"Project Belonging: From There to Here. The Familiar in the Foreign" Artists' Walkthrough with Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan

Join the Ateneo Art Gallery for an artists’ walkthrough of “Project Belonging: From There to Here. The Familiar in the Foreign” on April 6 (Sunday), 11:00 am at the Wilson L Sy Prints & Drawings Gallery, 2F Ateneo Art Gallery, Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. 

This program is free and open to the public. Register now at https://go.ateneo.net/AquilizanWalkthrough

The walkthrough will be led by featured artists Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, whose practice is intermingled in their lives as migrants. Curated by Spain-based Filipino curator Kristine Guzmán and featuring Enrique Marty as guest artist, the exhibit marks the Aquilizans’ homecoming after 18 years, and is based on a dual approach of self-representation. “The Familiar in the Foreign” features personal objects the artist-couple has collected throughout the years, ranging from wrapped objects placed atop blue plastic pallets, to a collection of postcards with images of maritime landscapes, and an oak wardrobe laden with the artists’ personal belongings, highlighting a collaborative process where individual narratives become part of a greater whole.

This walkthrough is organized in line with “Project Belonging: From There to Here. The Familiar in the Foreign,” supported in part by a grant from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), a state agency, and on-view from 9 November 2024 – 16 April 2025 at the Wilson L Sy Prints & Drawings Gallery, 2F Ateneo Art Gallery, Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. 

For inquiries, email aag@ateneo.edu

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

ISABEL GAUDINEZ AQUILIZAN (Manila, Philippines, 1965) and ALFREDO JUAN AQUILIZAN (Cagayan, Philippines,1962) is a Filipino artist-couple who emigrated to Australia in 2006. As a result of their personal experiences, migration, family and cultural displacement are the central themes that they address through their projects. Their artistic language prioritizes the use of recycled materials and community participation. They have participated in numerous exhibitions, biennials, and their works are part of outstanding international collections such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan; The Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation in Australia, The Singapore Art Museum; MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Thailand, or The Lopez Museum Foundation in the Philippines, among others. In 2024, after eighteen years in Australia, Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan have moved back to their homeland in the Philippines.