Whitestone Gallery Taipei warmly invites viewers to experience the dynamic fusion of identity, culture and contemporary anxieties at ‘Wreckage & Wonder: Philippine Art in the Age of Disruption,’ an exhibition showcasing five visionary Filipino artists — Keb Cerda, Ronson Culibrina, Igan D’Bayan, Olan Ventura and Manok Ventura. Curated by esteemed Filipino curator Ruel Caasi, the exhibition will run from 10 May to 28 June at Whitestone Gallery Taipei with the opening day at 4:00 PM on 10 May.

Each artist delves deep into the cultural psyche, exploring the entangled spaces between memory, tradition as well as inner and online turmoil.

Olan Ventura (b. 1976) sharpens this interplay between natural beauty and digital distortion. His works carry a heightened sense of contrast — lush florals and delicate textures disrupted by intentional irregularities that fracture the illusion of timelessness.

Olan Ventura | Still Life with Thistle, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 162.56 x 121.92  cm

Manok Ventura (b.1979) pushes further into tactile abstraction, layering found materials with paint to create dense, sculptural surfaces. These pieces feel less like paintings and more like physical memories — fragmented, raw and deeply human.

Manok Ventura | Assemblage #03, 2023, Mixed media, 66.04 x 53.34 cm 

Ronson Culibrina (b. 1991) uses the motif of collectible cars as a proxy for modern fetish objects — icons of consumer culture dressed in the visual language of portraiture. His works blur historical reverence with pop materialism, showing how heritage gets packaged, sold and resold.

Ronson Culibrina | The First Sold Mini, 2023, Oil on canvas, 121.92 x 152.4 cm

In the hands of Keb Cerda (b. 1991), familiar food items — pizza, hotdog — become painterly artifacts, both playful and biting. His images aren’t just belly-fillers; they’re symbols of mass production, cultural homogenization, and the commodification of desire.

Keb Cerda | The hills have eyes and ears — and apparently, a 30-minute delivery guarantee, 2023, Oil on canvas, 91.44 x 121.92 cm

In Igan D’Bayan’s (b. 1974) “Torment Nexus” series, utopian landscapes reveal their cracks, challenging viewers to consider the extent to which they, too, have become complicit in the dystopia they once feared. He asks, “What does it mean to live in a world where dystopian warnings have been rebranded as desirable futures?”

Igan D'Bayan | Torment Nexus No. 1, 2025, Acrylic, oil on canvas, 91.44 x 91.44 cm

Collectively, these artists represent a vibrant force in contemporary Philippine art, bringing sharp awareness and critical dialogue into global perspectives. Curator Ruel Caasi, celebrated for highlighting diverse artistic voices and contemporary issues, emphasizes this unique exhibition as both a personal and collective reflection of tumultuous times.

“Wreckage & Wonder: Philippine Art in the Age of Disruption” presented by Whitestone Gallery Taipei, is a collateral event by Cloudgrey Gallery — a Philippine-based contemporary art space dedicated to pushing boundaries, sparking dialogues and connecting local and global voices through art — in cooperation with Ronald Ventura Studios.