META examines how social media, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies shape collective consciousness in contemporary Philippine society. As digital platforms rapidly expand and AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, the exhibition reflects on how these forces influence perception and human connection.

Derived from the Greek prefix meta, meaning “after” or “beyond,” the exhibition engages the idea of awareness, both of the self and of systems that now observe and learn alongside us. In this shifting landscape, META raises a central tension: as humans increasingly experience a fragmented or mediated sense of self, machines move closer to a form of artificial self-awareness. Physical reality becomes an extension of the virtual, and lived experience is filtered and replicated through digital frameworks.

Through their works, Lorebert Maralita and Honey Maglalang explore the erosion and reconfiguration of humanity in an age of automation. Themes of false consciousness, simulated presence, and algorithmic influence emerge alongside questions of authorship and emotional detachment. What remains human when experience is quantified and predicted? What is gained—and what is lost—when technology begins to mirror, and even rewrite, human behavior?

META allows viewers to confront these questions by reflecting on their own participation within digital systems. It positions technology not merely as a tool, but as a force actively shaping how we think and exist, challenging us to consider where humanity ends and the artificial begins.