Words By Angela Manalang Gloria Mga Nobela at Kwento

Agnes Arellano’s sculptures feel like they’ve whispered secrets from another realm into my ears. Her ‘Caryatids’ series—those haunting female figures with architectural elements—left me staring for hours at photos online, imagining their weight both physically and symbolically. Then there’s ‘Bathala,’ a visceral exploration of Filipino mythology that merges the divine with raw humanity. What grips me is how her work dances between eroticism and spirituality, like in ‘Venus of Manila,’ where the body becomes a temple.

Her ‘Twin Goddesses’ piece? Absolute chills. It’s as if she carved duality itself: creation and destruction cradled in stone. I once dragged a friend to a retrospective, and we spent the whole ride home debating whether her art feels more ancient or futuristic. That’s Agnes’ magic—her obra exists outside time.