Fotomoto 2025: i/Land Brings New Voices, Photographers Into the Museum

Words Marz Aglipay
Photos courtesy of Marz Aglipay
February 18, 2025

Fotomoto returns for its third iteration with i/Land, a themed open-call photo exhibition that attracted over 1,000 photo submissions from more than 300 photographers across the region. Now on view at the Ayala Museum until February 23, 2025, the exhibition showcases works by 74 selected photographers who explore the essence of life in an archipelago.

This year’s theme, i/Land, invites photographers to reflect on and capture the distinctive landscapes, cultures, and narratives that define archipelagic living. The opening reception brought together photo enthusiasts and participating artists, including notable names such as Hersley Casero (Dumaguete), MM Yu (Metro Manila), Pia Mercado (Cebu), and Carmen del Prado (Netherlands) who are among the diverse selection.

Aprille Tijam (left most) of the Ayala Museum with curator Angel Velasco Shaw (3rd from right) joined by the exhibiting artist of “State of Flux” the main Fotomoto exhibition at the Ayala Museum lobby.

A distinguished jury panel—comprising both local and international photographers—was responsible for selecting the final works. The panel included Neal Oshima, Wawi Navarroza, Tom Epperson, Lourdes Abela-Samson, Ng Swan Ti (Jakarta International Photo Festival and Panna Foto), Chelsea Chua (Objectifs Centre Singapore), and Jessica Lim (Angkor Photo Festival). Notably, the majority of the jury were women—a significant contrast to photography’s traditionally male-dominated field. 

“There are many changes this year, including a more discerning vetting process with a jury from Southeast Asia,” said Stephanie Frondoso, co-founder and co-curator of Fotomoto, during the exhibition’s opening.

For some participants, Fotomoto 2025 marks a milestone in their photography careers. Jyllan Sydrey Bitalac, a photographer, experienced the thrill of seeing his work in person as a printed photograph for the exhibition, its scale prominent in the section where it hangs, further adding to the weight of the experience. He has two photographs from his “Habitat” series included in the show.

Meanwhile, Johann Guasch, whose Malachite subjects are so small they must be photographed through a microscope, saw his images blend seamlessly into a selection dominated by scenes found in real life. Like his fellow artists, his works were printed at a scale that transformed his subjects into what appeared to be mountainous landscapes.

Everyday life is a central theme in the exhibition’s selection. Anton Baello expressed his excitement at having two of his photographs, “Urban Growth” and “Winds of Togetherness”—both taken in Malabon—featured in the show. Meanwhile, photographer javion, showcases his work “Sari-Sari,” which captures the distinct aesthetics of Philippine storefronts. He shared with Art+ that i/Land is his first group exhibition—and at a prestigious institution, no less.

Myra Ho, who has worked with Drag Race Philippines Queens, had her work “On The Rocks” featuring Lady Pussy Galore, selected for i/Land. “I always go back to this photo of Lady Pussy Galore, who loves her home country so much that she keeps coming back,” she shares, drawing a connection to the experience of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who continue to find the Philippines worthy of being called home. Captured in Batanes, the image embodies the island’s quiet yet powerful beauty. “This island has its quiet way of screaming, ‘Look at me, I am so beautiful,’” Ho explains. While AI can generate a similar setting, she emphasizes that “nothing beats the glimmer from staring at the real horizon where the sky meets the sea.”

Fashion photography professional Bimpoman shared the story behind his featured photograph, “Tubbataha.” Taken during a Miss Universe shoot, he noted how the model’s movement initially resembled the shape of the Philippine islands, inspiring him to create a photo series named after poses of contestants that resemble shapes of land masses.

One unique highlight of i/Land as a sponsored exhibition is that all photographs are printed on Hahnemühle 300 gsm sugarcane paper, ensuring photo-accurate colors. This detail is a special treat for participants, who were only required to submit their works in digital format.

With its expansive selection of compelling imagery illustrating the concept of island life, Fotomoto 2025: i/Land offers a visual exploration of what it means to belong to a nation of islands, and at the same time, be a platform for artist whose works are often seen in print or for its commercial value.

Fotomoto also continues its support for artists working with photography as a medium through additional exhibitions at Ayala Museum: Centerfold (located in the Glass Lane leading to i/Land), curated by Gio Panlilio; Neil Oshima’s Camera Obscura at Greenbelt 3 Sunken Park; and State of Flux curated by Angel Velasco Shaw (in the museum’s lobby)—a first for the museum to hold a main exhibition in its lobby. “My interest in working in a space like this is to bring what’s inside a museum out into another space—into a public space—where you don’t have to buy a ticket. This is public art. [The lobby] is not just a site for people to gather, hug each other, meet, and move on. It is now a place where you can experience art in another way,” said Shaw during the opening reception, reflecting on Fotomoto’s ethos of accessibility.

Fotomoto, which launched Arts Month, also opened Art Fair Philippines’ 10 Days of Art programming. Their exhibitions at Ayala Museum continue until February 23, coinciding with their Art Fair Philippines/photo presentation titled Kuha, curated by Cocoy Lumbao, along with the publicly accessible exhibition Beneath the Streets at the Legazpi Underpass, curated by Tom Epperson.