A private museum in Makati City’s exhibitions this month featured the Philippines’ treasures, indigenous textiles and ceramics.
Called the “Crossroads of Civilization,” Ayala Museum aims to showcase the interactions that the country’s ancestors have that shaped its identity over millions of years.
It comprises three exhibitions with collections about pre-colonial gold, textiles of early Filipinos and trade ware ceramics in Southeast Asia.
“The three exhibitions jointly tell the story of the ‘Crossroads of Civilizations’: how the country’s identity, imagery, and ingenuity were shaped by a millennium of interactions within the flourishing networks of exchange within Asia and beyond,” the museum’s management said in a statement.
They were unveiled on Wednesday, August 3 at the museum’s fourth floor. This also coincided with the resumption of Ayala Museum’s full operations.
Allow yourself to be awed by the pre-colonial treasures found in the Gold of Ancestors exhibition. ✨
08.03.2022 pic.twitter.com/tEA1ZwDxkm
— Ayala Museum (@ayalamuseum) July 30, 2022
a completely refreshed look at our textiles and ceramics exhibition awaits ✨
🧶 𝑺𝒌𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆, 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎
🏺 𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚: 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒆 pic.twitter.com/e2tF2tkoEs— Ayala Museum (@ayalamuseum) August 1, 2022
Exhibition reveal
Here are the new exhibitions you can view at the museum:
Skeins of Knowledge, Threads of Wisdom
Ayala Museum expressed hope that this exhibition will make Filipinos aware of indigenous communities and learn to appreciate them as they are “living examples of how we might be able to restore some balance in our lives, in our country, and among global communities.”
“‘Skeins of Knowledge, Threads of Wisdom’ will place the textiles in the context of community, environment, culture, and tradition, spirit and matter,” Ayala Museum said.
Ceramics and Cultural Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige
A huge amount of Chinese and Southeast Asian trade ceramics found in the Philippine archipelago are proof that the country’s forefathers are active in “a wide network of inland and inter-island trade and cultural exchange in the region” as early as the 9th century.
“’Ceramics and Cultural Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige’ examines the practical, social, economic, and spiritual values that Filipinos ascribed to these trade wares over a millennium of exchange,” the private institution said.
Gold of Ancestors: Pre-colonial Treasures in the Philippines
Ayala Museum said that this exhibit originally opened in 2008. This upcoming collection has been refreshed for the new generation.
It will feature “more than one thousand archaeological gold objects that celebrate the cultures that flourished before the Spanish colonization of the islands.”
“The precious objects in this exhibition were recovered in the Philippines in various archaeological contexts, often in association with tenth to twelfth-century Chinese export ceramics,” the museum said.
✨ EXHIBITION REVEAL ✨
What are the new exhibitions you’ll find at the 4F of Ayala Museum? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/J3aeVkpob0
— Ayala Museum (@ayalamuseum) August 3, 2022
To ensure the safety of guests, Ayala Museum will still practice its policies on pre-booked admissions, limited capacity on admissions, and timed entries.
