PHL Concludes Inaugural Exhibition in Venice Architecture Biennale

The Philippines has successfully completed a back-to-back participation in the Venice Biennale as it concludes its inaugural pavilion, Muhon: Traces of an Adolescent City, in the Architecture Biennale on 27 November 2016.

The Philippines’ participation in the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia came at the heels of its comeback in the 2015 Venice Art Biennale after a 51-year hiatus.

“Muhon has started a dialogue that allows us to ponder on the realities that surround us, particularly on our built heritage, and to shape our own personal narrative as a community. As we close this milestone in our country’s history of Philippine contemporary architecture, I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who has made this possible,” said Legarda in a message she sent for the finissage of the Philippine Pavilion.

Housed in three rooms at the 18th-century Palazzo Mora, Muhon, curated by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr., Sudarshan Khadka, Jr. and Juan Paolo Dela Cruz of the Leandro V. Locsin Partners (LVLP), featured the works of six architects/architectural teams and three contemporary visual artists who presented three various interpretations—History, Modernity and Conjecture—of their chosen muhon or markers.

The nine 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.

The finissage served as both a closing ceremony for the exhibit and a get-together of the Filipino community in Italy.

To complement the finissage, there will be lectures with the Filipino community on the Muhon experience by Philippine Pavilion Commissioner and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr. and by the curatorial team.

Legarda, the visionary behind the Philippines’ participation in the Venice Biennale, thanked everyone involved in the project.

“I thank the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the NCCA, the Department of Tourism (DOT), the curatorial team and our artists and architects for their hardwork, passion and dedication to make this inaugural participation in the Architecture Biennale possible and successful. We have achieved a significant milestone with our back-to-back participation in the Venice Biennale. But it does not stop there because next year, we are moving closer to other pavilions as the Philippine Pavilion for the 2017 Venice Art Biennale will be at the historic Arsenale,” said Legarda.

To give Filipinos a chance to see the exhibition, Muhon will be mounted in several venues in the Philippines, the first of which will be at the Bulwagan ng Dangal, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.

The Philippine participation in the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, was made possible through the collaborative efforts of NCCA, DFA, and Office of Senator Loren Legarda, with support from DOT.