Arts & Culture (03/04/26)

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ALICIA A. HERRERA

Mantón de Manila exhibit extended

THE Ayala Museum announced in a Facebook post that “[d]ue to popular demand” the exhibit on the mantón de Manila — the famous shawl that made its way from “China as silk export wear, through Manila as a global trade hub, and on to Spain where it became a symbol of elegance and identity” — has been extended. The exhibit, Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila, which opened on Oct. 10, 2025 and was supposed to end its run on Feb. 22, has been extended up to June 14. It is presented with the Embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, and AECID. Also extended is the exhibit Proto Saeta: Exploring Abstract Language, an exhibit that traces Fernando Zobel’s shift from the figurative to the abstract. A free audio guide will help visitors understand the development of his art, highlighting the Saeta series as the foundation of his future works. The exhibit runs until June. 14. Both exhibits are on view at the 3rd floor galleries, and can be viewed from Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am. to 7 p.m. Visits can be booked at ayalamuseum.org/visit although walk-ins are also welcome.

Visit the museum, chat with a conservator

VISIT the Ayala Museum in Makati on March 4, 11, 18, and 25, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and have a chance to chat with volunteer conservator Stephen Bonadies about his practice, in the galleries. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am. to 7 p.m. Visits can be booked at ayalamuseum.org/visit although walk-ins are also welcome.

Mylene Quito exhibits in Kyoto, Japan

IN CELEBRATION of Women’s Month, Mylene Quito is marking another milestone in her artistic path with her 10th solo exhibition, Yugen (The Surge of Being), which is ongoing until March 8 at GALLERY Kokowan, 155-4 Ebischo, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The exhibit invites viewers to embrace uncertainty, find beauty within struggle, and recognize that true power lies in movement and adaptation. Inspired by the ocean’s restless energy, the waves in the new series of works symbolize Ms. Quito’s personal challenges.

MCAD hosts lecture by artist Michelle Lopez

AS PART of the MCAD Public Lecture Series 2026, sculpture and installation artist Michelle Lopez, whose practice turns the traditional sculptural relationship to space on its head, will be holding a talk on March 11, 3 p.m. The event offers the audience the opportunity to engage directly with the artist, to get insights on her contemporary practice. It will be held at the MCAD Multimedia Room in De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila. It is free and open to the public.

Ateneo University Press publishes Shishikura poetry

THROUGH its poetry imprint Bughaw, the Ateneo University Press has announced the publication of the end comes on without a gasp, the debut poetry collection by Trish Shishikura. Written across a decade, it looks to poetry as a way of bearing grief, turning loss into language that can be sat with, revisited, and shared. Moving between the Philippines and Japan, the collection braids domestic life with displacement and memories of violence, holding familial and paternal grief at a human scale with historical consciousness. The book can be purchased via Ateneo University Press’ online channels.

PPO to perform operatic arias

THE upcoming 7th concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s (PPO) 41st season, titled Opera, is set to celebrate the drama and beauty of the operatic stage. It features soprano Katerina Mina, who will perform iconic arias including Verdi’s La forza del destino Overture and Puccini’s Adagietto in F major, under the helm of conductor Grzegorz Nowak. The concert is scheduled for March 13, 7:30 p.m., at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. Ticket prices range from P800 to P3,000.

Spanish theater group to stage play on women

THEATER enthusiasts will be able to catch a production by the Spanish theater group La Vidriera this month. The production, titled Lorquianas, intertwines stories of oppressed women. It will be performed on March 24 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Ignacio Jimenez in Pasay City. The material for the piece is drawn from the dramatic plays La casa de Bernarda Alba, Romance de la pena negra, and Romance de la gitana Preciosa, all written by one of Spain’s most influential playwrights, Federico García Lorca. His works are known to challenge societal norms by addressing issues such as gender roles, sexuality, and class struggles.

Philippine Opera Company to present Master Class

THE Philippine Opera Company will be presenting Master Class by Terrence McNally. The play centers on famed opera singer Maria Callas as she tells her story while conducting a master class. Directed by Jaime del Mundo and starring Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as the legendary Maria Callas, the production will reveal the rest of its cast soon. The play is a winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Broadway Play. Opening May 15, the production will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, with Friday and Saturday evening performances and weekend matinees.

Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4 reveals theater lineup

THE Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) has officially announced the headlining cast of Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!, which will run from June 19 to Aug. 16 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. At the center of the mayhem is Eugene Domingo, returning to the character who is a gloriously amplified version of herself. Meann Espinosa, Stella Cañete-Mendoza, Andoy Ranay, and JC Santos step in as unapologetic artistas caught in the whirlwind of creative clashes and theatrical excess. Melvin Lee will play the producer attempting to keep the production afloat while Marlon Rivera, who directed the film franchise’s first three installments, steps into the chaos as the director within the play. Joshua Lim So takes on the role of the resident playwright caught between revisions, rewrites, and relentless creative debates. More details will be announced soon.