CEBU CITY – I have always loved looking at paintings maybe because I have always wanted to be a good painter myself. It still confuses me how all of my siblings can paint really well, but whenever I try to draw something on paper, absolutely nothing happens. No masterpiece. No hidden talent waiting to be discovered. Not even a decent-looking flower. Sometimes I think God may have been a little sleepy when He was making me and simply forgot to include “painting” in my skillset.
Anyway, because of my love for paintings, I decided to take some time to visit the Cebu Tubo Art Fair 2026 at Ayala Center Cebu.
The Tubo Art Fair has been going on for a few years now, but somehow, I never managed to visit it in the previous years. This time, I made a conscious effort to go. I figured that if I could not paint anything myself, the least I could do was admire people who actually could.
The exhibit was divided into several sections spread out across the mall. It featured both emerging young artists and more established names in the art scene. I took my time touring the entire exhibit, stopping here and there to look at the paintings. There was something wonderfully relaxing about simply walking around the mall surrounded by art. The lovely paintings helped a lot in taking some things off my mind, and that alone was worth the trip.
Below are some of the paintings I came across during my visit:
I am glad that I can once again feel happiness looking at paintings of flowers.
It is a gratitude having witnessed the incredible talent of Visayan artists. Their work reminded me that while I may never become a painter, there is still so much joy in simply looking at beautiful creations of other people. I am already looking forward to attending the Tubo Art Fair again next year. And hopefully, by then, I will have enough money to actually buy a painting instead of just staring at the price tag and quietly walking away.
The world is currently in a dreadful state, and sometimes it feels as though there is no shortage of things to worry about. But I guess the thing about life is that it occasionally gives us little reminders that beauty still exists in the middle of all the mess. Sometimes that reminder comes in the form of a painting: a splash of color, a field of flowers, a strange shape that somehow makes sense, or a piece of art that simply makes you hear the voice within.
And maybe that is what art is supposed to do. It reminds us to pause. To appreciate. To feel something. To remember that even in a dreadful world, there are still people creating beautiful things.
