The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Manila has named curator and art historian Carlos Quijon Jr as chief curator of its Contemporary Art Museum, housed within Tanghalang Pambansa, CCP’s main building. The appointment comes as the institution nears the end of a multiyear rehabilitation that commenced in 2021, with reopening scheduled for early 2027.

Quijon joins CCP after serving as the inaugural Contemporary and Modern Art Perspectives fellow for Southeast and East Asia at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (2024–26). In 2024, he curated the Philippine pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, which presented Mark Salvatus’s “Sa kabila ng tabing lamang sa panahong ito (Waiting Just Behind the Curtain of This Age)” at the Arsenale. Quijon was also a fellow of Modern Art Histories in and across Africa, South and Southeast Asia, a research initiative supported by the Los Angeles-based Getty Foundation. His recent curatorial project include the group show “Echoes and Mirages” (2025–26) at Almeida & Dale in São Paulo and Lesley-Anne Cao’s first international solo exhibition, “Measure by Hand, Sight, or Song” (2026), at A+ Works of Art in Kuala Lumpur.

In his new role, Quijon will lead CCP’s exhibition program and oversee the presentation of its 21AM Visual Arts Collection, which was launched as a digital museum in 2022.

CCP president Kaye C. Tinga said that the institution looks forward to benefiting from Quijon’s global experience. She added that the new premises will feature upgraded facilities along with a new program of exhibitions and performances.

In a statement, Quijon said, “I’m excited to join the CCP as . . . it enters its new era,” adding that he “believe[s] in CCP’s role in advocating for and enriching the artistic sensibilities of our Filipino artists.”

Sabrina Hau is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.