Davao City, Philippines – Under the atrium lights of SM Lanang, a curious booth draws crowds at Mindanao Art 2025. Amid a sea of paintings and sculptures, this space – marked by the bold logo “EJ Pasia Objects” – stands out for its sculptural furniture that balances art and utility. It belongs to Emmanuel Joseph “EJ” Pasia, an architect-designer and notably the only architect exhibiting in this year’s show. Pasia’s solo presentation offers a unique fusion of architecture and design art, inviting viewers to appreciate furniture as both whimsical sculpture and functional object.
Visitors gather around EJ Pasia’s booth at Mindanao Art 2025, drawn by the striking blend of furniture design and art on display.
Sculptural Furniture: Whimsy Meets Precision
Walking into Pasia’s booth feels like entering a thoughtfully designed living space from the future. Mounted on deep red walls are layered mirrors with playful, organic contours that toy with reflection and depth. On another wall, a tall wooden structure of overlapping, leaf-like forms evokes tropical foliage, as if a living plant had been rendered in polished timber. At the center, atop low plinths, stand Pasia’s latest creations: a low table of interlocking black frames and pale wood planes reminiscent of a miniature building skeleton, and a graceful bench-like piece with a half-moon arching backrest and stratified seat panels. Each object is artful yet usable – clearly crafted as “artful objects with function,” as the booth’s tagline proclaims. The effect is a harmonious blend of whimsy and precision: sinuous curves and playful silhouettes set within rigorously structured forms. Every piece invites not just visual admiration but also tactile interaction – one can easily imagine using these mirrors, tables, and sculptures at home, without them losing their gallery-worthy aura.
A towering wooden sculpture by Pasia features leaf-like wooden forms sprouting in a playful, organic arrangement – a design that brings to mind nature’s whimsy guided by an architect’s structure.
The DAFT Design Ethos: Dependable, Architectural, Fun, Timeless
This harmonious balancing act is no accident – it stems from Pasia’s clear design philosophy. He subscribes to what he cheekily calls the “DAFT” approach to design – an acronym that stands for Dependable, Architectural, Fun, Timeless[1]. Though the name raises a smile, Pasia treats it as a serious ethos. Dependable means each piece is built with solid function and usability in mind (his tables and chairs are not just for show, but engineered to work). Architectural speaks to form – structures are carefully composed, often echoing architectural frames or geometries in miniature. Fun captures the element of play and surprise; Pasia wants his designs to spark joy, whether through an unexpected shape or an interactive experience. And Timeless underscores his aim for longevity – aesthetically and materially. “These values help create a painstaking take on each product we put,” Pasia says, emphasizing that every design decision is guided by these core principles[1]. Indeed, as one admires the layered mirrors or the plant-like wood sculpture, one senses how each piece embodies these DAFT values – reliable and well-crafted, structurally clever, delightfully whimsical, yet possessing a classic, enduring quality that could outlast trends.
Architecture in the Art Fair
Pasia’s presence at Mindanao Art 2025 highlights the importance of architectural thinking in design art. Trained as an architect, he approaches creation differently from many traditional artists. “I start with a story and the rest is magic,” he muses of his design process[2] – a statement that reflects how concept and narrative guide his work from the outset. He envisions each furniture piece much like a scaled-down building: planned with a clear concept, structured soundly, and brought to life with a bit of creative alchemy. His background reinforces this blend of creativity and rigor. Pasia earned his architecture degree at Ateneo de Davao University and honed his furniture design skills at Manila’s SoFA Design Institute[3]. He launched an eponymous furniture line in 2010, merging his architectural practice with a burgeoning career in product design[4]. Over the years, he has garnered recognition as well – he’s a Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) Awards finalist and was even shortlisted for the Good Design Awards Philippines[3] – affirmations that his work resonates in both art and design circles.
In a fair whose theme is “Leaping Beyond” – urging artists to defy limits and blend disciplines[5] – Pasia’s contribution exemplifies that spirit. As the lone architect amid the exhibitors, he bridges the worlds of art and architecture, showing how the two can enrich each other. His booth feels at once like a gallery and a modern living room, inviting viewers to not only look but also imagine living with these pieces. By applying structural rigor to playful ideas, EJ Pasia offers Mindanao Art 2025 a refreshing perspective: that form and function, whimsy and precision, can beautifully coexist. In Pasia’s hands, furniture becomes more than utilitarian object or art piece – it becomes a dialogue between creativity and craft, a testament to how an architect’s vision can elevate design into an art form all its own.
Sources: Mindanao Trade Expo – Design EJ Pasia Builders[3]; Edge Davao – “Furniture Designer Par Excellence”[1][2]; Pop Davao – 7th Mindanao Art Opens at SM Lanang[5].
[1] [2] [4] FURNITURE DESIGNER PAR EXCELLENCE | Edge Davao
[3] Design EJ Pasia Builders – Mindanao Trade Expo
[5] 7th Mindanao Art Opens at SM Lanang – Pop Davao Philippines