KONTEMPO Community Studio is a space for artists, communities and cultural workers to come together in the years leading up to the opening of KONTEMPO, a new contemporary art museum currently under development in Manila. Designed and delivered by BANG-ON Collective, the program reimagines how a museum might emerge from long-term relationships with the people, histories and neighbourhoods that surround it.

Located within the historic district of Santa Ana, the studio serves as a site for artistic experimentation, community collaboration and cultural exchange. Through artist residencies, public art commissions, workshops, talks, archival projects and neighbourhood partnerships, the program connects local knowledge with contemporary artistic practice. Working alongside residents, schools, community organisations and cultural leaders, participating artists explore themes of place, memory, environment and belonging.

The program includes major commissions by artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan and Leeroy New, a community-led archival project, schools and youth engagement initiatives, artist talks, community gatherings and professional development opportunities that connect local practitioners to regional and international networks.

At its heart, KONTEMPO Community Studio asks how a museum can be built through relationships rather than simply through architecture. By investing in community knowledge, artistic exchange and shared cultural stewardship, the program seeks to create a living foundation for a future museum that is responsive, accessible and deeply connected to the people and histories of its place.

KONTEMPO Community Studio is a project space by Ayala Foundation.