Public spaces in Metro Manila are often defined by movement rather than pause. People in transit hurry through; the underpass is a shortcut, not a place to stop.
Underground, the installation by photography group FotomotoPH, reimagined the Paseo Underpass as a visual experience. FotomotoPH is a Philippine-based photography collective dedicated to promoting, exhibiting, and fostering dialogue around Filipino photography as art. The exhibit opened on January 30 and was extended to March 7, coinciding with the run of Art Fair Philippines 2026 in the Makati CBD.
FotomotoPH challenged the notion that an underpass is just a passageway by repurposing it into a setting that invites pedestrians to linger. Large-format photographic prints were mounted directly onto dark wall panels along the corridor, creating a continuous visual line that commuters encountered as they walked along the route. Instead of rushing past, passersby slowed down to take in stories told through the lens of the participating photographers.
The photos were the result of an Open Call Program that encouraged submissions from all over the country. This resulted in a rich collection of images that capture Filipino ritual, labor, and urban life.
One example is the photograph by Enrique Bejar entitled Taong Putik. In it, a taong putik–literally “mud man.” He is shown standing in front of a sari-sari store (a small convenience store usually operating from part of someone’s house) wearing dried banana leaves and mud. The man is a participant in the Pagsa-San Juan, a religious observance celebrating St. John the Baptist, in the village of Bibiclat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. The stark contrast between ancient ritual and modern amenities reflects the layers of life experienced in the everyday.
In turning a corridor of transit into a site of reflection, Underground demonstrated how even the most functional infrastructure can be reimagined as cultural ground. The underpass, once a shortcut between streets, became a space of encounter—between ritual and routine, past and present, city and self. As Makati’s business district pulsed above ground, the exhibition below suggested a quieter possibility: that art need not occupy a white cube to shape public consciousness. Sometimes, it only needs a wall, a passageway, and the willingness of passersby to pause.
Photographs from FotoMotoPH and Art Walk
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