ALT Philippines Marks Its Largest Edition Yet
The fourth iteration of the art event is happening at the SMX Convention Center, MOA.
Published on Jan 5, 2026
ALT Philippines, now on its fourth edition, is making a statement with its venue of choice for 2026. From February 12 to 15, the artist-led initiative is moving to the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex, effectively doubling its footprint when compared to the 2024 iteration held at the same venue's Hall 4. It remains to be a collaboration between nine galleries in the Philippines: Artinformal, Blanc, The Drawing Room, Galleria Duemila, Finale Art File, MO_Space, Underground, Vinyl on Vinyl, and West Gallery.
In a statement, Tina Fernandez of Artinformal notes that while the nine galleries represent vastly different points of view, the goal is to present these voices in a way that feels cohesive. "Being in a venue that is more accessible to a broader audience fulfills our goal to enable more people from different walks of life to experience these shows," she explains.
The "Special Projects" section remains the fair’s backbone, with each gallery pushing conceptual boundaries. Featured exhibitions will include works by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Buen Calubayan, Julie Lluch/Kiri Dalena/Ben Brixx, Raffy Napay, MM Yu, Kolown/Christina Lopez, Mauro “Malang” Santos, Lesley-Ann Cao, and Iwan Effendi.
The "Discoveries" section, meanwhile, is a fresh offering in this year's ALT Philippines. It will feature works by JC Mariategue, Jomari T'leon, Joar Songcuya, Allyza Tresvalles, Eric Bico, Gelo Cinco, Joanolasco, Rhaz Oriente, and Marco Ortiga.
"The Discoveries Program is a platform for artists who we think deserve to garner more attention. Some of these artists are not new, but we feel we have a long journey ahead. The program is also a reminder that with the fast-paced turnover of attention, it is a good way for us to step back and slow things down a bit," explains Jay Amante of Blanc.
"New highlights lead to new interests, which lead to new conversations. We aim to bridge the gap between what is established and what is to be discovered,” adds Mawen Ong of MO_Space.
ALT Philippines was first held in 2020 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier in Taguig. Back then, it was composed of 10 Metro Manila art galleries, with 1335 Mabini. In a statement from the group six years ago, they said that they came together "to experiment on new ways of presenting and experiencing art."
In 2021, ALT Philippines was held at a Makati gallery: Finale Art File. They skipped 2022 and 2023, then returned in 2024 in one of the halls of SMX Convention Center, MOA.
ALT Philippines is from February 12 to 15 at SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
View More Articles About: