Silverlens in Makati: An International Contemporary Art Gallery in the Philippines

Silverlens in Makati is an international contemporary art gallery with locations in Manila and New York. It represents artists through exhibitions, institutional partnerships, art consultancy, art fairs, and gallery collaborations.

In Manila, the recently launched Silverlens Den provides a more informal setting for exhibitions and cultural activities. The space also includes a curated shop and café, creating another way for visitors to encounter the gallery and its artists outside its main exhibition spaces.

Various Artists. Installation view of Collectors Plus at Silverlens Den, 2026/IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Founded in Manila by Isa Lorenzo in 2004, Silverlens has been part of the contemporary art scene in Southeast Asia for more than two decades. In 2007, Lorenzo was joined by co-director Rachel Rillo, further developing the gallery’s work with artists and its connections with art communities in the Philippines and abroad.

From its beginnings in Manila, Silverlens expanded its reach through artist representation, institutional partnerships, exhibitions, art fairs, and collaborations. Its activities have focused on placing the artists it represents within the broader contemporary art dialogue while building connections across art communities in Asia.

In September 2022, Silverlens expanded internationally with the opening of Silverlens New York in Chelsea. The location brought its roster of artists to another international audience and established a physical presence for the gallery outside Manila.

IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Silverlens continues its exhibition activities in Manila with presentations by artists working across different media and subjects. From August 29 to October 3, 2026, the gallery presents “sum of its parts”, a solo exhibition by photographer and painter MM Yu.

The exhibition is Yu’s response to an art environment that favors constant making. Rather than moving away from photography and painting, which have long defined her practice, she works with reassembled canvases and photographs and uses the image plane itself as an apparatus for further exploration.

MM Yu. Installation view of sum of its parts, 2026/IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Both practices also rely on accumulation and seriality. Individual photographs and canvases are repeated, amassed, and rearranged to form different compositions, allowing familiar components to produce new configurations.

MM Yu. Detail view of misplaced alibi, 2026/IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Silverlens also presents “The Orchid Pavilio” by Wawi Navarroza, the first part of her trilogy The Double-Naveled and Triple-Tongued, A Tropical Gothic Troika.

The trilogy is informed by the Philippines’ transpacific exchanges, acculturations, and material and artistic histories shaped by the movement of the Manila Galleons. The Orchid Pavilion focuses on the Philippines’ pan-Asian heritage, particularly the Chinese presence woven into Filipino identity.

Wawi Navarroza. Installation view of The Orchid Pavilion, 2026//IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Navarroza also uses her body as a medium, inhabiting different identities and bringing historical references into the present. Her tableaus imagine Manila as a cosmopolitan entrepôt where different people, languages, traditions, and material cultures converged.

IMAGE from Silverlens Manila | New York

Silverlens also produces Creative Encounters with Isa Lorenzo, a video podcast based on Lorenzo’s conversations with people whose work and ideas have influenced how she views contemporary culture. After more than 20 years working in the art world, these encounters extend beyond artists to people working in journalism, architecture, design, business, and other fields.

The first season features Cheche Lazaro, Carlos Quijon Jr., Clint Ramos, Anna Maria Sy, Joel Binamira, and Bea Valdes, bringing together six people from different disciplines and generations to discuss their work, ideas, and perspectives on Filipino culture.