Nic Navarro’s gallery exhibition Katha brought forgotten landmarks and lesser-known historical sites back into the spotlight. With a reception held on August 24, 2026, at the NCCA Gallery, the exhibition spotlights paintings of what was once forgotten edifices like… Pio Valenzuela’s house, catering the printing site of Ang Kalayaan during Spanish colonization, the Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto that was mentioned in Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo, and other neglected historical landmarks.
The artist transforms bare canvases into arenas of inquiry and speculation, drawing deeply from themes of architecture, history, and collective memory.
Standing alongside him at the exhibition opening were the creative minds who built Katha from the ground up, such as exhibit writer Kaye O’yek, curator Philip Paraan, landscape artist Alan Tan, production designer Ohm David, and artist Telle de Leon, whose collective work gave form and color to the reimagined historical landmarks.
The gallery is not just a place to remember the country’s many forgotten heritage sites but to witness how these spaces have stood the test of time.
Artist Nic Navarro walking the audience through his exhibit. Photo by Jonathan Vergara – NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office.
In his discussion, Navarro shared that he was inspired by the idea of how time alters and even diminishes significant properties for commercial expansion, thereby abandoning the scattered pieces of history that built the nation.
Building on familiar sites and signs, this month’s gallery exhibition takes you closer to history while reminiscing about unconsciously abandoned heritage sites that Nic Navarro reinvigorates through the spirit of art.
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For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Chief Administrative Officer and Head, Public Affairs and Information Office, through paio@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.