Exhibitions

In celebration of his 83rd birthday, Raul Isidro returns with his much-anticipated annual solo exhibition at Galerie Joaquin Rockwell, reaffirming a lifelong commitment to his craft and affirming his enduring presence in Philippine contemporary art.

Aptly titled Iconic Eras: Visions in Color, the exhibition gathers a body of works that reflect both continuity and evolution. Known for his lyrical abstraction and intuitive command of color, Isidro has long created works that feel both spontaneous and contemplative. His canvases unfold as emotional landscapes which evoke memory and introspection. At 83, he paints with a clarity and mastery born from experience. The interplay between restraint and release echo his lifelong balance of discipline and intuition.

This yearly exhibition has become more than a tradition but rather a testament to the artist’s sustained vitality and continued creative growth. Rather than looking back, Iconic Eras speaks of an artist who continues to push forward by revisiting, redefining, and reimagining his visual language with each passing year. The works do not merely reflect past eras; they transform them into something relevant and timeless.

In this year’s exhibition, the artist turns inward by offering something deeply personal. He shares a carefully considered selection of works drawn from his own collection composed of pieces he has kept close through the years, revisited in private, and now brought into the public eye. This revisitation unfolds as a layered meditation where past and present coexist within the same visual field. Earlier works, marked by raw energy and exploratory vigor, stand alongside more recent compositions that reveal refinement, clarity, and restraint. Together, they illuminate a continuity and enduring dialogue that invites viewers into a space of reflection and resonance where abstraction becomes a deeply human experience.

Raul Isidro (b. 1943) is a product of the Fine Arts program of the University of Santo Tomas, where he finished with a degree in Advertising. He first exhibited at Solidaridad Bookstore’s Gallery in 1969, at the invitation of National Artist for Literature and Solidaridad owner F. Sionil Jose. He has garnered multiple awards such as inclusion in 1979's group of Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), and the Outstanding Thomasian Award in 2006--an honor he shares with Ramon Orlina. He also won the Cultural Grant Award from the Australian government in 1981 and was a 1st prize awardee at the Printmakers Association of the Philippines Annual competition in 1972. It was also in 1972 that Isidro began what eventually became a long association with the Fine Arts program of the Philippine Women’s University (PWU), where he nurtured the department which was founded by pioneering printmaker Manuel Rodriguez Sr. Through his tenure at PWU, where he eventually became Director of the College of Fine Arts in 1975, Isidro became heavily involved in printmaking-which also served to enhance his approach to painting. He is also a sculptor and had experimented with the use of gold leaf on canvas as a medium in the late 80’s while in the United States, but had shown it publicly only in the early 90’s.

Demonstrating his creative genius in numerous media as a professional artist, Isidro's artistic accomplishments and creativity has been showcased in various art exhibitions locally and in foreign shores including Germany, Israel, Spain, China, the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States. He shares his time in promoting art and honing talents of next generation artists by mentoring them and oftentimes serving as a judge in local competitions.

The exhibition will run from March 3-13, 2026 at Galerie Joaquin Rockwell with an Artist Reception on March 7 at 5 p.m. The gallery is located at R3 Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati. For inquiries, contact Galerie Joaquin at +63 915 414 5502 or email galeriejoaquinrockwell@gmail.com