Musée d’Arsie at the Metro Iloilo Modern Arts Park (MIMA) was established by the well-respected, self-made Ilonggo businessperson, and art collector, Arsenio P. Rafael III.

A visitor is welcomed by a 600 sq.m. sculpture garden with thought-provoking masterpices.

Opened in December 2021, the ostentatious architecture of the seven-story MIMA is an attraction by itself and its design is evocative of the fast-urbanizing and modern character of Iloilo City.

The MIMA serves as the nerve center of Rafael III’s various business endeavors, popular among them is the curated home interiors at the ground floor named Dwellü and Musée d’Arsie, which shows the art collection of Aresenio III that optimized the elevator lobbies and stairwell as display area.

Viewing the collection starts by riding a lift from the ground up. Upon exiting at the 7th Floor, you start viewing paintings, sculptures, and assemblages that are exhibited at every elevator hall, making quick stops to take a closer look at some of the marvelous art pieces in the collection as you descend the stairs until you reach the basement.

The arrangement shows the combined passion for interior design and art of Rafael III, as he mixed hard-to-find cultural items and traditional furniture from different places with art pieces to form a unified theme per lobby.

Another Iloilo Gallery worth visiting: Adoro Gallery and Museum: A peek at rare art in Iloilo’s newest art space

If you are lucky enough to have Rafael III as your museum tour guide, you’ll receive a good grounding of the diversity of his taste for art and perhaps catch your breath on the cornucopia of works, which includes the signatures of Ang Kiukok, Juneval Sansó, Nune Alvarado, Charlie Co, Elmer Borlongan, Vicente Manansala, Gabriel Barredo, Raul Lebajo, and Alfredo Esquillo, while making pregnant pauses on artworks that have a pulsating meaning to the collector, a poignant reminder of life’s struggles and successes of a person who rose from poverty through hard work and honest labor.

The Musée d’Arsie-MIMA demonstrates strong patronage of homegrown artists as revealed by the large works and multiple pieces in the collection by Rock Drilon, Ed Defensor, PG Zoluaga, Allain Hablo, Arel Zambarrano, Marrz Capanang, Kat Malazarte, and magnificent wood sculptures by Timoteo Jumayao and Jeanroll Ejar.

The immensity of social realism works in the museum collection may earn Musée d’Arsie an idiosyncratic reputation, unless viewers gets to notice the almost inconsequential museum statement pasted on the wall with an intermixed words of Atticus and Mexican activist, educator, and poet, César A. Cruz, which said: “When it comes to art, it is important not to hide the madness. Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”

Sources:

1. The Museums, Galleries, and Art Spaces of Iloilo: Vignette of a noble past, flamboyant present, and vibrant future, Ted Aldwin Ong, Iloilo Art Book 2021 to 2023, Art in the Heart of the Philippines, published by the Iloilo City Government, 2023.
2. Interview with Arsenio P. Rafael III of Musée d’Arsie-MIMA, October 2022.