Sentimentality is part and parcel of being a Filipino. We often love to look back on our memories and create new ones. Our filial nature and love for our community is deeply rooted in this characteristic, as well. It’s this part of Chad Montero’s identity that informs his solo exhibition titled Santabi.

The word comes from “isang tabi” or “isinantabi,” meaning to set aside. His works display a nostalgia for the past, with hazy, delicate sketches of objects that remind him of his childhood. Montero rendered these images on paper, then tore them up, stored them in a bottle and turned them into mesmerizing assemblage work.

His process reveals the fragility of these stories and memories that need to be preserved and appreciated. The result is a reflection of Montero’s belief that every story, no matter how small or personal, is a part of history itself and a mirror of our own humanity.