Kapitolyo Art Space, located in Capitol Commons near Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City, celebrated the opening of its new building with Projekt Kapitolyo. This event, beyond the commemoration of a new exhibition space, functions as a gathering for a social cause.
Projekt Kapitolyo brings together the artworks of 102 different artists as a showcase of contemporary art in the country. The gallery will donate the proceeds from this exhibition to Shades of Pink Philippines, an organization promoting breast cancer awareness in the country.
The organization works to support Filipinos with “compassionate care, early detection resources, and education.” They aim to raise enough funds and awareness to create mobile clinics that can allow these resources to reach far-off places in the country.
“One day, I met Miss Gie [Drew] of the [Shades of Pink] Foundation,” gallery owner Marigrace Felicia shared. “We had this conversation about some overseas workers whom she knows because she’s from Abu Dhabi also. And she knows these patients. They would come to her [for help].”
“Being a gallery, I also wanted to somehow help some foundation,” she expanded. “That was really my advocacy ever since: that somehow, in my business, I could help people who needed this most.”
“[This exhibit] is a bold collective initiative that brings together over a hundred artists in pursuit of a shared social cause,” the exhibit write-up by Maja Sollegue said. “Drawing on a centuries-long tradition of art as a tool for social change, the exhibition honors the enduring spirit of creative resistance.”
Kapitolyo Art Space used to be located in a different building on West Capitol Drive. Their new building is located less than a block away on the same road, designed and constructed by Rockwell.
The three-story building blends natural wooden tones in the building’s structure for a modernist flair.
On the first floor are the main exhibition space and reception area, while the second floor houses a coffee shop and an artist hub, along with a balcony for social gatherings. The gallery’s offices occupy the third floor.
Gallery owner Marigrace Felicia shared that they only needed minimal adjustments to tailor the space for Kapitolyo Art Space’s requirements.
“We built more walls, actually, movable walls for the artworks,” she said. “And also, on the second floor is our coffee shop. So… we just added a few new concept[s]. And that way, the customers, the buyers will have more time to savor the place, the arts, and the coffee.
Projekt Kapitolyo, the inaugural exhibition for Kapitolyo Art Space’s newest home, brings together the gallery’s established roster of artists alongside honored and legendary artists such as Eghai Roxas, Pen Medina, Kitty Taniguchi, and Junyee.
It works as a year-ender for the gallery. But beyond that, it also functions as an exuberant celebration of contemporary art and its future in the Philippines.
“It’s sort of like a gathering of all the previous artists who have exhibited with us,” gallery assistant Tezia Po said. “We have invited master artists to feature their work as well, as a way of giving back and giving thanks to these master artists for contributing to the art scene here in the Philippines in contemporary art.”
The contributed works display the unique sensibilities of Philippine art. The works are largely homogeneous in size, but otherwise exhibit different bits of humor and emotionality that showcases the individuality of every artist here, whether venerated or up-and-coming.
Projekt Kapitolyo will be open on Kapitolyo Art Space until January 12.
Photos by Elle Yap.
Related reading: ICA Art Fair: Funding Philanthropic Efforts Through Artistry
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