In many ways, Kontempo, an upcoming contemporary art museum in Circuit Makati, is being envisioned less as a museum and more as a living cultural organism — one designed to move with the rhythm, contradictions, and evolving identities of contemporary Filipino life.
Officially called the Center for Contemporary Arts Philippines, Kontempo is Ayala Foundation’s newest cultural initiative, envisioned as a space “where artists can experiment, ideas can collide, and communities can form.”
“For more than six decades, Ayala Foundation has run programs and institutions that advance arts and culture, youth leadership, and community development, anchored in our commitment to building thriving Filipino communities. Kontempo builds on this by expanding access to contemporary art and providing a space that is welcoming and inclusive,” Ayala Foundation President Tony Lambino said in a statement.
(Photo: Ayala Foundation and WHY Architecture)
Architects Kulapat Yantrasast and Ed Calma are designing Kontempo, which is located on a two-hectare site in Circuit Makati, with completion projected around 2028 or later. Reuben Keehan, who has been appointed Artistic Director of the institution, leads the long-term artistic direction for the project.
The center adopts a “village” concept, spanning approximately 2,500 square meters alongside 15,000 square meters of open green space designed for art installations, gardens, and public use.
The institution will also feature three main galleries with double-height ceilings that can house large-scale installations, alongside expansive green spaces for public programming and other gatherings.
Moreover, Kontempo will showcase exhibitions, commissions, research, education, and community-facing programs, and will form part of a broader creative campus connected to everyday urban life.
Creative space for cultural integration
Through Kontempo, Ayala Land Inc. Creative Director Paloma Zobel de Ayala is helping shape a vision that reimagines how art is encountered in the Philippines: not as something distant and institutional, but as something immersive, participatory, and deeply woven into everyday experience.
Speaking to adobo Magazine, Paloma described the project not as a conventional museum, but as a platform grounded in what she calls “Culture in Motion.”
“Of course, painting and sculpture remain incredibly important. They are foundational to how we understand art and culture. But contemporary culture today is also experienced through sound, movement, performance, film, digital worlds, public programming, and participation. The way we engage with culture today is far more fluid and interdisciplinary than before,” she said.
That philosophy extends directly into the museum’s structure and programming. As a non-collecting institution, Kontempo will also focus on rotating and non-permanent exhibitions, spanning immersive installations, digital works, and other interactive experiences, allowing the space itself to continuously evolve and transform.
“What excites me about Kontempo is the opportunity to create an environment where these different forms can exist in conversation,” added Paloma.
Art as infrastructure for imagining a better future
The ambition behind Kontempo extends beyond architecture or exhibition-making. Central to the vision is accessibility — moving away from the idea of the museum as an exclusive “temple,” and toward something civic, permeable, and integrated into urban life.
“The goal is not simply to display contemporary art, but to weave it into everyday urban life — to create a place where students, families, artists, collectors, tourists, and curious passersby can all coexist and encounter culture in ways that feel natural and emotionally resonant,” Paloma said.
Equally important is the institution’s role in building long-term support systems for artistic practice in the Philippines. Beyond showcasing established names, Kontempo hopes to create visibility and infrastructure for younger and emerging creatives navigating contemporary culture today.
Rather than attempting to define a singular image of Filipino contemporary art, the space embraces multiplicity, holding space for experimentation, contradiction, synthesis, and constant evolution.
“What makes Kontempo special to me is that we are building a cultural ecosystem. A place where people can gather, discover, debate, learn, create, and continuously return to.”
Looking ahead, Paloma hopes the institution contributes to a broader shift in how contemporary Filipino culture is valued and sustained, not only through visibility but through long-term public engagement and cultural infrastructure.
For her, the significance of a space like Kontempo ultimately reaches far beyond the walls of a museum.
“Art and creativity should not be a luxury. It’s one of the ways societies imagine better futures for themselves.”
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