The Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art is the sobriquet of Iloilo when it comes to contemporary art. It opened March 2018 at Festive Walk, Megaworld Iloilo. 

The Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art is the sobriquet of Iloilo when it comes to contemporary art because of the extensiveness and unparalleled diversity of its collection of paintings, sculptures, and prints by revered local, national, and international artists.

The three-story art nouveau museum has five galleries with an exchanging exhibit hall on the ground floor; three well-curated galleries on the second floor intended for a rotating show of in-house collections by cutting-edge Filipino and international masters; and the Adoracion Valencia Gallery on the third floor, which features the varied personal preferences on art of its benefactor, Ilonggo art collector Edwin Valencia.

See: SALVADOR DALI lithographs on display at ILOMOCA

The ILOMOCA was established through the partnership of Megaworld’s Kevin Tan and Edwin Valencia, who were unified by the belief that art represents the social and human condition; hence, it carries the mission to exhibit works of art that promote better understanding and appreciation of individuals and societies across time and space in the hope of contributing to positive transformation.

Some of the artworks that you will find this 2023 at the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art.

The museum introduced visitors to works by Joan Miró and Marc Chagall; prints by Salvador Dali and drawings by Pablo Picasso; and rare works by National Artists like Arturo Luz and Ang Kiukok. It also has a large collection of works by female artists like Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Brenda Fajardo, Araceli Dans, Lydia Velasco, Moreen Austria, Ofelia Gelvezon Tiqui, and Nelfa Querubin, among others.

Read: Antipas Delotavo’s juxtaposition of worlds

It hosted a number of group shows and solo exhibits of renowned and award-winning painters like Jeho Bitancor, Nunelucio Alvarado, Noel Elicana, and Antipas Delotavo, among others.

The momentous opening of ILOMOCA on March 17, 2018 brought Iloilo to the consciousness of art connoisseurs worldwide, and its cohesive programming with exhibits and art talks bolstered art education, generated new art audiences, and developed the courage of young emerging artists to persevere in fine arts.

Note:
The article is an edited version of the featured profile on the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art, which is part of the Museums, Galleries, and Arts Spaces of Iloilo: Vignette of a Noble Past, Flamboyant Present, and Vibrant Future, by Ted Aldwin Ong, Iloilo Art Book 2021-2022, published by the Iloilo City Government.