CCP Appoints New Chief Curator as Grand Reopening Anew
Cultural Center of the Philippines appoints new chief curator following a close public reopening coming early 2027.
Words Henry Ramirez
Photos courtesy of Carlos Quijon Jr.
September 4, 2026
Cultural Center of the Philippines Chief Curator for Contemporary Art Museum Carlos Quijon Jr.
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) appointed Carlos Quijon Jr. as the new chief curator of its contemporary art museum following a full slated public grand reopening of the Tanghalang Pambansa Main Building set for early 2027.
In a press release, the state-owned arts institution said the appointment of Quijon will shape the way it showcases and exhibits its extensive contemporary arts collection, bringing in an extensive knowledge in Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, transregional art histories, curatorial practice and scholarship, and familiarity with regional artistic infrastructures.
“I’m excited to join the CCP as their new chief curator as it enters its new era,” said Quijon.
“As a practitioner, I believe in CCP’s role in advocating for and enriching the artistic sensibilities of our Filipino artists and promoting them to our local public and our international audiences, as well. The goal is to strengthen the place of the CCP in national and regional conversations around contemporary art.”
The sudden move came at a crucial time as CCP shifts closer towards reestablishing its doors to the public as early as late 2026 after undergoing meticulous conservation and rehabilitation efforts since 2021.
“As we prepare for the reopening of the CCP next year, we are not only boosting our facilities that will host our audiences and the public, but also our lineup of visionaries who will curate and conceptualize art exhibitions and performances that we can truly be proud of,” said CCP President Kaye C. Tinga.
“We’re glad to welcome Carlos [Quijon] into our artistic family. We know that we will learn from his global experiences, as much as he will also be inspired by our contemporary art collection,” Tinga added.
Quijon, an art historian, curator, and critic based between Manila and New York, will join the CCP family after his successful tenure at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as the first Contemporary and Modern Art Perspective Fellow for Southeast and East Asia.
He has been long known in the contemporary art scene for his creativity and passion, with a notable curatorial exhibitions in the Philippine Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, Lesley-Anne Cao’s A+ Works of Art in Kuala Lumpur, and Echoes and Mirages at Almeida & Dale in São Paulo.
The CCP accentuates the pinnacle of Philippine architecture as it features the iconic brutalist masterpiece brought to life by National Artist Leandro V. Locsin. From its inauguration in 1969, the marvelous arts institution has hosted decades of heavy artistic use and has not weathered down until inspections made in 2015 and 2018.
This is not just a normal rehabilitation process funded by the national government; it is hours and hours of extensive architectural surgery to meticulously balance heritage conservation blending with 21st-century modernization.
CCP is home to one of Philippines’ biggest contemporary art collections gathered from early 1960 to late 1980, garnering over 2,000 artworks on its 21AM Visual Collection alone.
As the public awaits its opening doors, CCP shows and programs still continue to present its artistic language in major alternative locations in Metro Manila, including Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez, The Metropolitan Theater, Samsung Performing Arts Theater, and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
