Old World Filipiniana, the subject favored by Laguna-based artist Almer Moneda. The signature style: a technique that reveals his love for photography wherein figures are rendered in ebony and ivory. Perhaps like memories of the distant past, the vibrant colors of events fade into black and white. On his canvas, the artist’s achromatic subjects float or are pushed forward by setting them against frames in muted colors.
Recently, Moneda took his style a step forward, a part of an artist's evolving process. He is now rendering the subjects in color, breathing new life into his canvases.
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| Almer Moneda |
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| Vanishing Points is Moneda's first solo exhibition of his art in full color |
“I decided to start adding color to my works early this year, 2026. It was part of my process of trying something new and exploring a different direction in my work. I wanted to see how color would change the way I tell stories about memory and nostalgia.”
This move turned out to be a success for the artist.
"Luckily, ang isang painting ko ay napili para maging cover ng isang art magazine. It was a really nice surprise. The recognition somehow gave me more confidence to continue with this new approach.”
Featured on the cover of a prominent Philippine art magazine, Art+ Magazine Issue 101, is "A Stroll Through Time," Moneda's color piece. The painting's composition is highlighted by a basket-bearing lady, garbed in baro’t saya in muted shades of green, watching a glossy brick-red vintage car pass a street lined with Spanish colonial-designed buildings in the background.
The month of August gave Moneda the artistic opportunity to turn his vision southward. His artistry would embark on an adventure down the Philippines map to a place where richly preserved cultural heritage and modernity, and tribal chieftains and commercial traders coexist harmoniously. Moneda has Davao in his photographic lens-like vision.
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| Bagobo Warrior & Chief of Bagobo Tribe, Datu Bulon |
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| Ceremony of the Bagani |
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| The Kudlong Players |
“Nung nalaman ko na August yung solo exhibition ko, naisip ko na magandang opportunity na gawing subject ang Davao, especially since celebration din ito ng Kadayawan Festival. Special sa akin yung Davao crowd, kaya parang naging natural choice na Davao ang maging first venue ng solo exhibition ko featuring my colored works,” shared the artist.
The artist was inspired by memories and nostalgia about Davao, particularly the culture and heritage of the indigenous communities like the Bagobo. Moneda wanted to revisit these stories and memories, then translate them into my own visual language and approach to color.
In his solo exhibition of his first series in full color, "Vanishing Points," Almer Moneda once more returns to the same question he asks himself to complete his collection: What do we choose to remember? What slips away while we aren't looking? Perhaps his renditions can answer the questions the Davaoeño audience asks themselves.
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| The Vintage Hour |
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| La Commandancia (San Pedro, Davao CIty) |
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| Little Tokyo Davao |
From his “Vanishing Points” series of artworks, the artist believes he was able to capture the essence of Davao’s past in his painted images. He points out a couple: “One of them is the Merco Building. Malaki yung significance ng Merco sa memories ng mga Davao locals—not just because of the ice cream, but because it also brings back different memories and experiences from the past. Another piece is the portrait of Datu Bulon of the Bagobo tribe. For me, he represents an important part of Davao’s culture, heritage, and history.”
View the images of Davao's past in color in Almer Moneda’s “Vanishing Points” exhibition. The exhibit runs from August 22 to September 6, 2026, at Galerie Raphael Davao in Azuela Cove.
