Art Walk expands to include performance art, theater

1 of 5

AlterBibo installation by Tekla Tamoria outside Ayala Museum

Marah Arcilla and Sylvie Cox performing Dandelion Scream at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Ronald Ventura’s Carousel

Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan’s Signs and Intimation

ART FAIR Philippines and Ayala Land have prepared more events for the ongoing 10 Days of Art, which includes the “Art Walk,” accessible public art installations spread across Makati which will be up until Feb. 8.

Performance art by Lynn Lu, Moi Tran, and Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen over at the Ayala Museum count among the additions this year. Over at Circuit Makati, a public installation by Leeroy New graces the construction site of the contemporary art center that is being built where the riverside park used to be.

Under the Samsung Performing Arts Theater team, Circuit will also host theater performances. On Feb. 6, there will be a showcase by different theater groups, while on Feb. 7 and 8, there will be “Shakespeare in the Park.”

The idea of Art Walk is for different points in Makati, including the Ayala Center, Ayala Triangle, and Circuit Makati, to present art to the public for free.

“Thanks to the Art Fair group, this week now becomes this kind of creative, colorful week where everybody tries to collaborate as best as they can and it becomes this kind of wonderful experience,” said Ayala Land creative director Paloma Urquijo Zobel de Ayala, who led the media launch on Jan. 30.

“A simple commute, where people going to work and having a cigarette outside the office, people having a pause and being able to see these works of art, for a second can change mindsets,” she added.

For Tekla Tamoria, whose 2026 version of her installation AlterBibo sits under the balete tree in the outdoor Greenbelt walkway behind Ayala Museum, the reaction of people passing by proves that Filipinos are open to seeing art everywhere.

“Kapag napapatigil sila at kumukuha ng picture, kahit saglit lang ’yon, ibig sabihin may epekto ang art sa kanila (If they stop and take a picture, even if it’s just for a minute, it means the art has had an effect on them),” she told the press.

Her installation, which uses repurposed discarded fabric made into a human form, is one of many artworks now found around Makati.

A carousel of fantastical creatures by Ronald Ventura awaits at the Ayala Malls’ Circuit. An interactive piece called Signs and Intimations by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan will be up at the Fountain Area of Ayala Tower One. Creative design pieces, Nagsasalitang Ulo by Mich Dulce, and Art 2 Wear by Joel Wijangco, both reside at Greenbelt 5.

Art Fair Philippines co-founder Trickie Lopa said that the Art Walk encapsulates their goals.

“We started Art Fair to expand exposure of the Filipinos to the visual arts,” she said. “And not just expand in terms of the number of people who come and see art, but also deepen their awareness, and also kind of elevate the art that they see.”

Photography collective FotomotoPH, a regular at the Art Walk, has again transformed the Paseo Underpass into a display of local photography. Another Art Fair favorite, Isaiah Cacnio, contributed his digital work Between Thoughts on the walls of the One Ayala Mall Terminal, the Glorietta 4 Cinema, the Glorietta Activity Center, Greenbelt 4, and Circuit Mall Makati.

Jorell Legaspi, senior director of arts and culture of Ayala Foundation, said at the launch that public art has to be “rooted in the public and how they participate in what they would like to see and experience.”

“As communities, we have the power to define what kind of art projects might be relevant to our lives and I think that’s an important component of how public art evolves,” he explained, expressing hope that Art Walk will continue to expand as the Makati community responds.

For Christopher Mohnani, Samsung Performing Arts Theater director, it all starts with exposure.

“I started becoming an artist because I saw a ballet performance in the park,” he shared. “I really think it’s very important that we continue programming and curating activities that the general public can appreciate.”

The full Art Walk map and schedule can be found on the Art Fair Philippines and Ayala Makati’s pages online. — Brontë H. Lacsamana