Coco Anne and Isaac Willis.The local art world converged in a spectacular display of sensory and intellectual refinement last 14 May, as Aphro and Galleria Duemila unveiled their highly-anticipated joint exhibition, Slow Burn: Meditations in Clay. Masterfully curated by Stephanie Frondoso, the showcase marks a milestone cultural event that breathes new life into the historical evolution of Philippine studio pottery. Frondoso’s sharp curatorial vision navigates Galleria Duemila’s illustrious 50-year archive to trace the 1990s renaissance — a pivotal era when clay shed its utilitarian constraints to emerge as a potent vehicle for high contemporary sculpture. The opening night drew an eclectic mix of Manila’s cultural elite, design aficionados, and visual purists, all gathered to witness how raw earth, technical exchange, and shared kiln communities transformed a traditional craft into a profound field of artistic experimentation.

The exhibition space vibrates with a tactile brilliance, woven together through the distinct and deeply personal narratives of Nelfa Querubin, Hadrian Mendoza and Shoko Mafune. Under Frondoso’s direction, CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee Nelfa Querubin anchors the exhibition with mature, luminous pieces from 1997 to 2002; her surfaces are intricately carved and incised, capturing a lifetime spent between the shores of Miag-ao and the dramatic light of the American West. 

This nostalgic topography finds a compelling dialogue in the ancestral stoneware of Virginia-based master Hadrian Mendoza, whose works from 2008 to 2017 whose minimalist, gestural interpretations of the precolonial Manunggul jar and Northern Luzon’s bulul guardians bridge indigenous heritage with contemporary abstraction, infusing the gallery with a quiet, political resonance. 

Together with Mafune’s contributions, this collaborative triumph stands as a definitive, sophisticated testament to the enduring power of material inquiry and cultural memory.