The UP Cebu Fine Arts – Studio Arts Program welcomed the public to Salingsing, the graduating batch’s 2026 solo exhibitions, through an opening reception held on June 24, 2026, at the Joya Gallery. Bringing together a diverse collection of contemporary works, the exhibition marked an important milestone for the graduating artists as they presented the culmination of their undergraduate research, experimentation, and creative journeys.
The Cebuano word salingsing refers to a young shoot emerging from an existing trunk or branch. As a symbol of renewal and continuation, the term reflects the artistic journey of the graduating batch; artists who remain connected to histories, experiences, and places that shaped them while simultaneously growing toward new possibilities. More than a title, Salingsing frames artistic practice as an ongoing process of becoming.
The opening reception gathered the graduating artists, their fine arts mentors, faculty members, friends, families and members of the creative community in celebration of their works. The exhibition became a space where artistic inquiries were shared publicly, transforming months of research, studio experimentation, and material exploration into encounters between the artists and their audiences.
Through a wide range of contemporary practices, the exhibition reveals a generation of artists deeply engaged with questions of memory, identity, embodiment, environment, and place. Each work becomes an exploration of ideas and experiences, demonstrating how artistic practice functions not only as the creation of objects but also as a way of understanding and responding to the world.
The works presented in Salingsing reflect the Studio Arts program’s commitment to artistic research and critical engagement. Materials, images, and gestures become tools for investigation, allowing artists to examine personal histories, cultural experiences, and broader social realities. Through painting, sculpture, installation, performance, textile practices, and other experimental forms, the artists demonstrate the expansive possibilities of contemporary art.
The exhibition also reflects the unique cultural landscape of Cebu, a place shaped by histories of encounter, exchange, and transformation.
“Like young shoots growing from established roots, the artists engage with inherited traditions while exploring new directions in artistic expression. Their works exist within the productive tension between continuity and change, local experiences and wider conversations.” as explained by Dr. Laya Gonzales, the Studio Arts Program Coordinator.
Rather than presenting emerging artists as simply arriving at a final destination, Salingsing recognizes emergence itself as a meaningful artistic condition. The exhibition highlights works that are already active contributions to conversations surrounding representation, materiality, cultural memory, and contemporary experience. These are not beginnings waiting for validation, but artistic expressions that continue to grow, expand, and create new possibilities.
The graduating artists’ solo thesis exhibitions unfolded across various cultural spaces and exhibition venues, extending the reach of Salingsing beyond a single gallery space. Partner venues that accommodated the artists’ thesis exhibitions include ATUA, Censored Cebu Bar, The Joya Gallery, Lapu-Lapu City Gallery, Looc in San Remigio, Negros Museum, Paseo Arcenas, Qube Gallery, San Remigio Museum, The Kabilin Center, and UCMA Village Chapel.
Together, these spaces became extensions of the artists’ creative practices, allowing each exhibition to respond to different environments and communities. The movement of the exhibitions across Cebu and nearby regions further emphasized the idea of growth embedded in Salingsing: artistic practice expanding beyond familiar boundaries while remaining connected to its roots.
As the exhibition opened its doors, viewers were invited to encounter the works not as conclusions, but as evolving trajectories. Each piece serves as evidence of ideas taking root, branching outward, and contributing to the continually developing landscape of contemporary Philippine art.
Salingsing stands as a celebration of the UP Cebu Fine Arts Studio Arts Graduating Batch of 2026–artists who are rooted in experience, attentive to their surroundings, and ready to extend their practices toward new horizons.
An article featuring each of the students’ works will be published soon during Pagbudyong 2026.