Filipino artist Richard Arimado captures the heart of everyday Filipino life in “Chronicles,” his vibrant new series now on view at Galerie Joaquin. Opened on Aug. 5, 2025, this exhibition puts scenes of communal life as living memories — blending nostalgic warmth with contemporary charm.

Recognizable for his stylized, rounded figures, vibrant palettes, and bird’s-eye perspectives, Arimado’s works offer a playful yet pointed reflection on identity, memory, and place, while paying affectionate tribute to community, nostalgia, and the beauty of the everyday.

Richard Arimado on “Chronicles,” his Process, and Style

In an intimate gathering with select media and guests on July 31, Richard Arimado gave a glimpse into his creative process and the origins of his signature top-view perspective. To seamlessly weave nostalgia into his works, Richard does extensive research for every detail — studying everything down to the architecture, details, and clothing that appear on his canvases.

“It’s an extensive process,” he shared. “I usually have my materials printed first — images of old Manila or Pasig — then I sketch them. For the architecture, I render them in 3D before sketching and laying them out on canvas.”

Much of his source material comes from Old Quiapo or Pasig, or at least images of it. The charm of his paintings lies in the way he balances the past and the present — pairing sepia tones with what he calls “candy colors” to create a work that blends heritage with modernity.

When asked about his signature bird’s-eye view, Richard recalled a moment from his past: riding on top of a jeepney, he and his companions watched a plane pass overhead and wondered what he might look like from the sky. That thought then gave birth to his elevated, all-encompassing perspective that is definitive of his work today.

This perspective could seem spiritual, a common interpretation that comes to mind whenever you look at his works. Richard welcomes these interpretations and says that it can shift depending on one’s beliefs.

“For us Filipinos, we’re religious. Whenever we look up to the sky, we ‘give thanks’ and we worship God above,” he said.  “For the Chinese, it’s almost the same — when they look up, it’s like they have a ‘master,’ like they’re worshipping something.”

On the expressions of the subjects in his paintings, Richard says that they’re happy, and he prefers painting them that way. “They’re busy in what they’re doing, and they’re shocked that someone (or something) is looking at them from above, so they’re all looking up.”

“Chronicles” also serves as Richard Arimado’s first foray into sculpture, using a mix of bronze and ceramic in his works. It won’t be his last one, for sure, as he happily said that he enjoyed making it. “Nakaka-enjoy kasi humahawak ka ng ibang gamit, hindi lang brush (It’s enjoyable because you’re holding different things, not just a brush)."

Ultimately, “Chronicles” is a tender, humorous, and precise homage of the everyday. It invites viewers to step back (or to rise above) and see the threads that tie us all together into one shared story. In Arimado’s world, we are not solitary figures, but parts of a larger world, connected, continuous, and seen.

“Chronicles” will run at Galerie Joaquin Rockwell from August 5 to 17, 2025.

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Location: Galerie Joaquin Rockwell, R3, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City, 1224 Metro Manila, Philippines