The Ayala Foundation, the social development arm of the Phillippines largest conglomerate, announced Wednesday that it has named Reuben Keehan as the incoming artistic director for Kontempo, a new contemporary art space scheduled to open in Manila.
Designed by Kulapat Yantrasat, founder of WHY Architecture and architect of the new Rockefeller Wing at the Met, Kontempo will consist of over 26,000 square feet of exhibition space across three galleries. There will also be nearly four acres of open green space to be developed for sculptures, art installations, and gardens. It will be located in Circuit Makati, a riverfront area under extensive redevelopment by the Ayala Land corporation; once finished it will include a shopping mall, theater, hotels, skyscrapers, and outdoor sporting facilities.
Keehan joins the institution from the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art in Australia, where he served a curator of contemporary art. He has also served a curator for the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art since its seventh edition in 2013.
“Following a global search, we are delighted to welcome Reuben to define and develop the institution and its program,” Fernando Zobel de Ayala, chairman of the Ayala Foundation, said in a statement. “His selection reflects our ambition to build an institution that is rooted in the Philippines, attentive to its communities, and in active dialogue with the international art world. We envision Kontempo as a space that fosters curiosity and creativity, where people of all ages can engage with contemporary culture through a rich, multidisciplinary range of artistic expression.”
Zobel de Ayala is a major art collector in the region and has served as both president and CEO of the Ayala Corporation.
Kontempo is not the first art institution from the Ayala Foundation, which founded the Ayala Museum in 1967. That museum focuses primarily on archaelogical and historical objects.
The country’s leading art fair, Art Fair Philippines, kicks off its 2026 edition this week, at Circuit Makati for the first time.
