This August, works by Philippine National Artists for Visual Arts headline a landmark exhibition celebrating the extraordinary creative legacies that have shaped the country’s art and culture.
Titled “In the Shadow of Great Light: An Exhibition of Works by Philippine National Artists,” the exhibit will feature the works of the following artists:
- Abdulmari Imao
- Ang Kiukok
- Arturo Luz
- Benedicto Cabrera
- Carlos “Botong” Francisco,
- Cesar Legaspi
- Federico Alcuaz
- Jerry Elizalde Navarro
- Jose Moya
- Larry Alcala
- Vicente Manansala
- Victorio Edades
Curated by Ricky Francisco, director of Fundacion Sansó, the exhibit pays tribute to the “mastery and vision of these cultural icons.” The artists were described as “visionaries whose brilliance continues to illuminate our cultural and national consciousness.”
Visitors can view works loaned from private collections and artist estates, as well as pieces being publicly exhibited for the first time.
“In the Shadow of Great Light,” presented by Galerie Stephanie and Fundacion Sansó in partnership with Shangri-La Plaza, aptly opened to the public on National Heroes Day, August 25, and runs until August 31 at the mid-level East Atrium of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City, with free admission.
“To know our National Artists is to understand the enduring radiance of their vision: how their works revealed beauty amid hardship, truth amid silence, and possibility amid uncertainty,” Galerie Stephanie wrote on Facebook.
“As this exhibition opens on the eve of National Heroes Day, we are reminded that their legacy is not only preserved in canvas, stone, melody, or word, but also in the values and ideals we now hold as a people. Like heroes who defended our freedom, our National Artists lit paths of imagination and meaning, allowing future generations to see further and dream more bravely,” it added.
“Today, we live in the shadow of that great light—shaped, challenged, and inspired by it—affirming that their artistry is not of the past alone, but a living beacon guiding the nation toward its highest self,” the gallery concluded.
