Frankfurt, 19 September 2025 – Sulog: Filipino Architecture at the Crosscurrents opened to the public at the German Architecture Museum (DAM) on 19 September 2025. The exhibition, presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in cooperation with DAM, runs until 18 January 2026 as part of the Philippines’ Guest of Honour program at the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBM) 2025.
Remarks were delivered by Consul General Marie Yvette Banzon Abalos, DAM Director Peter Cachola Schmal, Simone Bühler, Head of the Guest of Honour Program of the Frankfurt Book Fair, and Senator Loren Legarda, the visionary behind the Philippines’ participation as Guest of Honour at this year’s fair (via video message).
Consul General Marie Yvette Banzon Abalos expressed pride in the Filipino architects and artists behind the project, as well as in the Filipino community in Germany, “for whom this exhibition carries a special resonance… living the very narrative that Sulog presents.” She further noted that presenting Philippine architecture on such a stage affirms not only the creativity of Filipino practitioners but also the relevance of Philippine culture in global conversations. She underscored that the exhibition contributes to deepening international understanding of the Philippines.
Curators Edson Cabalfin, Patrick Kasingsing, and Schmal emphasized that Sulog brings together leading Filipino architects and artists in an exhibition of significant international scale, situating Philippine architecture within broader global conversations.
The exhibition reimagines Philippine architecture as a dynamic flow of people, places, and processes that extend beyond borders. The title Sulog, from the Cebuano word for “streams of water,” symbolizes this ebb and flow, placing Philippine architecture within global networks of cultural exchange.
Organized around three interrelated themes — People as Networks, Places as Flows, and Processes as Flows — the exhibition highlights the roles of architects, communities, diaspora, context, culture, heritage, and socio-political influences in shaping Philippine architecture. A symposium held prior to the opening brought together architects and scholars for in-depth discussions that informed the exhibit.
Inspired by anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s concept of “global cultural flow,” Sulog presents Philippine architecture not as confined to a single nation but as a confluence of transnational exchanges across time and space.
The opening drew a diverse audience from the German and international cultural community, marking a strong start to what promises to be one of the highlights of the Philippines’ cultural showcase in Frankfurt.
The exhibition catalogue Sulog is available as a digital download. END