Established artists from the Philippines whose practices investigate how their work, lifestyles and realities make up a complex society are featured in The Drawing Room, a gallery founded in Manila by director Cesar Villalon Jr. in 1998. The gallery features Philippine Contemporary Art icons such as Kiko Escora, and Kawayan de Guía along with Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, and Jose Legaspi who are critically acclaimed internationally. The Drawing Room supports interdisciplinary art processes, presents works at international art fairs, and also collaborates with public art institutions in Manila and the region to exhibit and acquire Filipino contemporary art.
Aside from monthly exhibitions of its stable of artists in its venue in Manila, it circulates its artists’ off-site shows in other spaces in Singapore, Taipei, Jakarta, Beijing, Turin and London. The gallery displays an involvement to the role of reputable art fairs in providing an extensive reach for contemporary art. It is a regular participant of Hong Kong Art Fair, Singapore Art Fair and the Scope Art Fair in New York, Miami and Basel, and was part of the roster of exhibitors in Pulse Los Angeles (2011), India Art Summit (2010, 2011) and Slick Paris (2010).
The Drawing Room continues to extend its mission by expanding to Gillman Barracks in Singapore in September 2012.