HISTORY

The Kamias Triennial was founded in 2014, in Quezon City (Metro Manila, Philippines) by artist Patrick Cruz with an exhibition of Filipino artists. The second iteration in 2017 was co-curated by Cruz and Vancouver-based curator Allison Collins, bringing together Canadian and Filipino artists. Su-Ying Lee (Toronto) joined Cruz and Collins for the the third iteration in 2020, where an emphasis was placed on relationships and shared histories between Mexico and the Philippines, two former Spanish colonies. To date, the Triennial has presented over seventy-seven artists from approximately ten countries through exhibitions, performances, screenings and socially engaged works.

KAMIAS TRIENNIAL MISSION STATEMENT

The Kamias Triennial (founded 2014, Manila, Philippines) is an independent, itinerant, collectively curated event with roots in Asia and Canada. In a globalized art-world, we position ourselves through sustained relationships, an intimate scale and intersectional conversations. We meet at the juncture of contemporary art and divergent cultural differences presenting exhibitions, events, public dialogue and relationship-building activities. We contribute to discourses in contemporary art by initiating timely and purposeful programming that embraces, critiques and expands both Eastern and Western approaches to art production. Formed around gathering and cultural exchange, we value disparate dialogues and aim to foster lateral relationships across socio-political, geographical, and imagined borders. We’ve adopted the Triennial model to unsettle the  weight of power, the locus of clout that is synonymous with institutionalized and global art events implied by the beloved suffix “ennial.”  

WHY KAMIAS AND WHAT IS IT?