Mamusa Gallery heightened the interest of art aficionados on Iloilo’s burgeoning contemporary art scene when it opened in September 21, 2018 with a group show Origins. 

Founded by a group of Ilonggo artpreneurs, its modernist concept with a commingling function of a resto and bar on the ground floor and a fine art gallery on the mezzanine exudes the artistic ambiance that quickly associated Iloilo with modern and contemporary living.

Sooner, visitors and online followers of Iloilo City’s development realized the vibrant local art scene, inviting interest and excitement to visit artist-run spaces, galleries, and museums for their post-pandemic travel.

The Mamusa Gallery became top of the list to see art in Iloilo City and it has featured some of the top artists in the local and international arena through its changing solo and group shows. 

Among names whose works were exhibited at the Mamusa were: Wilfredo Calderon, Sonny Tolentino, Marrz Capanang, Rock Drilon, Allain Hablo, Alex Moscoso Española, Yob Hablo, Charlie Co, Peewee Roldan, Jecko Magallon, Bryan Liao, Margaux Blas, Roselle Perez, Shiela Molato, and Manuel Ocampo, among the many.

Likewise, it hosted art exhibits by female artists and groups like Mujer (March 2021), art talks with renowned art writer Gwen Bautista (December, 2019), dialogues like How to Kill an Island with Real Talk which featured Peewee Roldan, and book launchings like the first Iloilo Art Review by the Iloilo Critics Circle. 

Also read: Iloilo Critics Circle to launch art journal at the Mamusa Gallery

Mamusa Gallery became the watering hole of visiting artists, writers, media personalities, cultural workers, and activists who were excited to interact with local counterparts, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of Iloilo’s arts and culture phenomenon and to see the overflowing creative output of Ilonggo artists and creatives from other parts of the country with messages that resonate the predominant mood of the times.

The initiatives of the art bistro stimulated artistic encounters, giving the public an opportunity to know the artists, get exposed to different art forms, and appreciate paintings, poetry, intimate musical events, and talks.

Mamusa Gallery’s raison d’être is to nurture Iloilo as a vessel for the development of various art forms and to shape a regional art scene informed by sustainable art practices.

The Mamusa Gallery is at the ground floor of Casa Emperador, Festive Walk Parade, Megaworld Iloilo Business Park. 

Source:

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.