pacena and Arkisens Managing Partner Ar. Chok Manalo to chat about the design thinking behind the exhibit, which will run until June 2026. This is the third proof of concept exhibit for Canvas’ Museum in Batangas, which acts as a laboratory for how art and stories will form the next generation in climate change activism and digital literacy.
Pacena gave the reason why Arkisens was selected: “Both of us have an atypical perspective on what can be seen, how the user experiences the space.” After his arts residencies abroad, the curator’s perspective on art changed: “I became focused less on the art object and more on the experience of the viewer.” His view on the design of art spaces also evolved. He wanted to know how a space ignites the mind for a particular experience or becomes a catalyst for the imagination.
Manalo concurred, “I put more importance to the contained than the container. Usually design forgets the contained, the space. Most people have a preconceived notion of what a museum is, forgetting what the space is supposed to contain — which is the experience of the artworks.”
More personal journey
Allotted a total of 470 sqm, the designers confronted the challenge of making art less intimidating. Pacena said: “Since people know they cannot touch the art object, the experience is reduced to taking selfies.”
‘I Am the Change in Climate Change’ section.
‘I Am the Change in Climate Change’ section.
‘Art 4 Development’ section.
Friends since college, the duo think that a playful and organic gallery makes art more approachable. The raw and unpainted texture of wooden panels becomes part of the sensorial experience.
The design of the exhibition aims to uncover what works for an art space within the Philippine context. Tempering the massive dimensions of the walls of the National Museum, Manalo strove to provide a maze-like experience. He carved two entrances from the hallway, giving viewers the choice of how they want to start their adventure. He said, “We didn’t want to dictate the starting point of the experience.”
Wanting to associate art with play, walls and portals of differing sizes invite the viewer to forge their own experience. Canvas wants to say that life is an unending Easter egg hunt. Pacena said, “We want to raise kids with the idea that art is three-dimensional. Experiencing art does not mean looking at a painting or sculpture from a distance.”
Wishing the audience to be filled with the drive toward creativity and innovation, Manalo generated the activity center, which gives a foretaste of Canvas’ museum in Batangas: a combination of a playground and community space. Aside from serving the different programs lined up for a run of the exhibition, the space offers an opportunity to look out the window into the park.
“It is different from the experience of the National Museum, which prescribes and regulates one’s experience. Ours is a space that is connected to the nature and life outside the gallery as well as with everyone else inside the gallery,” Pacena said. Marshalls and docents, however, will remind everyone to be safe and mindful of their surroundings.
Aside from the activity center with various steps and slides, visitors, young and old alike, can explore and immerse themselves in art in the learning pods. In commemoration of its 20th year, Canvas is eager to let everyone know that the organization is not merely a harbinger of art but a beacon of hope for social reform.
Visitors can view the exhibition at Galleries XXV and XXVI, 4/F, National Museum of Fine Arts, through next year. For more info, click on https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/2025/06/13/nmp-opens-canvas-20-years-of-art-and-stories-exhibition/
Be the first to comment