MALL-CITIES AND THE MALLMUMENTAL

Since its emergence in the Crystal Arcade of Escolta up to the birth of the modern “Supermall” in Carriedo, the mall has become an indispensable part of Filipino culture.

- LEVI MASULI

(Left) Lor Calma's "Transformation" (2001); (right) Conrado Velasco's "TINSTAEJ #85 (2006)

Even as the Philippine economy fell further into the sinkhole of neoliberalization in the late '80s and '90s, malls served as one-stop distribution channels for surplus products from foreign countries. As labor export and business process outsourcing mushroomed post-1986, the remittance-strapped middle class kept the economy afloat as significant consumers of surplus retail and services in the urban centers. In turn, state neglect and the lack of parks, museums, libraries and other “third spaces” solidified malling as the primary leisure activity for Filipinos.

Curiously, the history of art in the Philippines after the Marcos dictatorship is also tied to the proliferation of the mall form. In “Past and Present Alternatives: Artist-Run Spaces in the Philippines,” Ringo Bunoan notes how galleries set up shop in malls in the '80s up to the early 2000s. SM Megamall and Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City, Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa City, and Glorietta in Makati were bustling with activity, providing spaces for both established and new artists.

While rising rent and the continuing expansion of the metro eventually pushed galleries to evacuate the malls, these air-conditioned boxes kept their function as civic centers where art shows and other cultural activities are held. But the exodus.