In art, there is always a story before a story—an origin, a history of long-wared artistry and dimmed expression ended by artisans' brushes and sweat. Before an art cries in birth, a journey of passionate crafting and resilience is paved first, and someone, inevitably, battled it in endless doubt.
This is where the identity and root of a local art must be understood, and tracing back the history that stretches to the masterpieces of every artist is as important as crafting it.
This year, it is again realized, as the 8th Tubo Cebu Art Fair is themed "Provenance," at the Ayala Center, Cebu, from August 29–31, 2025. The theme Provenance served as a historical travel to the origin of Sugboanon arts and understanding their biographies through different art forms and contents. It was an opportunity to narrate the backstory of Cebuano art—its journey, contextual narrative, and origin.
Dearest readers, hello! This is Whosee again, and I am at most excitement to share with you my experience before the month of August ended. It is about the 8th Tubo Art Fair in Cebu, and I will narrate it using exact experiences and photos I had during the annual exhibition. So, without further ado, this blog I open to welcome you!
Welcome… this is **Stepping In The 8th Tubo Cebu Art Fair.**
Tubo Art Fair, for your information, is an annual exhibition in Cebu that aims to promote Cebuano creativity and cultural awareness through a community-driven fair. The displayed masterpieces are anchored to a specific theme every year, and this 2025, the artworks are primarily chosen under the central theme "Provenance," which wants to shed light on art history through the lens of artist and audience interaction, tending mutual exchange in arts between.
The fair is, actually, designed not only for Cebuanos, but also for different underappreciated artists across the region. Last year, 500 artists and crafts joined the exhibit under the theme "Ascend."
The theme this year made me happy because finally, it discusses the often-overlooked reality of skilled Cebuano artists. There are a plethora of brilliant Cebuano artists in the present who are often underappreciated and not known by the people amidst their efficient contribution to Cebuano art, like a ghost just encaged behind their physical works. The theme not only shone light on the evolution of Cebuano art and its cultural origin but also honored the pioneers of art in Sugbo—those who are not given the appreciation they deserve, and those who have not been offered more opportunities to use their talent to change lives.
The best thing in The Tubo Art Fair is that it is accessible and affordable to the audience. It has no admission fee and is wide open to those who want to understand more about the history of Cebuano artistry. It is the type of event that wants you to drop by and exchange conversation freely—it is welcoming, isn’t it?
While the artists' works are priced reasonably, the fair is not opened primarily for commerce, but to serve as an environment to connect more Cebuano artists to the general audiences.
Before we roamed around the exhibition, we had our lunch first and filled our tummies before the grand travel. Ayala Center in Cebu is quite big but comfortable, and I am amazed by its structure every time I visit—which I seldom do.
The exhibition is vibrant, artistic, and, most importantly, humanistic. I saw different art forms, such as books, sculpture, and paintings (both traditional and digital), and everything felt meaningful enough as I looked at their very details each. As you read this blog, you will see different works I firsthandly saw in the exhibit, and I will share with you my most favorite works.
**Birds In The Red Sky, Dog At The Sunset, and Cat In Grass**
These four framed paintings captured my attention before anything else. I cannot recall the name of the 4th painting, but I remember dwelling on its details for long minutes. The paintings are attention-grabbers, and indeed, they grabbed my attention. I guess it is because of the art style—it is like expressionism in childlike style. It is colorful and childlike, which resonates with me as I love works centered on children. Not only is it childlike, but it also touches the nature spirit and used different animals for representation. I am amazed not only because these are animal figures but also because they are my favorite ones, and the universe did a really good job on that.
**Cebuano Children Books**
Now this is my most favorite section. I am not pertaining to the paintings or the flowers carefully attached on the vase, but rather to the books displayed. I didn’t take close-up photos of the books because I was busy reading them. If you can zoom in, you’ll see different books, like "Mangayo Ko’g Asin!", "Kukurap-Kurap," "Marawi," "Alpabetong Bisaya," etc. These books discuss whimsical stories and social issues, both in a single, poetic table. I also found some books beside them that narrate again the folklore creatures in the Philippines, such as Tikbalang and Manananggal, which made me happy to read about those creatures again.
As a child, I enjoyed so much the magic in children’s books, and when I saw them again in the exhibit, I could not help but read them all at once.
**I'll Keep You Safe**
This one looks vulnerable to me. From the way it is titled, I see the nurturing and protective side of mankind. It is a ceramic sculpture, and the ones behind are good too, but this one stood out the most as it resonates with the audience effectively. "I’ll Keep You Safe" sounds promising, and the sculpture justified the name of the artwork. No question why it is priced like that. Zoom in to know the price.
Lastly, my other favorite is this acrylic-on-paper painting. A distorted, nightmarish human face with a wide-open mouth screaming with large teeth. There was no title written on the artwork, so I don’t think this has been shown to the public before. I also researched about the painting but could not find a similar work.
It captured my attention because of its wide glowing eyes, and it haunts my emotions as if it knows me. There is a psychological intensity in the artwork, and if you look closer, you only see the raw emotion of darkest fear. I guess it is still expressionism, but unlike the first one, this painting holds the horror and anguish I cannot dare to look at but would want to stare at forever.
Those are my favorites. But these works also deserve to be shared here. These are the works I came across and, like my favorites, they are also meaningful and diverse.
During the exhibition, there were also artist and panel talks, collaborative installations, literary book launches, and merch from last year’s Fair Image. I had fun in the short roaming in the exhibition, and knowing a lot of people visited the fair feels promising—that art is still alive in our region.
That is all about the 8th Tubo Cebu Art Fair, and I hope you enjoyed reading this one. Thank you, dearest readers, for giving time to read my content. This one is really raw and sweet for me, so I am most happy to know you read this. See you!