Jon Cuyson with curator Mara Gladstone (Philippines Pavilion 2026). Photo by Kieran Punay / Art Asia Pacific
Last updated: May 2, 2026
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Jon Cuyson (b. 1969, Manila) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, text, and film. He explores questions of heritage, memory, and ecology, with a particular focus on maritime labor.
His most recent works are rooted in a self-developed conceptual framework he calls "Mussel Thinking," inspired by the humble shellfish.
The exhibition sees the ocean as a space of movement and connection, rather than a barrier, and explores themes of labor, gender, and time in the context of global flow of commodities and people. The work revolves around Filipino seafarers and their oft-neglected participation in global commerce.
This is the sixth participation of the Philippines in the Venice Art Biennale since their return in 2015.
Mara Gladstone (b. 1977, New York) is a curator and educator. She is a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines. Her proposal was selected from a pool of open-call submissions.
The Philippine Pavilion is organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.