Philippine Center New York

April 20 - 24, 2026
"Vibrant Depths" A Photographic Exhibit by Rob Rich
Philippine Center New York

Rob Rich is known as a Professional Celebrity and Socialite photographer in NYC and the Hamptons. But there is another side of him that few people know about. Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree in

Marine Biology – and his photography interests go deeper than just shooting people. His passion for photography culminated in combining both his talents by shooting photos underwater. With more than 7,600 islands, the Philippines stands out as the perfect place to practice his art.

In Rob's own words, “there is a world underwater that many people don't see, and I wanted to share a world that still has much to be explored."

This exhibition features wonderful places in the Philippines such as Boracay, Puerto Galera, Malapasqua, Moalboal, Anilao and Palawan. There is another important attraction to dive in the Philippines, and it's the Philippine people – when you go there, you become a part of the Filipino family. Their warm personalities, caring attributes, and general kindness are unsurpassed. It's nice to go there and rejuvenate and feel good about life.

When staying in a dive resort, you become friends with EVERYONE that works there. And the best part about that is when you go see them the next year, they remember you! The sincere smiles and happiness in their faces leaves you speechless. Gratitude in its purest form.

Enjoy the exhibition!

Karol Antonio & Citadel Muñoz-Cruz

DAYO: FOOTPRINTS AND DIALOGUE

April 8, 2026 Opening Exhibition presented by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center – New York

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To be a stranger in a city is to carry two worlds at once. Cities like New York have long drawn people from elsewhere — those who arrive not merely to visit but to plant themselves, however tentatively, in unfamiliar ground. The question of what remains, and what is left behind, has occupied artists across cultures and centuries. What marks does a person leave on a place? What marks does a place leave on a person? In the Filipino language, dayo carries both meanings at once: to arrive from somewhere else, and to find oneself, through that very act of arrival, transformed.

DAYO: Footprints and Dialogue take up these questions through the lens of Filipino presence in New York. Working across painting, printmaking, textile, embroidery, and photography, artists Karol Antonio and Citadel Muñoz-Cruz trace the lived experience of migration not as rupture, but as accumulation — layer upon layer of encounter, memory, and cultural negotiation. The exhibition features a site-responsive textile installation that reimagines the city's vertical energy through Philippine weaving traditions, alongside mixed-media works that embed indigenous textiles and Baybayin script into contemporary urban scenes. Together, the works ask what it means to belong to two places simultaneously, and how cultural identity persists, adapts, and asserts itself within one of the world's most relentlessly forward-moving cities.

The exhibition builds on the legacy of HABI: Discovering Possibilities for Philippine Fibers, the 2024 traveling exhibition that elevated Philippine textiles within the global creative landscape. Where HABI spotlighted the materials themselves, DAYO shifts attention to the hands, lives, and longings behind them — to the people who weave, stitch, paint, and photograph their way into belonging. By reusing materials from earlier textile programs, the exhibition carries an additional charge: that sustainability, like identity, is not an endpoint but a practice, renewed in every act of making.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Karol Ann P. Antonio is a licensed interior designer, exhibition designer, artist, and educator based in Manila, Philippines. Her practice positions spatial design as a socially engaged process — not merely an aesthetic pursuit, but a means of shaping meaningful human experience. A faculty member at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde's School of Environment and Design, Antonio grounds her teaching in experiential learning and community engagement. Her work in DAYO draws on more than a decade of practice across professional, academic, and grassroots contexts, translating the rhythm and scale of New York's urban landscape into the language of Philippine material culture.

Citadel Muñoz-Cruz is a self-taught artist, Baybayin teacher, and Sound Healing practitioner whose work is rooted in the healing power of nature, indigenous script, and handwoven Philippine textiles. Working in embroidery, textile assemblage, and photography, she hand-stitches Filipino words in Baybayin onto cotton denim, incorporating woven fabrics from various indigenous communities across the Philippines. Her images — quiet, grounded, and deeply felt — emerge from a practice of pausing within the noise of the city to remember who she is. Her work has been exhibited across the Philippines, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States.

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"I am a Filipina in New York. A Dayo for the second time. People come to New York from all over to build and transform their dreams into reality. I do often wonder how it felt for them to leave their homes behind. What did they give up? What did they have to do in order to be part of this city? At what expense?" — Citadel Muñoz-Cruz

Jenny Santi
GARDENS I NEVER KNEW
March 16th - 27th, 2026
Solo Exhibit curated by James Little

Across art history, beauty has often emerged in response to periods of strain, uncertainty, and rapid change. The natural world, in particular, has offered artists and viewers a steady source of grounding, from medieval books decorated with natural imagery to the atmospheric landscapes of the Impressionists. These works did not offer escape so much as coherence, a visual counterbalance to the pressures of their time. Over the twentieth century, this grounding impulse evolved as many artists moved away from direct description and toward simplified, distilled forms of nature, using rhythm, repetition, and structure to steady the psyche and create space for quiet attention.

Jenny Santi's paintings take part in this longer tradition while speaking clearly in a contemporary voice. Her work translates the experience of nature into gesture, color, and form, focusing less on how nature looks and more on how it feels. While floral in spirit, the paintings do not follow the scientific or illustrative conventions of botanical depiction. Instead, they hold sensation, mood, and movement. The forms that surface in her work read as impressions and traces, as if carried from a landscape remembered through the body rather than observed at a distance. Gesture remains visible, and emotional states are allowed to shape the composition.

Portraits & Memories: A Duo Art Exhibition by Bono Albania and Kareem Moumina

Philippine Center New York
September 15 - 20, 2025
Opening Reception September 15. 6pm (RSVP)

The Duo Exhibition featuring the captivating works of Bono and Kareem presents a vibrant exploration of life through contrasting yet complementary perspectives.

Bono's large oil portraits, rich in color and emotional depth, invite viewers to connect with the human experience, revealing stories of identity, culture, and the nuances of individual existence.

In juxtaposition, Kareem’s realistic portrayals of flora and fauna celebrate the beauty and complexity of the natural world, offering a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility to preserve the environment.

Their shared use of vibrant colors and commitment to realism reflects a powerful dedication to their craft, making both artists significant contributors to the art world.

Together, these artists create a dialogue between humanity and nature, showcasing the intricate relationships that bind us all.

DALOY LIKHA ART GALLERY
VISUAL ENRICHMENT
September 2 -12, 2025

Join us for an exploration of artistic essence through the distinct works of seven artists. Dive into their worlds, each speaking in their own visual language. Every piece of art presented stands as a statement of individuality, brought to life through vibrant colors, bold strokes, tactile glistening sculptures, and the subtle beauty of nuanced detail. This exhibit invites you to witness their separate journeys, each one a testament to the boundless possibilities of artistic expression. Without collaboration but united in their passion and with their independent Filipino backgrounds and inspirations, their pieces invite you to experience their representations of their surroundings, of nature and daily life, the purity of their creative visions, and personal artistry. Experience their imaginative expressions and new perspectives, a labor of love presented in every piece. Each artwork invites the viewer into conversations of discrete interpretations and discussions of intellectual topics.
We present a gallery filled with the diverse beauty of unrestrained creativity, personal narratives and emotions, brought over thousands of miles for your visual pleasure and enrichment.

HIYAS
August 18-29, 2025
Philippine Center

For the first time ever, the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST - PTRI)'s KatHABI will shine on the international stage in the heart of one of the world's fashion capitals—New York!
Organized by the DOST-PTRI in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General and Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New York, this event will showcase unique and sustainable textiles, blending traditional weaving techniques with contemporary fashion and innovation.

The KatHABI Philippine Textile Innovation Event in New York celebrates the Philippines' rich textile heritage and game-changing innovations. Promoting Filipino craftsmanship and creativity, the event highlights the potential of Philippine textiles on the global stage.

Experience the Textile Innovation Exhibition from 25 to 28 June (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM) at the Lobby Gallery of Philippine Center in New York, featuring natural fibers such as abaca, pineapple, bamboo, Philippine silk, and natural dyes.

Discover the beauty and sustainability of Philippine Tropical Fabrics!