Reamillo, Alwin

Born in Manila in 1964, Alwin Reamillo grew up immersed in the tactile environment of his family's piano restoration workshop—an experience that profoundly shaped his lifelong artistic language. He formalized his creative practice at the University of the Philippines Diliman in the mid-1980s before beginning his professional path as a visual arts educator at the prestigious Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) on Mount Makiling.

In 1995, Reamillo relocated to Western Australia, a move that fundamentally expanded his interest in migration and global labor movements. Despite choosing not to complete his initial undergraduate degree in Manila, his prolific studio output and exceptional portfolio earned him direct admission into the Master of Fine Arts program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he maintained a highly active transnational practice, dividing his time between Fremantle and Manila. He also worked under the collaborative moniker Reamillo & Juliet alongside Australian artist Juliet Lea. Reamillo passed away in 2023, leaving behind an influential legacy that continues to inspire socially engaged contemporary practices across the Asia-Pacific region.

Education & Formative Appointments
Master of Fine Arts (MFA Track): Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts / Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

Painting Foundations: University of the Philippines (UP) College of Fine Arts, Diliman, Quezon City.

Academic Pedigree: Visual Arts Faculty Lecturer, Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), Laguna.
Milestone Conceptual Projects
Ang Balutviand (2011)
A transcultural performance and site-specific project executed across Hong Kong and Manila. Reamillo roamed the streets of Hong Kong disguised as an ambulant balut vendor, distributing duck eggs for free to gathering Filipino domestic workers. Each shell was intricately adorned with historical illustrations, functioning as a moving commentary on the global trade of migrant bodies and their invisible economic contributions.

Bayanihan Hopping Spirit House (2015–2018)
Commissioned initially by the Urban Theatre Projects in Australia, this interactive social sculpture featured the wooden skeleton of a traditional Filipino bahay kubo covered in fragments of recycled paper and wind chimes. For its landmark iteration at the 2018 Manila Biennale, the house was physically hoisted onto the shoulders of local volunteers and carried through the historical streets of Intramuros, breathing new life into the dying traditions of communal relocation.

Exhibition History
Selected Solo Exhibitions & Final Projects
2024 Retrospective Tributes: Posthumously featured in foundational collection-based surveys, including Talking Objects and The Living Room at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM).

2024: 14 Stations of the Cross – Central Group Cultural Showcase, Bangkok, Thailand (His final, poignant solo project completed prior to his passing).

2021–2022: Pagtawag Sang Kasanag (Calling of Light) – ArtFairPH Residencies, Orange Project, Provincial Capitol Lagoon, Negros Occidental (A community project documenting a symbolic water vessel's journey).

2011: Ang Balutviand – Tin-aw Art Gallery, Makati City, Philippines.

2004: Ang Viand (MacKilling Me MicroSoftly with E-saw) – Tambayang Makiling Artspace, Los Baños, Laguna.

1999: Living, Seeing, Painting – Ayala Museum, Makati City.

1994: Buyon-Buyon – Baguio Convention Center, Baguio City.

Selected Major Biennales & International Surveys
2022: Bangkok Art Biennale: Chaos : Calm – Bangkok, Thailand.

2016: WASAK! Filipino Art Today – Landmark European Survey, ARNDT Art Agency, Berlin, Germany.

2015: Artist Making Movement – Asian Art Biennial, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan.

2005: 3rd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale: Parallel Realities – Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan.

2003: National Sculpture Prize & Exhibition – National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

1999: Cinco Continentes y Una Ciudad – Museo de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City.

1997: 6th Havana Biennale – Havana, Cuba.

1995: Transculture – 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (Exhibited under the artist duo banner Reamillo & Juliet).

1994: Thirteen Artists Awards Exhibition – Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Pasay City.

1988: ChromaText – Historic Early Experimental Survey, Pinaglabanan Galleries, San Juan, Metro Manila.