Art Basel interviews Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan on their first major survey exhibition ‘Somewhere, Elsewhere, Nowhere’

1 Jul 2023

Somewhere, Elsewhere, Nowhere is a major survey exhibition by Filipinos artists Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan. Having exhibited extensively in major exhibitions and biennales around the world, Museum MACAN is proud to present the artists’ first ever museum survey exhibition.

The exhibition will feature large scale installations, highlighting themes like urban development, human movement and journeys, exploring what it means to belong, and how identities are formed through the movement of people. The Aquilizan’s collaborative practices often revolve around the spheres of home and family, incorporating found materials, including cardboard boxes, paper, and plastic bags.

“Our way of working also has a lot to do with growing up in the Philippines. There are festivals and feasts we have every year when the community decorates the streets and spends time outside. But this goes beyond Christianity. It goes back to the rituals of our ancestors. In that sense, we create objects for rituals and spaces for the community. This kind of sharing is so important, and that energy is something that can be felt but not necessarily read in our work” shares Isabel with Stephanie Bailey, Art Basel’s Conversations Curator.

Somewhere, Elsewhere, Nowhere, is on view at Museum MACAN through until 8 October 2023.

Images: installation view of Somewhere, Elsewhere, Nowhere by Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan at Museum MACAN. Courtesy of Museum MACAN.