Spain tests public art

The Embassy of Spain, through the Instituto Cervantes and its Cultural and Education Offices, kicks off its January 2026 calendar of events with great momentum, offering important visual arts designed to appeal to every taste.

By the third week of January and on a day least expected, pedestrians wil come face-to face with life-size reproductions of some of the spectacular works of Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923) to be displayed at the Ayala-Greenbelt underground tunnel for passers-by to experience the sharp contrasts of light and shade, brilliant colors and vigorous brushstrokes that characterize the paintings of the artist celebrated as the “Master of Light.” 

A selfie or two with these paintings will be worth a post on Facebook and it may even give anyone a chance to win a piece that most delights a passer-by as the Embassy of Spain may raffle off one of these reproductions.

This exhibit Sorolla: A Walk through the Light is made possible in collaboration with the Museo Sorolla, Fundación Museo Sorolla, Ayala Museum, Makati City Government and Macea.

A dialogue between Filipino artist BrisaAmir and Spanish counterpart Cristina Gamón materializes through the exhibit A dash, a colon at the Casa Azul in Intramuros as it will be open to the public on 27 January. Exploring surface, movement and thresholds, this exhibition shows how artists bring their visions to life through dynamic marks and creative building.  The exhibit will run until 28 March.

Catch Spanish artist Ampparito in action! In the lead-up to Art Fair Philippines 2026, he will be creating his installation in late January in open spaces — from malls and parks to underground tunnels — and is ready to chat with anyone curious about his work.

Ampparito comes to Manila to give the locals a taste of his street art, mischievously remixing objects, meanings and reality to produce unexpected situations full of humor, wit and visual punch.

History has always been part of the embassy’s calendar of events and not to be missed is a lecture by Spanish scholar Laura Diaz Esteve on The British Empire and the Philippine Revolution, 1896-1902 on 27 January at the Intramuros branch of Instituto Cervantes Manila at 2 p.m.

In the meantime, the Embassy of Spain enjoins everyone to go and see the two artworks created by the Spanish street art collective Boa Mistura: A basketball court in Tejeros, Makati, painted with the word Unyon and the group’s project in Fort Santiago last December, a mural colorfully emblazoned with Tagpuan.

 Art buffs may still catch up on three 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 hosts  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.