John Paul Diciembre

Biography

John Paul Diciembre graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Painting, from the University of the Philippines in 2016. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Art Studies, majoring in Curatorial Studies, at the same university. His thesis explores collaborative curation—how curators and artists can work together in a more equal and shared way when making exhibitions.

Since 2016, he has worked as an educator, teaching a range of age groups—from young children to senior high school students. Alongside his teaching, he has written exhibition texts for artists and actively curated his own projects. He has organized four major curatorial projects to date: Transitions, More Than Words, Confluence, and Burarâ. These are not one-time exhibitions, but long-term projects spanning from several weeks to over a year. Each explores different ways of working with artists and communities, often incorporating public programs such as talks, workshops, and open discussions.

Through these projects, he treats curating not just as the organization of exhibitions, but as the creation of meaningful conversations and long-lasting relationships. He strongly believes that in today’s fast-paced world, sustainability must be considered—not only in terms of materials but also in how time, energy, and resources are managed. With so much cultural production already happening, he emphasizes the importance of care in presenting, maintaining, and reflecting on curatorial work to avoid burnout and preserve valuable ideas.

For this reason, he approaches curation as a long-term, collaborative, and process-oriented practice—one that grows through shared effort and mutual care.

John Paul Diciembre, Independent Curator and Educator at NEST in Taytay, Philippines, has been awarded by Fernando Zobel de Ayala.