SINGAPORE, 24 January 2025 – The Singapore launch of Sensible Form: Essays by Dr. Patrick Flores, Chief Curator of the National Gallery Singapore, was held at the newly-relaunched Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Embassy on 21 January 2026. The book was launched to coincide with ART SG and Singapore Arts Week 2026. The event was presented by ArtPostAsia, the book’s publisher.

First launched internationally at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2025, where the Philippines served as Guest of Honor, Sensible Form: Essays by Patrick Flores is a compilation of 113 essays in three decades worth of being part of the cultural art scene. It features over 140 artists and sees Dr. Flores examining Philippine visual culture and contemporary art through the lenses of form, history, and trans-cultural exchange.

Attended by 40 invited participants, comprising Filipino and Singapore-based artists, curators, scholars, and cultural practitioners, the event marked one of the early public programs of the newly relaunched Sentro Rizal Singapore, barely three (3) weeks from its official re-launch.

In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Medardo G. Macaraig emphasized that Sentro Rizal and the newly reconstructed Chancery are envisioned not only as a home for culture, but also as sites of inquiry and platforms for dialogue. He noted that hosting the book launch just ahead of the Philippines’ National Arts Month in February highlights a collective effort to position Philippine arts and culture within regional and global conversations. 

In his remarks, Dr. Flores shared about the evolution of his writing from academic scholarship to critical commentary. He offered reflections on his work and its engagement with artistic practice and discourse. The program also featured a book perspective by Singaporean art historian, curator, and critic Professor T.K. Sabapathy, who authored the epigraph of the book, as well as selected readings from Sensible Form: Essays delivered by Ms. Siddharta Perez, a fellow Filipino curator at the NUS Museum.

About Dr. Patrick Flores

Dr. Patrick Flores is currently the chief curator of National Gallery Singapore and served as a professor of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman and curator of the Vargas Museum. He chaired the Department of Art Studies from 1997 to 2003. 

Earning degrees in humanities, art history, and Philippine studies from the University of the Philippines, Dr. Flores’ curatorial achievements include directing the Singapore Biennale 2019 (Every Step in the Right Direction), curating the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2015 and Taiwan Pavilion in 2022, and exhibitions like Under Construction: New Dimensions of Asian Art (2000–2003) and South by Southeast. Key publications feature Painting History: Revisions in Philippine Colonial Art (1999); Remarkable Collection: Art, History, and the National Museum (2006); and Past Peripheral: Curation in Southeast Asia (2008).

Dr. Flores has received notable accolades, including a Visiting Fellowship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (1999), Asian Public Intellectuals Fellowship (2004), Asian Cultural Council grant (2010), and Getty Research Institute Guest Scholar (2014). He was also featured on ArtReview’s Power 100 list of influential art-world figures.

In Spring 2026, Dr. Patrick Flores will serve as Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

For inquiries and more information regarding Sensible Form: Essays, please contact ArtPostAsia via e-mail at info@artpostasia.com./ END