Gateway Gallery to host Nestor Ong’s steampunk surrealist exhibit

A new solo exhibition blending Filipino folklore, history and speculative imagination will open this month at Gateway Gallery, featuring the works of artist Nestor Perez Ong.

Titled “The Philosophical Tales of the Ancient Raconteur: The Steampunk Surrealism of Nestor Perez Ong,” the exhibit transforms one of the gallery’s halls into what organizers describe as a “brass-bound archive of dreams,” drawing from visions shaped by memory, myth and imagination.

Ong, who leads the Steampunk Indio Collective, reinterprets familiar cultural narratives through a steampunk lens. His works depict scenes such as clockwork figures harvesting metallic fields, reimagined figures from Philippine mythology, and altered historical references set in industrialized fantasy environments.

The exhibit merges elements of precolonial identity, colonial experience and industrial aesthetics, presenting them within a single visual narrative. Each piece is framed as a story, reflecting a storytelling tradition that blends imagination with social commentary.

Organizers said the works explore questions on memory, identity and creativity, using visual art to reimagine how Filipino culture might have evolved under different historical circumstances.

The exhibit will run from 16 to 22 May at the Gateway Gallery’s Small Room, with an artist reception scheduled on 16 May at 3 p.m.

Gateway Gallery, the art museum of Araneta City, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and offers free admission to the public.