I like being surprised by a place that I thought I was familiar with. All these years and I thought…read morethe area of MoDesign and BoConcept was just floors upon floors of really well-crafted modern furniture. I recently found out that on the third floor of their building, a small space called Mo_Space was there specifically for the art enthusiast. The place is just really small, I bet it's just around 10 x 20 feet. I'm not good at estimating so bear with me. When I decided to drop by today, I chanced upon seeing the many sketches of Kawayan de Guia which was entitled as Bezoar (Non-Linear Drawings). Today was the last day so I was glad that I was able to see how some of the details of her art process. It is, after all, a fundamental skill that most artists have to at least have an idea on. I look forward to seeing more artists from their roster exhibit here. They're open until 8:00 in the evening, so when you feel like you need a dose of inspiration or insight after work, this would be a great place for that especially if you just work around BGC.

Fort Bonifacio is known primarily for its dining, retail, nightlife and residential locations, but…read moreone thing that people hardly ever notice about it is that it actually houses a beautiful art gallery in the form of Mo_Space Gallery. Located just above BoConcept, Mo_Space is an artist-owned, non-profit gallery. Most of the artists that exhibit at Mo_Space are known for their edgy, contemporary take on modern art. Big names such as Kawayan de Guia, Catalina Africa, Jeona Zoleta, Kiri Dalena and Fernando Modesto have exhibited their works at Mo_Space, whose advocacy encourages artists to freely create art, instead of doing it for the money. I love Mo_Space's location because it affords one a fairly comprehensive view of Bonifacio High Street, giving you the feeling of being 'above it all,' while still being fully immersed in the dynamic energy of Fort Bonifacio. The well-curated exhibits at Mo_Space make it a must-visit location when you are in the area, regardless of whether or not you are there at an exhibit launch.

My family and I always enjoy museums-- no matter if they're…read moremodern art or classic, natural history or science/tech; they're all good in their own way. We were finishing up a day trip in the Antipolo area and had to pass by the Pinto MODERN ART Museum. First thing I will say is this museum is NOT for senior citizens. It's a lot of stairs and awkward walking/spaces. My parents and Tias/Tios did not like that. Another negative would be the lack of air flow in the buildings. It was almost stifling in a lot of areas. And we all know that when the air is hot and sticky, the mosquitos come in droves. So even when you're walking around TRYING to appreciate the artwork, you become preoccupied with swatting the mosquitos trying to drain your blood. It was very annoying. Other than that, it's an interesting collection of MODERN art. Definitely NOT for everybody's taste. The architecture of the buildings were amazing though! We really enjoyed imagining the heyday of those houses/buildings. It can be a bit confusing navigating the different buildings; the museum definitely needs to update their signage. Especially during the dusk /evening hours, outdoor signage was greatly lacking and was frustrating many people who were trying to go towards the "exit" --and NOTE, this museum is majority an OUTDOOR/Open-air museum, with a LOT of stairs/steps; NOT good for people with mobility issues. :( The staff were friendly enough and somewhat polite; and for that, they get the 3stars. Otherwise it's an interesting experience and probably NOT for everyone. They do have an eatery on site for those who get hangry when they get lost in the maze. ;)

A very beautiful museum that combines nature ant Art as a form of healing! Recently visited this…read moremuseum with my friends and I was in awe because I felt so serene while visiting the museum and touring it grounds, you can see soft vintage beds and couches all scattered around its vicinity, we asked our tour guide why is that so and he said because they believe art and nature could both heal the soul. We also visited their cafe and the food was okay, salad was drenched in their dressing but overall I like the aesthetics of the cafe, felt I was in Greece.

We visited this 3D art gallery last Oct. 25. For only 150 pesos you can visit the place and be…read moreamazed with their arts. It is located at Level 4 Market Market, just beside the cellphone shops. It's open from 10:00 AM till 9:00 PM. I suggest that you go there early so there won't be lots of visitors. If you're visiting alone, the staff are very accommodating and they would love to help you take your photos. The gallery is suitable for children, but I'm not sure with toddlers. Mine is 2 years old and he was running all around the gallery. Good thing the staff were nice! If you have lots of stuff with you, you can just leave it at their reception so you can enjoy having your photos taken without the luggage. If you're in Market Market, why not visit Miracle Art and let us know what you think!

The red walls and huge circle windows of Gallery Big will entice you to step in and get yourself…read moreschooled about contemporary Filipino art. They house up-and-coming artists and masters of the art as well. The gallery is just a small nook on the second floor of LRI Design Plaza but it sure is full of paintings and sculpture that you could draw inspiration from! Galleries such as this show you how Filipinos never run out of truly talented artists. They didn't have a primary collection that day. The gallery was a hodgepodge with at least one piece per artist. I especially liked Randy Solon's painting that made use of small canvases that were put together. It reminded me of the knights in chess. They have an upcoming show this June called Life Still, a solo art exhibition by Xander Calceta. With Gallery Big, they showcase new acquisitions, rare finds and art for less in their space. I absolutely like it when they show that they have rare finds. Some of which were sketches of artists in the 80s!

I first found out about the School of Design and Arts' Museum of Contemporary Art and Design when I…read moregot lost while looking for the bathroom. I opened the wrong door and - voila! - there's a naked dude pretending to be a statue (not naked naked, he had a sort of a tea cozy on his equipment because this was still a Catholic school), among other exhibitions. I learned that day that the College of Saint Benilde had its own museum, and that the exhibits were mostly occupied by the students of the School of Design and Arts, as well as the occassional famous person. I thought it was really cool, and I ended up getting a selfie with the naked dude statue because why the hell not.

MCAD is a really beautiful space for art. I'm not sure the students at Benilde, La Salle, and St…read more Scho know how lucky they are to be in such close proximity to a gallery that, though still pretty young, manages to hold beautiful, interesting exhibits of artists from all over. The last show I've seen was the one-man exhibit of Paul Pfeiffer, entitled Vitruvian Figure, and there has not been a better use of MCAD's hugeness in a while. Recreations of the Philippine arena, a moving image of a sunrise/sunset, and a dark theater screening of a spoken word choir performance echoing the video installations outside really drove the point home of how greatly the museum space elevates the art housed within it. What's great too is that they involve the CSB student body by giving some the opportunity to be mediators and engage visitors by speaking about the works and answering questions about them. It's a pretty cool thing, as it allows people to have a more personal exchange with the works there. I'm glad they've gotten their own entrance along one of the side roads now. Though I fear for the open shelving they have as their bag deposit, it does open the museum a little more to the public. MCAD brims with so much possibility and I look forward to my next visit.

When you are an artist looking for some inspiration, better head to the National Art Gallery and be…read moreinspired by works of the great masters! Art Gallery is one of the buildings that make up the National Museum. The other one being the Museum of the Filipino People (which I highly suggest you visit as well). The Art Gallery houses the very popular Spoliarium by Juan Luna (yes, years of hearing this in the classroom over and over again finally paid off) and also The Assassination of Governor Bustamante (El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante by Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. I would like to thank my teacher in my Jose Rizal course in college for teaching me everything I needed to know about these paintings. After you have been mesmerized by those two paintings, which by the way, is located in the old House of Representatives Session Hall, you will encounter the 1st Gallery that houses religious artifacts dating back from the 17th-19th centuries. Then more paintings await you upstairs. Two of my favorite galleries are the Gallery IV: Academic and Neoclassical Sculpture and Gallery V: Homage to Dr. José Rizal.

The National Art Gallery, the art arm of the National Museum, is a rather impressive collection of…read morenotable and historically significant local artworks. The building that houses this gallery used to be the Legislature building, and served double-duty as the home of the Senate of the Philippines until 1996. Talk about relics. Just to clear up some confusion, when locals point to this building as the National Museum, they're technically half-right. Up until a decade ago, this building WAS the whole National Museum. Now, the artifacts of the National Museum have been divided between two buildings, with all the anthropological stuff moved to The Museum of the Filipino People at the former Finance Building. This building, however, still houses the Natural Sciences exhibits until the National Museum of Natural History building has been completed. Now with that out of the way... Admission to both museums is at P150 from Monday to Saturdays. On Sundays, you can come in for free. The P150 is a steal from the first hall alone when you scope out the first painting you will see: The Spoliarium. The Spoliarium, a huge mural depicting fallen gladiators, is arguably the most important artwork done by a Filipino (Juan Luna). The artworks featured in the building are divided by time periods, and I won't go discussing them in detail because hey, my idea of a masterpiece would probably differ from yours. But you know what? Do yourself a favor and go through the entire museum. It's a fascinating peek on how we as a people, historically speaking, took so-called "elitist" art forms and made it our own. The building itself is an attraction; do check out the former Senate Plenary Hall and take it all in.

The Plaza San Luis Complex is a charming commercial subsection of Intramuros right next to San…read moreAgustin Church. Made up of five reconstructed Spanish colonial era buildings, it reminds me of the shopping area around Mexico City's Zocalo, although on a much smaller scale. We walked around Plaza San Luis a couple of times during my trip to Manila, both to absorb the ambiance and to get lunch at Barbara's and shop for souvenirs. I didn't love the restaurant, but the plaza was lovely. There was a stone courtyard with an old fountain that was particularly attractive. If you're visiting Intramuros, make sure you drop by the Plaza San Luis Complex. I don't know about all the individual businesses, but the area is quite pretty.

I am embarrassed to admit that it took me almost 26 years as a Filipino to actually set food in…read morethis beautiful, historic place. I was lucky that someone was nice enough to take me here, as I am pretty sure I wouldn't have come across this place on my own. Plaza San Luis is a great representation of Spanish colonial architecture that luckily has survived and has been revived into a well-maintained establishment that houses smaller stores, a restaurant, and a museum. Those establishments do deserve reviews on their own, so I would really, really love to talk about how beautiful this courtyard is. It's amazing how this place has retained so much of its old-world feel, with all the plants, the fountain, the stone walls and floors--it's all in the details. It's no wonder that this place is now being offered as an events place that can be rented for special occasions. You can actually do a bit of exploring. You must go up the staircase and see the majestic view of the whole courtyard from the top. It's really beautiful. I really do hope that this place remains well-maintained and taken cared of. It's a gem of a destination that our history and culture cannot afford to lose.

In a tiny space in South of Market lies Pablo Gallery. It's a space that exhibits contemporary art…read morefrom local and foreign artists. According to them, they aim to foster creativity and interaction between the artist and its audience. It's no wonder that from the outside you can see the art work of the artist. Also at night, it's really lighted well! Today was the last day of Spanish photographer Nicolás Combarro's Intervention. It's a look into his investigation and research about architectonic structures and transformation of built space. Pablo is one of the galleries outside the Serendra-High Street circuit. It's about two blocks away from the 11th Avenue side of both Serendra and High Street. It's worth the walk since there's no parking space in the area. If you want a quick look, you can just put your car on hazard. Although not really advisable as it's a tow-away zone.