Nic Navarro’s gallery exhibition Katha brought forgotten landmarks and lesser-known historical sites back into the spotlight. With a reception held on August 24, 2026, at the NCCA Gallery, the exhibition spotlights paintings of what were once forgotten edifices like Pio Valenzuela’s house, which served as the printing site of Ang Kalayaan during Spanish colonization, the Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto that was mentioned in Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo, and other neglected historical landmarks.
The artist transforms bare canvases into arenas of inquiry and speculation, drawing deeply from themes of architecture, history, and collective memory.
Standing alongside him at the exhibition opening were the creative minds who built Katha from the ground up, such as exhibit writer Kaye O’yek, curator Philip Paraan, landscape artist Alan Tan, production designer Ohm David, and artist Telle de Leon, whose collective work gave form and color to the reimagined historical landmarks.
The gallery is not just a place to remember the country’s many forgotten heritage sites, but also to witness how these spaces stood the test of time.
In his discussion, Navarro shared that he was inspired by the idea of how time alters and even diminishes significant properties for commercial expansion, thus abandoning scattered pieces of history that helped build the nation.
Building on familiar sites and signs, this month’s gallery exhibition takes visitors closer to history while revisiting unconsciously abandoned heritage sites that Nic Navarro reinvigorates through the spirit of art.