Opening during Paris Art Week, the exhibition presents contemporary Filipino art alongside major international art fairs and exhibitions.
15 Filipino artists are set to present works spanning painting, sculpture, textiles, and architecture in Paris this October as part of Manille à Paris: Contemporary Dialogues.
The exhibition will open on October 23, 2026, at 45 Rue Saint-Honoré during Paris Art Week, alongside Art Basel Paris, Moderne Art Fair, AKAA, and Asia NOW. Organized by DF Art Agency and Galerie D’Antoine in collaboration with FOCUS Asia Contemporary Art, the exhibition brings together artists across generations and disciplines for what organizers describe as one of the largest presentations of Filipino artists in Paris this season.
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Manille à Paris: A Cross-Section Of Philippine Art
Rather than serving as an introduction to Philippine art, Manille à Paris focuses on the range of practices emerging from the country’s contemporary art scene. The exhibition features both established names and younger artists whose work spans abstraction, figuration, sculpture, textile art, and design.
Among the participating artists is Anna Bautista, whose saturated paintings combine thick, expressive brushwork with references to pop cultureCultureshared traditions, beliefs, values, customs, arts, and social practices that define the identity and way of life of a community, society, or nation.Go to Culture Glossary and Filipino tradition. Cedrick Dela Paz examines labor, poverty, and inequality through the human figure, while Demi Padua constructs surreal scenes informed by childhood memories and fragmented spaces.
At 78, Gus Albor,the exhibition’s senior artist, contributes minimalist abstractions defined by restrained color and texture. Heart Evangelista, known primarily for her work in fashion, presents canvases marked by expressive line work and a strong use of color. Solenn Heussaff explores abstraction and figuration through a practice informed by her Filipino-French heritage.
Jana Benitez, who was raised in New York and held her first solo exhibition at the Ayala Museum at age 12, contributes gestural paintings that move between abstraction and figuration. Michelle Perez extends her practice beyond traditional painting, incorporating objects and spatial environments into her work.
Several artists turn to materials beyond the canvas. Marrie Saplad works with glass, unprimed linen, and spent tea bags to create monochromatic studies of light and transparency. Raffy Napay uses thread instead of paint to construct dense, textured surfaces in vivid colors.
Olivia d’Aboville, who studied at Paris’s École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués Duperré, combines French textile traditions with Philippine craft through installations incorporating abaca and silk. Lilianna Manahan creates sculptural objects at the intersection of fine art and industrial design, while Pete Jimenez transforms salvaged steel and discarded machine parts into sculptural works.
The exhibition also features Pongbayog, a self-taught painter from South Cotabato whose monochromatic figures draw on the dramatic light and shadow associated with Old Master painting. Architect Jorge Yulo, who studied painting before pursuing architecture, presents an approach shaped by questions of site, history, and built space.
Contemporary Dialogues With Paris
The exhibition’s title reflects its emphasis on exchange across artists, generations, materials, and disciplines. By taking these practices to Paris, Manille à Paris places contemporary Filipino art within an international context during one of the city’s busiest weeks for the art market.
“Manille à Paris: Contemporary Dialogues” opens October 23, 2026, at 45 Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Banner image features Solenn Heussaff, photography by Jerick Sanchez, all photos courtesy of Manille à Paris
Frequently Asked Questions
Manille à Paris: Contemporary Dialogues opens on October 23, 2026, during Paris Art Week.
The exhibition will take place at 45 Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.
15 Filipino artists will participate in the exhibition, representing different generations and artistic disciplines.
The exhibition will feature painting, sculpture, textiles, architecture, design, abstraction, and figuration, with artists also working with materials such as abaca, silk, glass, linen, thread, steel, and salvaged machine parts.
The participating artists include Anna Bautista, Cedrick Dela Paz, Demi Padua, Gus Albor, Heart Evangelista, Solenn Heussaff, Jana Benitez, Michelle Perez, Marrie Saplad, Raffy Napay, Olivia d’Aboville, Lilianna Manahan, Pete Jimenez, Pongbayog, and Jorge Yulo.
