Davao City, Philippines – Strolling through Azuela High Street, visitors encounter an impromptu gallery under the sky, where art merges with everyday life. A pair of life-sized horses sculpted from interwoven metal stands poised on the green, while a vibrant, undulating bench invites passersby to sit and become part of the scene. These outdoor artworks – Siblings (Horse Series No. 2/13, 2013) and Tenga Three-Seater (2010) – are creations of renowned Filipino designer Ann Pamintuan. Placed amid the modern promenades of Azuela Cove’s new lifestyle district, they transform the public space into a living design exhibition. With their dynamic forms and inventive use of materials, Pamintuan’s pieces function both as captivating public art and as interactive design objects that enliven the environment.
Galloping Narrative in Steel: Siblings (2013)
Pamintuan’s Siblings from her Horse Series is a breathtaking study in motion and narrative. Composed of two free-standing horse figures rendered in welded metal wire, the sculpture appears almost weightless despite its solid medium. The horses’ bodies are formed by an open lattice of galvanized iron and stainless steel strands, giving them a “cocoon” quality – an airy weave that suggests both strength and delicacy[1][2]. Through this signature metal weaving, Pamintuan transforms cold, industrial materials into elegant, fluid forms that seem to quiver with life[3]. Each horse is life-size, with elongated legs mid-stride and arched necks that convey motion, as if the pair might canter off at any moment. Their manes and tails are abstracted into spiky fringes of metal, adding to the sense of movement and wild energy. The two equine figures face one another in a silent dialogue, evoking the intimacy and playfulness implied by the title Siblings.
Created in 2013 as part of a series of 13 horse sculptures, Siblings is deeply personal to the artist – a tribute to Pamintuan’s own family of 13 siblings[1]. Each horse in the series corresponded to one sibling, imbuing the artwork with narrative meaning and emotional resonance. The pair on display capture that familial bond: one can imagine the horses as companions or brothers caught in a frozen moment of frolic. The material’s raw authenticity – welded wire and steel left in natural black and rust patinas – brings “life’s raw elegance” to the work, to borrow Pamintuan’s own phrase. There is a tangible tension between fragility and strength: the mesh-like bodies make the horses appear translucent and almost ethereal in the sunlight, yet the industrial metal assures durability. This tension is part of the sculpture’s allure. As public art, Siblings invites physical and emotional interaction. Children and adults alike can walk around and even through the open spaces of the horses’ forms, viewing the surroundings through the lattice of metal. The sculpture has proven moving to viewers – in one notable instance, a man was inspired to rise from his wheelchair to embrace a similar Pamintuan horse, a testament to the piece’s emotional impact on the public[4]. Here at Azuela High Street’s open-air setting, Siblings not only adds a dramatic visual focal point but also tells a story, bridging the gap between fine art and personal narrative in the public realm.
Sculptural Seating: Tenga Three-Seater (2010)
Not far from the grazing horses, Pamintuan’s Tenga Three-Seater bench offers a more lighthearted yet equally artistic experience. At first glance, this sculptural bench could be mistaken for an art installation rather than a piece of furniture. Its form is a flowing wave or ribbon crafted from metal – a three-person seat composed of undulating curves of welded wire, supported and accented by perforated metal elements. The bench’s name “Tenga” (meaning “ear” in Filipino) playfully hints at its shape: each of the three seating scoops resembles a curved ear or shell form, overlapping in a graceful sequence. Fabricated in 2010 of metal wire and perforated sheet metal, the piece is finished in a bold palette of colors, making it an immediate eye-catcher in the outdoor space. From one angle, the bench’s sinuous silhouette and textured surface evoke natural forms, much like Pamintuan’s other works that give steel the “fragile texture of orchid roots or ribbons of seaweed”[2]. Yet it is also clearly functional – the gentle concave curves of the seat cradling sitters comfortably, and the perforated metal backrest providing support as well as visual interest with its pattern of circular cut-outs.
As a design object, the Tenga Three-Seater brilliantly blends form and function. It serves the practical purpose of seating while standing alone as a sculptural centerpiece. The interplay of negative space and solid metal in the bench is visually engaging: light filters through the mesh of wires and the perforated holes, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Each section of the bench is painted in a different hue – one segment a turquoise blue, the next a vivid chartreuse green, and the last a deep violet – resulting in a joyful sapin-sapin (layered) color scheme that animates the piece. This chromatic approach is unusual in outdoor furniture and underscores the bench’s dual identity as art. The lively colors invite passersby to approach and sit, and indeed the bench is meant to be touched and used. When visitors lounge on Tenga, they become part of the artwork, completing Pamintuan’s vision of interactive sculpture. In the context of Azuela High Street, the bench creates a sculptural seating experience – a moment for rest that doubles as an encounter with contemporary design. Its presence transforms an ordinary walkway into a designer living room in the open air, blurring the line between public utility and artistic expression[5].
Industrial Materials, Organic Forms: A Philippine Design Vision
Both Siblings and Tenga showcase Ann Pamintuan’s distinctive artistic vision and highlight the significance of her work in the Philippine contemporary design landscape. A native of Davao and a multi-awarded designer, Pamintuan has long been known for turning industrial materials into organic, evocative shapes that capture the imagination[3]. “My metal is raw… I just want to create something extraordinary from the ordinary,” Pamintuan has said of her process[6]. She often starts with cold, hard substances like galvanized iron wire or steel rods, and through skilled hand-welding and weaving, coaxes out forms that feel alive and whimsical. The Siblings horses, for example, take the ordinary metal of hardware and elevate it into art, their intertwined wires suggesting the sinews of real animals and the delicate lattice of handmade lace at once. The Tenga bench similarly takes a prosaic object – a piece of seating – and reimagines it as a colorful creature or abstract sculpture, without losing its function. In both pieces, Pamintuan achieves that rare harmony of function and artistry, aligning with her reputation for designs that “seamlessly blend function and artistry”[3].
Culturally, Pamintuan’s work represents a bold Filipino voice in design. By infusing modern industrial techniques with inspiration drawn from nature and personal narrative, she creates pieces that feel both globally contemporary and authentically rooted in local sensibilities. Her choice of motifs – horses that reminisce about childhood stories, furniture that mimics organic curves – resonates with a broad audience and reflects a tropical, nature-embracing aesthetic familiar in Philippine art. Yet, her execution is cutting-edge, positioning metal craft in new imaginative realms. This innovative approach has earned her international acclaim (she was the first Asian woman designer featured in the International Design Yearbook) and cemented her status as a leader in Philippine design[7]. It’s no surprise that Pamintuan is considered a “strong influence on Davao’s creative identity,” a hometown hero whose works inspire emerging artists and designers[8].
At Azuela High Street, the impact of these works is palpable. The outdoor setting allows Siblings and Tenga to engage directly with the community – office workers on a break, families out for a stroll, tourists exploring the city. The horse sculptures add a narrative landmark to the plaza, often drawing curious onlookers who circle around the metal mares, admiring the intricate web of wires and the spirited stance. The sculptural bench adds vibrancy and utility – it’s not just admired from afar, but also used, as friends gather for a photo or a quick rest on its colorful waves. Together, the pieces help define the character of Azuela’s public space: creative, welcoming, and a little whimsical. They demonstrate how public art can elevate a commercial development into a cultural destination, fostering a sense of identity and pride. In the end, Ann Pamintuan’s works at Azuela High Street exemplify the best of design and art in tandem – steel and wire coaxed into stories and shapes that invite everyone to look, touch, and enjoy. The result is an outdoor environment brimming with what Pamintuan indeed achieves in all her creations: life’s raw elegance, made accessible to all in the open air[5].
[1] [3] [5] [7] [8] Visions of nature in steel and pigment
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/05/03/visions-of-nature-in-steel-and-pigment
https://fameplus.com/brands/annpamintuan
[4] Ann Pamintuan’s menagerie at Ayala Malls the 30th | Philstar.com
Photos from Azuela Cove Facebook Page