After years of being famous worldwide for its artistry in furniture design, textile weaving, and fashion design, Cebu City has finally found its place in the creative world when it was recognized by UNESCO as part of its Creative Cities Network in 2019, but while it’s worth boasting to be classified as such, there is so much more work to be done to maintain the title. To be a UNESCO Creative City of Design, and the Philippines’ first one at that, is more than an accolade, it’s a responsibility for the creative community to push for creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable urban development.
The gallery aims to promote Filipino artists beyond local archipelagic reach and to develop an international art dialogue by featuring foreign artists who have a close affinity to the Philippines. | Know more about the gallery
With the UNESCO recognition, it’s even clearer that Cebu has the talent for UNESCO to be called a Creative City but it needs more than that to sustain a creative economy—it needed more platforms. With almost a decade in operation, Qube Gallery has evolved to be that platform, a necessary space for artists to exhibit their art, cultivate their craft, and most importantly, to create and connect a community of creatives.
A safe space for everyone
Qube Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with two physical spaces—one at Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City, and at Design Center of Cebu in A.S. Fortuna Street, Banilad, Mandaue City. Qube doesn’t just promote talent, but it discovers them too. According to Pia Mercado, director of Qube Gallery, there is no need for collectors to look outside of Cebu because there are talented visual artists in Cebu that deserve support. It has an estimate of 12 shows a year, exhibiting a roster of artists from all over the world based on their programming.
Qube Gallery director Pia Mercado during one of the gallery’s exhibits.
The creative industry was at a standstill when the global pandemic hit in 2020 and like most businesses during that unpredictable time, Qube was forced to temporarily close and stop physical exhibitions. Albeit unsure of how long the closure was going to be, Qube pressed on. They found an opportunity in adversity and used the time to build their online presence by doing online viewing rooms, sending out newsletters, and partnering with online platforms like Artsy and Artsper which have an international audience.
“There will always be people who will not understand or respect the importance of galleries in the art ecosystem and because of that, they deal directly and not through an exhibition or through the gallery,” shared Pia on the challenges they have to face today.
Albeit unsure of how long the closure was going to be, Qube pressed on. They found an opportunity in adversity and used the time to build their online presence by doing online viewing rooms, sending out newsletters, and partnering with online platforms.
Supporting creative communities can be as easy as spreading the word on social media or paying your local art gallery a visit. Physical spaces like Qube should be protected because they are safe spaces for individuals, not just creatives, to express themselves and find people who are just like them.
Running on faith and passion
Qube is run on faith and passion for artists and their work. Qube deals with the primary art market, which means that they sell and exhibit artwork directly from the artist’s studio. Other than being a commercial space, Pia, together with the co-director of the gallery, Maris Holopainen, believe that their job also entails creating a personal relationship with artists and helping them find the right collectors and buyers.
This month, Qube is exhibiting mixed media works by Spanish artist, Maria Burgaz, at the foyer of Qube Gallery in Crossroads in Banilad that is curated by Pia Mercado herself. While this is her first time calling herself a curator, Pia has been mounting shows and has been working behind the scenes on exhibitions for several years. “A lot of people still want to understand what a curator does for a show. It’s more than just arranging the artworks, you have got to be there from start to finish – from the conceptualization until the end of the show, the egress. The artist does the work and the curator creates the dialogue between these works and the audience”, shares Pia.
On June 12, Qube will celebrate Independence Day with “PEARLS”, a photography show by Archie Geotina. This show will showcase women surfing in traditional clothing as a nod to the resilience and strength of every woman in the tides of life. Golda King is also expected to exhibit her work in Qube in June 2022.
For more news and updates on Qube, visit their website www.qubegallery.ph and their social media channels at @qubegalleryph.