Rinna Soriano’s favorite part of her work is sanding. At her workbench, she stays focused, following the grain, adjusting to changes in its direction. Narra, she has learned, can have interlocking grain. A piece of mango once proved particularly difficult until a worker explained that she had reached the point where a branch once grew […]
Espejo ni Pinggoy: Where a Home Became a Gallery
In Malanday, Marikina, a simple home’s garage has been transformed into a studio-gallery called Espejo ni Pinggoy. Once considered by Pinggoy Generoso as a waste of space, it now serves as his favorite spot in the house, “When I renovated this part of the house, my main goal was to make it a very relaxing space. Before, I was imagining having coffee, and I would see plants. I would see anything Filipino.The architectural details are very Filipino. So I incorporated that. So that after a stressful work, or before a stressful work, while having coffee, I have a moment of peace, tranquility.”
After some of his relatives migrated to the United States, Generoso saw an opportunity to reimagine the space. He brightened the former garage by removing its frontage and installing vintage window panes, which he had acquired himself. Their stained glass produces a warm glow that fills the gallery.
To reinforce the sense of openness and tranquility, Generoso also added a garden-like area inside, featuring an open roof that allows natural sunlight and even rain to flow through. Complementing the greenery is a wooden bench, carved by Generoso himself, with domino-like structures for feet.
“I think that this type of space is beautiful because I get to see the pieces I made, and I appreciate it more. Then after that, I built up the inspiration to make another piece. So it’s a continuous thing,” he says.
While the gallery showcases the breadth of his work today, each piece traces back to how Generoso first discovered his passion for wood carving.
Related Reading: Filipino Contemporary Artist Ronald Ventura on Reinvention and Layered Identity
How Did Pinggoy Generoso Move From Television Directing to Wood Carving?
For Generoso, wood carving began as a personal hobby before gradually evolving into a second creative pursuit. During his years as a television director, he crafted wooden pieces as gifts for celebrity friends.
Over time, those same friends began requesting handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces for their own homes. What started as a thoughtful gesture soon grew into a steady creative practice, and when Generoso retired from television directing, he found a new creative outlet in wood carving.
Although he has stepped away from television, Generoso’s passion for storytelling lives on. Only now, his stories are told through grain, texture, and sculpted wood, with Espejo ni Pinggoy serving as the space where they continue to unfold.
Related Reading: ‘Dialogo’: Two Artists Collaborative and Find Middle Ground in New Exhibit
Espejo ni Pinggoy Art Gallery
Upon entering the gallery, guests are immediately greeted by two sculptural wooden floor lamps that blur the line between lighting and art. The first lamp features different geometric patterns, including small triangular motifs reminiscent of house roofs. The second, meanwhile, is composed of four stacked rectangular modules punctuated by circular cutouts, evoking the phases of the moon while casting a warm glow through its openings.
Going further into the open layout, more of Generoso’s works come into view, from objets d’art and mirrors with sculpted wooden frames to benches and a credenza. Positioned between the two lamps is a carved wooden bench, echoing their handcrafted character, all set against vintage textured glass windows from Vigan—which Generoso acquired himself—that bathe the space in soft, amber-tinted light.
Beyond this vignette, a round dining table that seats four people can be found at the center of the room, and just across from it is a handcrafted wooden media console with open display shelves. Above it hangs the signage, “Espejo ni Pinggoy Art Gallery,” while the shelves display other handcrafted wooden pieces, including trophies, picture frames, and sculptural home accessories, further highlighting the gallery’s celebration of craftsmanship.
Beyond serving as a source of inspiration for his own practice, the gallery is also designed to inspire its visitors. Generoso shares that he displays each piece throughout the space to provide clients with ideas on how his handcrafted wooden works can be incorporated into their own homes.
Related Reading: Tramp Art: The Beauty of Unique Upcycled Folk Decor
Photographed by Ed Simon.
About Espejo ni Pinggoy
Espejo ni Pinggoy is a studio-gallery in Malanday, Marikina City founded by former lifestyle television director and wood sculptor Pinggoy Generoso. Housed in a former family garage, the space showcases Generoso’s handcrafted wooden sculptures, furniture, lighting, and decorative objects while serving as both his creative workspace and gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Espejo ni Pinggoy is a studio-gallery in Malanday, Marikina City created by former television director and wood sculptor Pinggoy Generoso. It showcases his handcrafted functional wooden sculptures, furniture, lighting, and decorative objects within a space that was once part of his family home.
Pinggoy Generoso is a former lifestyle television director who later pursued wood carving as a second creative career. What began as making handcrafted wooden gifts for friends eventually evolved into a full-time artistic practice centered on sculptural furniture and home pieces.
Generoso wanted to create a peaceful environment where he could relax, find inspiration, and display his handcrafted works. By converting the former garage into Espejo ni Pinggoy, he created both a personal retreat and a gallery that allows visitors to experience his work in a home-like setting.
The gallery features handcrafted wooden floor lamps, mirrors with sculpted frames, benches, credenzas, furniture, trophies, picture frames, decorative objects, and other functional wood sculptures designed by Pinggoy Generoso.
Espejo ni Pinggoy is located in Malanday, Marikina City, Philippines. The gallery occupies what was once the garage of Pinggoy Generoso’s family home.
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