“Muhon” Exhibition Debuts in Davao

The Philippine Pavilion exhibition at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale titled Muhon: Traces of an Adolescent City opened in Davao City on August 14 at the Ateneo de Davao University. The exhibition will run until October 12, 2018.

The opening day featured a lecture with the curators, artists and architects in order to initiate a discussion on the future of the country as we continue to build our towns and cities. The talk and the exhibit elicited views and opinions that discuss the vectors of progress and permanence in relation to corresponding notions of modernity and an emerging identity.

From its run in Venice, Italy in 2016, Muhon had a homecoming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in 2017. It then made its regional launch in Bacolod last February 2018.

Muhon and the Philippines’ participation in both art and architecture exhibitions at the Venice Biennale are under the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.

The exhibit in Davao is supported by the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDu).

Senator Loren Legarda, the visionary and principal advocate behind the Philippine participation in the Venice Biennale said, “All the participations are meant to have many lives after its debut so that we reach as many people, especially Filipinos. It is important that we bring home the exhibition that was in Venice so that we nurture appreciation of art among Filipinos.”

NCCA Chairman Virgilio Almario stated, “Our commitment is that all those interested in seeing the exhibition will get chance to be part of it. If they cannot go because of distance, we bring it to them. It is important that people from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are able to see the Muhon and participate not just by seeing the exhibition but also analyzing the realities it presents and reflecting on it in a critical way.”

Muhon’s curatorial team is composed of Sudarshan Khadka, Jr., Juan Paolo de la Cruz and Leandro Locsin, Jr. of Leandro V. Locsin Partners (LVLP).

The participants and their subjects are: Poklong Anading for KM 0; Tad Ermitaño for Pandacan Bridge; Mark Salvatus for Binondo; Eduardo Calma for the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC); Jorge Yulo for Mandarin Hotel; 8×8 Design Studio Co. for the Magsaysay Center; C|S Design Consultancy for Pasig River; Lima Architecture for the Makati Stock Exchange; and Mañosa & Co. for Tahanang Pilipino or Coconut Palace.