Vetted, the creative space founded by top interior designer Jonathan Matti, starts its 2025 calendar with Heritage + Algorithm — an exhibition by Bay Area Filipino-American artist Chris Patio. It’s the artist’s first solo show in Manila, having migrated to the US after graduating from the Philippine Women’s University’s College of Fine Arts and Design.

This second-placer at the prestigious and notable Shell National Arts Competition in 1995 started getting noticed after his win. “I started receiving requests for commissions,” the artist recalls. “It was also around that time that I met some art patrons, including Jonathan Matti.”

After an absence of nearly three decades in the Philippine art scene, he’s currently being reintroduced in Vetted. The 12 oil-on-canvases on show encapsulate the artist’s ethos, built around his memories from his first visit to the National Museum. His works for the show reveal the confluence of histories and modernity. “To me, heritage isn’t just about what’s old but also about what you value,” Patio explains. “It’s about recognizing the things that define who you are in the present. The Instagram frame in my work symbolizes this balance to illustrate how our identities are shaped by both history and technology and how these forces intersect.”

Patio’s masterpieces for the upcoming Vetted show takes the viewer back to that pivotal moment at the National Museum where he decided to become an artist. They are painted in sepia tones, the brush strokes revealing Patio’s classical leanings. “My interest in Classical Realism grew from a deep appreciation for traditional art techniques. I began my studies in illustration, learning the fundamentals of drawing and storytelling. However, it was at an atelier where I truly connected with Classical Realism. There, I learned timeless techniques passed down through generations of artists, which ignited my passion for this style. I also started collecting art books, often spending much of my paychecks on them. This combination of mastering the techniques and understanding their history has had a lasting influence on my work.”