Street art or public art is a big part of urban culture. Unlike art you find in museums, this kind of media staged in the streets, walkways and buildings make art more accessible to the public.
Certain places around the world like George Town in Penang and Sao Paolo in Brazil are known for their vibrant street art, which is a big tourism draw in itself. Just check out this list of the best cities in the World for Street Art. In the Philippines, one of the best places to see big scale public art is Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig.
The murals you can spot around BGC by international and local artists are products of yearly ArtBGC festivals organized by the Bonifacio Arts Foundation (BAFI) in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) district which they started in 2015. I don’t go to BGC a lot, but every time I go here, I spot something new.
If it’s your first time in Manila and you have a couple of hours to spare or are looking for something free and Instagram-worthy, the area is worth visiting. I think they add a bit of character to otherwise boring malls and public spaces. The murals are also popular backdrops for lifestyle photo shoots and Instagram users.
TRAVEL TIP: If you’d like a guided tour, go to the Alveo Showroom on Bonifacio High Street, where walking tours depart daily at 5:30PM. But you can just easily walk or bike around the area to hunt for the different murals. BGC is very bike-friendly with lots of bike parking. It’s easy to get around by motorcycle too.
Welcome to Hawkins / Stranger Things
- Location: Back of Fully Booked near Lane O, Bonifacio High Street
ASEAN-ROK Graffiti Collaborative Painting
- Artists: Auggie, Bunga, Bows, Xuan Ka, Perol, Pesey, Cyrus, Zero, Miguel, Nemo, Kim Si Yeong, Lee Sun Il, Hyun Nam, and Park Young-Gyun as Project Director
- Location: One Global Place, 26th Street corner 5th Ave, BGC [MAP]
Pilandok (Philippine Mouse-Deer)
- Artist: Egg Fiasco
- Location: Bonifacio High Street, Lane P (BHS 4 on the map)
Pangako
- Artist: Anjo Bolarda
- Location: Bonifacio High Street, Lane P (BHS 2 on the map below)
May You Find Comfort Here
- Artist: KFK
- Location: B1
Between the Lines
- Artist: Cyrcle
- Location: Icon Plaza Building, Federacion Drive (near the corner of 26th Street and 7th Avenue), BGC [MAP]; this is now the venue of the open air food park Mercato Centrale
Mother Nature: Four Seasons
- Artist: Dee Jae Pa’este
- Location: Bonifacio High Street Central (stairs going to High Street from 28th Street)
Pop Art
- Artist: AKA Corleone
- Location: C1 Building, Bonifacio High Street Central (facing The Fort Strip parking on 28th Street)
Magic in Manila
- Artist: Kristin Farr
- Location: Bonifacio Technology Center (on the side of 32nd Street corner 2nd Avenue on the way to Kalayaan Flyover) [MAP]
Kids with Spray Paint creations
- Artist: Nate Frizzell
- Location: Timezone area / back of Fully Booked near Lane O Bonifacio High Street / R.O.X., Bonifacio High Street, facing 7th Avenue
The Heart of God’s Country
- Artist: Andrew Shoultz
- Location: W Fifth building, overlooking 5th Ave and 32nd
Kapit Kamay
- Artist: Biskeg Pangasinan Artist Collective
- Location: Corner of Uniqlo Building along 30th St.
Dating Tagpuan
- Artist: John Paul Antido
- Location: Back of Uniqlo Building, 30th Street
Owl / In the Clouds
- Artist: Bunnie Reiss
- Location: B1 parking lot & Mango Tree Bistro
Calamansi and Sampaguita
- Artist: Francisco Diaz
- Location: BGC Corporate Center
Let’s Roll
- Artist: Dog and Pony
- Location: Back wall of Bonifacio Stopover, overlooking the Shell gas station and facing 32nd Street.
Magsasaka (Farmer)
- Artists: Archie Oclos and Aleili Ariola
- Location: Burgos Eats on Rizal Ave (by Teriyaki Boy)
A photo posted by ArtBGC (@artbgc) on
Wallflowers
- Artist : Trip63
- Location: Bonifacio High Street B-2 (back of Krispy Kreme)
A photo posted by Tripp Sixtythree (@trip63) on
Manpower
- Artist: Kris Abrigo
- Location: Net One Center
Untitled (The one with the girl and the moon)
- Artist: Drew Merrit
- Location: 32nd Street near Globe Tower, BGC [MAP]
Additional photos courtesy of my cousins Blu & Les. Thanks, guys! 🙂
NOTE: As of November 2017, the Andres Bonifacio mural has been blocked by another building and they painted over Wonderland by Faile with the ASEAN 2017 mural and so it’s no longer visible. 🙁
Andres, Katipunan Supremo
- Artist: Doppel
- Location: Bonifacio High Street Central (side of C1 Building and Pop Art mural above)
Wonderland
To help you with your mural hunting, here’s a map with most of the locations.
Bonifacio Global City (BGC) or The Fort is located in Taguig, Philippines. For more information on the public art pieces, check out:
- Website: http://artbgc.com/
- Facebook: Arts at BGC
- Instagram: @bonifacioglobalcity
- Twitter: @ExploreBGC
- Email: info@bgc.com.ph
- How to get to BGC by public transportation: PH Commute
Bike parking map around BGC:
Hey, BGCitizens! Here’s an updated map of the bike parking locations in the city! #ExploreBGC
A photo posted by Bonifacio Global City (@bonifacioglobalcity) on
Nate has lots of other artworks right? I love his work. Too bad I didn’t have the chance to do a street art tour there before I left.
Yeah, he has at least 2 more pieces here, which I wasn’t able to take pics of yet. I really want to see those cat murals in Penang and am looking forward to your new posts on street art in South America 🙂
Go soon. By its nature, street art is really transitory. Baka wala na pagpunta nyo hehe Just a couple of months ago, someone submitted a guest post on street art in South America, and I found one of the artwork in La Paz, Bolivia last month. It was already dirty and covered by graffiti. Sayang.
Hi this is Krizel Bunyi. Tanong ko lang sana kung pwede mag prenup dito sa BGC kase art ang theme ng wedding namin ng gg ko.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Krizel, I took most of these photos with a smartphone and didn’t encounter any problems. I believe you have to apply for a permit for a pre-nup/wedding shoot especially if you will be bringing in lightstands, reflectors, etc. Check this post. Another couple said they were able to shoot for free in BGC. Just don’t bring bulky lights and reflectors to be safe.
Thanks for the photos! Are there any new ones they added here recently or were there any changes to the place since then? Just curious since we plan on visiting bgc for the artworks there.
Hello Jeremy, I haven’t checked BGC recently but the thing about street art is it’s fleeting and always evolving, so there’s always something new to check out. There might be a few new ones I haven’t seen yet or taken photos of.
Hi Kara,
Thanks for the reply! I guess it really is a bit fleeting but I guess other than the streets they’re usually putting it on more accessible places like social media or something. But I’m still gonna check there if given the chance. Cheers!
Hi Jeremy. Just saw that Arts BGC now as an official map with updated artwork. You can check it out here. https://www.artsatbgc.org/map.php