Arts & Culture (02/11/26)

1 of 6

DER LAUF DER DINGE (The Way Things Go) by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, a video work from 1987, is one of the works on view at MCAD’s Poets of Physics.

Poets and physics exhibit opens at MCAD

THE Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila opens the exhibit Poets of Physics, presented as part of Benilde Open Design + Art, on Feb. 12 at MCAD. The exhibit brings together works by Aki Sasamoto, Bagus Pandega, David Medalla, Fischli and Weiss, and Ian Carlo Jaucian, artists whose practices engage scientific phenomena as collaborators in the creation of meaning, experience, and insight. Exemplifying this year’s Benilde Open Design + Art theme “Extension of Nature,” the exhibition engages with kinetic art and invention. Here, artists explore technologies that push the boundaries of artistic expression, creating responsive, adaptive, and thought-provoking artworks. As part of the exhibit, a “Conversation between Artists Bagus Pandega and Ian Carlo Jaucian” will be held on Feb. 14, 2 p.m., at the MCAD Multimedia Room. The artists will talk about the objects and interactions leading to the works that are part of the exhibition. On Feb. 21, 3-4 p.m., there will be an Art Circle VIP Tour. This exclusive Art Circle VIP Tour offers members access to the exhibition with an intimate viewing experience. On March 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a celebration of DIY culture featuring works of students and faculty members of Benilde Industrial Design, as well as suppliers. On March 20, 6-8 p.m., there will be a performance of Elemento at the MCAD Ground Floor. Elemento ni Lirio Salvador is a collective of artists, poets, painters, and performance and sound artists who perform in art galleries, art conventions, bars, and even traditional rock-and-roll concert venues. Using instruments called sandatas, Elemento creates experimental music or sound. The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design is at the ground floor of De La Salle – College of St Benilde D+A Campus, Dominga St., Malate, Manila.

PPO focuses on romance

THE Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) ushers in the season of romance with Concert VI: Romanza, an evening devoted to the language of romance expressed through music. The concert will be held on Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. The PPO, under the baton of PPO music director and principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak, is joined by violin virtuoso Bartek Nizioł and pianist Junhee Kim. The evening’s repertoire starts with Mozart’s unfinished classic, Concerto for Violin and Piano in D major, K. Anh. 56/315f, which has been completed by the PPO’s composer-in-residence, Jeffrey Ching. This newly realized version receives its world premiere in Concert VI: Romanza. The rest of the evening features Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2. PPO concert tickets are available at TicketWorld and range in price from P1,500 to P3,000. Season subscribers get an exclusive 20% discount. E-mail [email protected] or call the CCP Box Office (0931-033-0880) for details.

NCCA launches Art FriDates series

IN CELEBRATION of National Arts Month this February, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is holding a series of cultural programs nationwide under the theme “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting.” As part of the celebration, the NCCA is mounting Art FriDates, a series of cultural events scheduled every Friday of February, to be held at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), Roxas Blvd. corner Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pasay City. The program serves as a platform for participating Local Government Units (LGUs) to showcase their distinct art forms, traditions, and cultural initiatives, with the aim of fostering artistic excellence and strengthening cultural appreciation. Art FriDates will feature the Province of Bulacan on Feb. 13, followed by Biñan, Laguna on Feb. 20, Quezon Province on Feb. 27, and Muntinlupa City on March 6.

ACC holds annual benefit auction

THE Asian Cultural Council Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ACC Philippines), in partnership with Leon Gallery, will hold its annual benefit art auction on Feb. 14 at the Leon Gallery in Makati City. The auction marks the first in a series of fundraising initiatives this year in support of the ACC Philippines Fellowship Program. The benefit auction will feature a selection of works by distinguished and emerging Filipino artists. Proceeds will directly support the ACC Philippines Fellowship Program, which enables Filipino artists, scholars, and arts professionals to pursue research, creative work, and cultural exchange projects in the Philippines and abroad. Bidding begins at 2 p.m. at Leon Gallery, Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For auction details, visit www.leon-gallery.com. For more information on ACC programs and fellowships, visit www.asianculturalcouncil.org.

Ballet Manila collaborates with The Dawn

EXACTLY 40 years ago, Lisa Macuja Elizalde left behind a flourishing career at the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky Ballet) in Moscow and returned to the Philippines, going on to found Ballet Manila. She marks this milestone through Ballet Manila’s PRIMA Performance Season, a program of classical works that highlight the company’s Vaganova roots and its commitment to sustaining excellence while making ballet accessible to Filipinos. The landmark year also features a special collaboration with The Dawn, staged at Aliw Theater on Feb. 20 and 21, 8 p.m. Both Ms. Macuja Elizalde and The Dawn are icons of their generations, and this production links their parallel 40-year journeys through a fusion of ballet and rock music. The performance will showcase some of The Dawn’s most popular and iconic songs reimagined through dance, underscoring Ballet Manila’s continuing effort to make ballet relevant and accessible. The collaboration is part of the Ballet & Ballads series and produced by Manila Broadcasting Company. The rest of the season is composed of Sleeping Beauty on March 14 and 15, at the Aliw Theater, accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra; Paquita on June 20 and 21; and La Bayadère on Aug. 22 and 23, featuring the return of guest artists Renata Shakirova and Kimin Kim of the Mariinsky Ballet, who made their Philippine debut in 2025 with Don Quixote. Other performances throughout the year include Ibong Adarna in Dumaguete in February and at Ateneo’s Areté in October, an international tour in Kuala Lumpur in September, and the Holiday Cheer Series in December. For the schedule of performances and celebration events, visit Ballet Manila’s website www.balletmanila.com.ph or Ticketworld page www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Films and music from Spain in February

THIS MONTH, Spanish cinema par excellence will be presented with the film series “Ciclo Goya de Honor: Gonzalo Suárez,” which pays tribute to the filmmaker awarded with the 2026 Goya Honorary Award by the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Every Tuesday in February at 2 p.m., a film of his will be screened at the Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros. These movies include El portero, El detective y la muerte, Remando al viento, and Epílogo, all selected by Suárez himself. Spanish organist Andrés Cea Galán performs at the Gala Night of the International Bamboo Organ Festival on Feb. 19. He will also offer a master class to organ students as well as a lecture on the history of Spanish organs on Feb. 21, aside from a recital on Feb. 23. Meanwhile, the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC) partners with the Embassy of Spain by hosting the Goya Awards: International Film Screening Series from Feb. 20 to 22, featuring the works of Pedro Almodóvar, David Baute, Paula Ortiz, Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi. The films are La habitación de al lado, Mariposas negras, La virgen roja, and Marco, all recipients of the most prestigious award in Spanish cinema. All screenings will be at Cinema 18 of Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City. Aside from classical music, techo returns to Intramuros as UKNWN celebrates its 10^th year on Feb. 21 at Puerta Real Gardens as its dancefloor with a guest DJ from Spain. The public may still enjoy three other on-going exhibits: Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas, a permanent exposition displayed at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros; while the Ateneo Art Gallery is home to A Synergy of Ventures. The Post War Art Scene in commemoration of Fernando Zobel´s centennial birth as well as Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila at the Ayala Museum, with both of these exhibits running till late February.

PETA’s Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4 tickets out soon

TICKET SELLING officially begins on Feb. 27 for the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) biggest theatrical event of 2026, Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!, with Metrobank credit cardholders enjoying exclusive first access to the production. After two blockbuster films and a hit series, the popular satire makes its long-awaited return, this time with sharper humor, bolder commentary, and all the chaos that can only happen in a live theater setting. Eugene Domingo reprises her role in this latest installment of the franchise. Written by Chris Martinez and to be directed by Maribel Legarda, Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! will run for 50 shows from June 19 to Aug. 16 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. Metrobank credit cardholders get exclusive presale access from Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. to March 3 at 11:59 p.m. via TicketWorld. A Waitlist Sale follows from March 4 at 10 a.m. to March 5 at 11:59 p.m., open to patrons who signed up last December, while the General Public Sale begins on March 6, 10 a.m. Ticket prices range from P1,800 to P3,500.