Gallerist Mawen Ong, art educator Janice Liuson-Young, and collector Andrew Tung Borlongan highlight 18 Chinese-Filipino artists shaping contemporary visual culture The Philippines has always been a swirling cauldron of cultures, languages, and ethnicities. From the nation’s earliest indigenous roots to the layers of Spanish, Chinese, American, Arab, and even Japanese influence, we have an identity that is anything but monolithic. This extends to business, fashion, gastronomy, architecture, film, and notably, in the works of Chinese-Filipino artists, where brushstrokes often imply dialogues between past and present, East and West, tradition and innovation.
The new wave of Chinese-Filipino contemporary artists are actively participating in fusing two worlds—one steeped in tradition and the other grappling with the frantic cadence of contemporary life. As we usher in the Year of the Snake this Lunar New Year, three Tsinoy movers within the Philippine art scene name 18 artists who are shaping visual culture today, with 18 being an auspicious number in Chinese culture that symbolizes a future of wealth and success. Mawen Ong, visual artist, and gallerist behind MO_Space; Janice Liuson-Young, visual artist and associate dean of the FEATI University School of Fine Arts; and Andrew Tung Borlongan, businessman and established collector of Philippine contemporary art, each named six Chinese-Filipino visual artists we should know more about in 2025.
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