Manila, Philippines – The Metropolitan Theater opened its door to a curatorial collection of cartooning on August 27, 2026, marking the centennial birth anniversary of National Artist for Visual Arts Lauro “Larry” Alcala to honor the enduring legacy of Philippine cartooning. Titled “Return to the Popular: Drawing the Filipino Imagination,” the exhibit highlighted Alcala’s contributions to Filipino visual culture.
Alcala is known for his distinctive visual language rooted in the everyday Filipino experience whereas the mundanity and still life of ordinary citizens became a subject to a more imaginative form of art that brought color to the Filipino community.
The exhibition launched a year-long celebration of his legacy,an initiative of the Larry Alcala Estate that delivered his works into wider spaces, conversation, and projects.
His iconic works transposed the world of Filipino cartoon, and some of his best handiwork include Slice of Life, Kalabog en Bosy*, and Siopawman, depicting local scenery, the humor in the Filipino characters and everyday life in the Philippines.
The centennial celebration is co-presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Metropolitan Theater, University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas (SKP), and Lennon Group.
The opening ceremony commenced with welcome remarks delivered by Bernan Joseph R. Corpuz, NCCA Deputy Executive Director for Operations.
It followed with consecutive speeches from various cultural institutions and collaborators like CPP Vice President and Artistic Director, Mr. Dennis N. Marasigan, Koleen Lopez of Tony&, Mr. Franc Mangahas from Lennon Group, and Briggs Abrigo of World Wide Womb.
Also joining the event was Ms. Ana Alcala, representing the Larry Alcala Estate, who honored the National Artist’s iconic body of work and its profound impact on the trajectory of Philippine visual arts.
The gallery celebration united artists across generations to honor the power of cartooning, both traditional and modern, demonstrating how a niche form of art can fuel personal passion and sustain a career.
At the center of the exhibition is the participatory of the installation Drawing the Line: The Nation Draws Back, where the visitors had the opportunity to respond to prompts such as “Draw the Nation,” “Draw Hope,” “Draw Justice,” and “Draw Your Neighbor.”
Their drawings became part of an evolving installation, transforming visitors from spectators to actual participants, thus emerging them to the life of visual arts.
More than an artist, Alcala has extended far beyond the printed page. He was an educator, illustrator, graphic designer, and pioneer of visual communication. At the University of the Philippines, he founded the Visual Communication program, helping shape generations of Filipino artists and designers.
The gallery was curated by Jose Santos “Sir Chong” P. Ardivilla, PhD, where he designed it not simply from a standpoint of retrospection, but as a curatorial argument for the continuing relevance of cartooning as one of the Philippines’ most vital forms of public visual culture.
Rather than presenting Alcala as an isolated historical figure, the exhibition brought his work within a continuum–from the history of popular entertainment and print culture to contemporary cartooning, graphic novels, independent publishing, and digital media.
Beyond the exhibition, Larry Alcala 100 Years will continue to feature exhibitions, collaborations, public programs, publications, and community initiatives throughout the centennial years.
For the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the centennial celebration of Larry Alcala’s legacy provided an opportunity to reaffirm the continuing place of cartooning within Philippine cultural life.
The exhibition will run from August 19 to September 19, 2026 at The Metropolitan Theater Gallery 2.
