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28 May 2025
MCAD Manila’s newest exhibition, Moments of Delay, explores time, hesitation, and uncertainty through contemporary artworks. Curated by Arianna Mercado and James Tana, with Joselina “Yeyey” Cruz overseeing the museum’s direction, the exhibition challenges conventional ideas of past, present, and future. The artists featured in Moments of Delay examine how time can be felt, interrupted, or distorted, using sensory experiences, movement, and material transformation to reinforce the theme of delay. From installations that engage viewers physically to works that create quiet yet powerful transformations, the exhibition invites audiences to step into fragmented timelines and question the pace of perception.
MCAD Director Cruz describes the museum’s approach to exhibitions. “Our responsibility is to create aspirators, to create exhibitions that are critically rigorous while remaining publicly accessible.” This exhibition builds on MCAD’s past programming, including The Vexed Contemporary from 2015, while introducing new perspectives on delay as both a conceptual and experiential state.
Upon entering the exhibition, visitors encounter 4-7-8 by Corinne de San Jose, a striking sound installation composed of large speakers emitting deep bass vibrations. The artist plays with the physicality of sound, presenting frequencies that are often associated with relaxation and memory recall. At select intervals, a burning scent tied to her childhood memories fills the space, reinforcing the interplay between sensory triggers and recollection. Together, sound and scent immerse the viewer in an environment where time becomes something to be felt, rather than simply understood.
Right across 4-7-8, Screen by Miguel Lorenzo Uy dominates an expansive wall with its UV prints of cosmic imagery. The textures on its surface resemble the static of an old television screen, referencing the phenomenon in which remnants of the Big Bang appear in electronic interference. By enlarging digital noise into something monumental, Uy presents distortion not just as a technological glitch, but as an imprint of time itself. Positioned opposite 4-7-8, the two artworks create an interesting contrast. One immerses visitors in auditory presence, while the other engages with visual interruption, reinforcing different forms of delay.
Curator Mercado explains the conceptual framework behind Moments of Delay. “This exhibition departs from an essay by Boris Groys. We hope to destabilize ideas of very strict and delineated notions of past, present, and future.“
A barrier, a time II by Rocky Cajigan alters how visitors navigate space, constructing a narrow passageway woven from threads to form fences. Unlike other installations that encourage extended reflection, this piece limits the ability to stop, forcing viewers to move forward through the tight corridor as others follow behind. The work shows that time does not allow hesitation. People must keep moving forward, even if they want to stop.
Beyond its exploration of time, A barrier, a time II engages with queer movements, indigeneity, and religious enculturation, using physical structure as a metaphor for identity. The woven fences and constrained passage highlight how marginalized communities, particularly queer and indigenous groups, often navigate imposed societal frameworks that shape their paths. The passage is neither entirely open nor completely closed, mirroring how individuals negotiate spaces where visibility, movement, and belonging are dictated by historical and institutional forces. To linger too long disrupts the flow. To move forward is an expectation rather than a choice.
Ascending to the mezzanine, the exhibition reveals yet another perspective on delay with If time is an arrow, what is its target. This installation presents a sheet of coconut and soy wax melting under the heat of a suspended lamp. The slow transformation unfolds over time, dictated by the reflector’s shape, releasing a subtle scent as the wax liquefies. Unlike static artworks, this piece encourages visitors to return at a later time to witness how the melting progresses. This reinforces the idea that time is not just a force of change, but an ongoing cycle of transformation. Even if disrupted, the wax will solidify and resume its inevitable process, mirroring the way time moves forward despite external interference.
The mezzanine also hosts Portraits (Proxies) by Christina Lopez and Autonomy of Painting by Allan Balisi, which explore themes of representation, absence, and artistic transformation. Additionally, visitors are given a bird’s-eye view of Pouring a million earth into a hollowed star by Ronyel Compra, a video projection displayed directly on the museum floor. The work is accompanied by an audio track, accessible through headphones at the mezzanine, creating a layered experience where the movement of visuals on the ground syncs with delayed sound above.
Among the politically charged works in Moments of Delay is Untitled (Mayo Uno 2018) by Tambisan sa Sining. The painting reflects labor movements and collective resistance, tying into the themes of time and delay through historical and political struggles. Tambisan sa Sining, known for its activist-driven art, often engages with workers’ rights and social movements, making this piece a significant inclusion in the exhibition. Its presence within the exhibition expands the conversation beyond personal or abstract notions of time. It reminds visitors that delay also manifests in historical reckonings and systemic struggles, reinforcing how time is often dictated by external forces rather than individual choice.
Throughout the exhibit, textual interventions from Neo Maestro’s Between the Corpse & the Tree are scattered across the space, serving as moments of reflection that link different works together. The placement of words further reinforces the exhibition’s themes of fragmentation and uncertainty, creating narrative threads that weave through the experience.
Beyond the artworks, Moments of Delay extends its engagement through public talks, workshops, and discussions, inviting visitors to explore the concept of delay in interactive ways. Mercado emphasizes the importance of public participation. “This exhibition also really wanted to engage with public programming as integral to the development of the ideas in this exhibition.”
Visitors can participate in a range of events designed to deepen the conversation around time and uncertainty.
Curator Tana encourages audiences to reflect on time through their own experiences. “I hope that through this exhibition, you get to experience this concept of time and, at the same time, its delays in so many forms and expressions.“
The exhibition invites visitors to step into its shifting timelines and engage with the unavoidable passage of time. Through sound, movement, material transformation, and fragmented perception, Moments of Delay presents delay not just as an idea, but as something physical and immersive.
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