Year After Six: An Art Gallery Exhibit Celebrating 7 Years of Creation and Collaboration
Written by Derick Chen and Camille A. Rosas
After 7 years of creative collaboration and building community with brands locally and internationally, design collaborative Studio After Six makes their official debut to the public through their art gallery exhibit in Pasig City running from August 8 to 31.
Pasig City, Philippines — 35 Filipino artists come together at Space Encounters Gallery, Ortigas Center to celebrate the official public launch of boutique design firm Studio After Six in their debut gallery exhibit titled Year After Six, an art show exhibiting artworks by the team behind Studio After Six and their community of local talent. Tipunan has been given the immense privilege of being invited to attend the VIP Reception on August 15, 2026.
About the Year After Six Exhibition
IMAGE: Year After Six Exhibition Poster - Official poster for Year After Six, the exhibition celebrating the seventh year of Studio After Six, presented in partnership with Space Encounters Gallery and Mbrace Project, with collaborators Lennon Group, Larry Alcala 100, and BaySix. Credit: Studio After Six
Year After Six showcases the works of 35 artists following the theme of “What goes on after 6[PM]?”, an homage to the founding story of Studio After Six which initially began as a freelance design collaborative among college friends seeking more creative projects after work hours, hence the phrase “After Six”. The artist ensemble comprises of Studio After Six’s own design team and their creative community of artist and illustrator friends. Each piece tells a personal anecdote of what artists in creative industries do in their spare time beyond their professional artistic practice—how they refill and restore the creative well they draw artistic inspiration from.
IMAGE: Year After Six Opening Reception - Scenes from the Year After Six exhibition opening reception held on August 8, 2026, featuring Studio After Six co-founders, employees, collaborators, participating artists, and guests. Credit: Studio After Six
Together with their advocacy partner Mbrace Project, the gallery exhibit also serves as a fundraiser to help children with cancer and other terminal illnesses. Portion of the proceeds from artworks sold will be donated to the non governmental organization to help finance the medical treatment and care of the children.
IMAGE : Larry Alcala 100 Campaign - Official visual for the Larry Alcala 100 Years campaign, celebrating the life, work, and legacy of National Artist Larry Alcala under the theme “Creativity Is for Everyone.” Credit: Lennon Group / Larry Alcala Estate
Additionally, Studio After Six was granted the honor of exhibiting two original drawings from the archives of late National Artist Larry Alcala’s estate and their creative partner Lennon Group, the creative agency behind the Larry Alcala 100 campaign, in honor of his life and legacy's centenary anniversary. The participation of the Alcala estate in the exhibit has a beautiful serendipitous red thread tied to the foundation of Studio After Six as Larry Alcala himself was a founding member and chairman of the Fine Arts - Visual Communication Department of the University of the Philippines Diliman where the founding members of Studio After Six all established their friendship. On top of that, Larry Alcala’s motto, “Creativity is for everyone.” shares the same values and message as Studio After Six’s own manifesto, “Creativity belongs to everyone.”
BaySix also joined the August 15 VIP reception as the event’s food sponsor, supporting the celebration of Studio After Six and its creative community.
Participating Artists:
Addi Panadero
Alelia Ariola
Ally Publico
Alyssa Paula Fernandez
Ana Araneta
APRL
April Joy Olais
Bren Dinglasan
Christi Lu
Coodamme
Diggie Montehermoso
Gabbi Reyes-Banaria
Gella Gesultura
Jade Aparta
Janina Halili
Jobi Gutierrez
Josiah Bien Sebastian
KR Rodgers
Kat Melo
Liam Andrew Cura
Marion Banaria
Monic Del Rosario
Monty Contreras
Nicole Dreo
Niña Perez
Phonsie Castañeda
Rob Po
Roovette Santos
Rowleth Manalastas
Ryan Yap
Sabi Quizon
Savy Lalo
Tish Nicholas
Tristan Yuvienco
Valerie Harley
At the VIP Reception (August 15, 2026)
Upon walking into the gallery space, guests were greeted by a generous spread of delicious food and treats prepared by Goodness Graze and Baysix for the gallery goers to enjoy while viewing the artworks on display. The Studio After Six team was present and warmly welcomed the guests who were VIP's and clients that the studio had worked with previously.
The room buzzed with pleasant conversations of old and newfound friends getting to catch up with or get to know one another, while discussing the works on display and their unique stories. By just the joyful sound and vibe of the event alone, it was clear that Studio After Six is not your ordinary design agency; on top of their impeccable organization, creativity, and competence, it is evident that this group of young creatives have made real connections and friendships with their clients.
Having been able to work with them on a separate project recently, I can firmly attest to the care they give the projects they take on. Studio After Six possesses a special skill of being able to give any brand or project a unique creative spark that resonates exactly with what their clients had envisioned in their minds, and that does not happen by chance nor by pure talent alone; but the key to the success of their creativity is their ability to listen, empathize, and connect with their clients. Working with them was such a pleasant experience from our very first meeting all the way to the finalization of the design project, and what stuck with and impressed us the most was just how well they understood what we had envisioned for our project, almost as if they were able to see into our minds. Studio After Six wears many many hats, and they also know how to put themselves in your shoes.
It was the loveliest time getting to meet the Studio After Six team again, and this time it was our turn to learn about them and the enterprise they have built. The reception officially started with a heartfelt prayer, led by founding members Jobi Gutierrez and Marion Banaria, to thank the Lord for all the things leading up to Year After Six and afterwards, Studio After Six CEO Gabbi Reyes-Banaria gave the opening remarks to officially start the event and mark the public launch of Studio After Six.
With Larry Alcala’s original pieces included in the gallery show, relatives of the Filipino comics legend were present as special guests in the afternoon’s event. Miss Ana Alcala, granddaughter of the late National Artist, gave a special word to the visitors and participating members of the art exhibit. She expressed her joy in sharing her grandfather’s iconic work and legacy with future generations not only through the comics he so famously produced, but also through the countless number of young Filipinos whose minds and creativities are nurtured by the academic institution of Visual Communication in UP Diliman that Mr. Larry Alcala himself co-founded and served as chairman in its earliest days.
Food, wine, and joy flowed and filled the room until the very end of the event. As the launch party ended, a new chapter began for Studio After Six; a new chapter of new projects, new clients, new ventures, but the same values—Creativity belongs to everyone.
The gallery exhibit will be open to the public to visit until August 31, 2026. Pay the gallery a visit and maybe even purchase a painting for yours to cherish and simultaneously change a child’s life for the better.
YEAR AFTER SIX DATES AND DETAILS
IMAGE: Year After Six Official Poster. Credit: Studio After Six
IMAGE: Space Encounters Gallery Location Map. Credit: Studio After Six
About Studio After Six
IMAGE: Studio After Six co-founders and employees, Official logo of Studio After Six
In 2019, a small friend group of UP Fine Arts - Visual Communication alumni came together to start a creative collective after office hours, with the focus on building community through creativity, curiosity, and collaboration.
IMAGE: The Early Days of Studio After Six - Scenes from the early days of Studio After Six, when the founders worked together from cafés, homes, and other shared spaces while building the studio after office hours. Credit: Studio After Six
The name Studio After Six is also, quite literally, the story of how the design house came to be. The studio began as a shared initiative by a group of six friends: Marion Banaria, Phonsie Castañeda, Emma Dooc-Santos, Jobi Gutierrez, Gabbi Reyes-Banaria, and Tish Valenzuela-Nicholas. Despite finding themselves working full-time jobs in different fields and specialties, from production, advertising, and marketing, to UI/UX, web development, and corporate work, the group remained united by their shared passion for creativity. And so, the group would meet after office hours to collaborate on some projects and lay the foundations for the studio from the ground up.
What started as small freelance design projects has now grown into a thriving and blossoming professional creative practice of comprehensive brand strategies, full-blown marketing campaigns and expertly planned visual identities of countless businesses—small and big, nascent and established, local and international.
IMAGE: Studio After Six Portfolio Highlights - Selected recent branding and design work by Studio After Six for clients including Aristocrat, 1882 Ventures, BaySix, Cashalo, BOLDR, and PDAX. Credit: Studio After Six
Studio After Six is a full-service boutique design studio based in Metro Manila, blending creativity, strategy, and business thinking to help brands grow through thoughtful design and visual storytelling. Working with clients both locally and globally, the studio has grown organically through referrals, long-term partnerships, and a shared passion for creating meaningful work. Beyond client work, Studio After Six is committed to supporting the wider creative community by mentoring emerging talent, sharing perspectives, and creating opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.
This commitment extends through the studio's advocacy initiatives. In 2020, Studio After Six launched the Purpose & Advocacy In Design (PAID) program, a grant initiative that provided pro bono design services to small businesses affected by the pandemic. Since then, the studio has dedicated one project slot each year to support a non-profit or advocacy organization, using design as a way to create meaningful social impact.
What’s Next After Six?
Ever After Six
IMAGE: Ever After Six - Ever After Six, a new creative venture by Studio After Six expanding into events, wedding branding, and creative direction. Credit: Studio After Six
In celebration of their own milestone, Studio After Six has announced their newest venture into event and celebration branding and design, a category of projects Studio After Six has dipped their brushes into for their friends and families who have had celebrations of their own, from directing pre-nuptial shoots to unveiling cinematic yet still highly personal same-day edits. This new branch of their practice stems from the company’s roots of “Creativity belongs to everyone.”, and through this new service, celebrants, newlyweds, and growing families can have their moments and memories materialize in a manner that is uniquely their own, for them to treasure for the rest of their lives.
As Studio After Six continues to grow and explore the realm of events, the team hopes to work with the likes of artists, writers, musicians, and curators of community experiences. Ever After Six, along with the studio’s other brand new endeavors, marks a new era for the studio; one where it challenges borders and establishes itself as a home for creatives of all kinds.
Stay Connected
For more information about Studio After Six, Year After Six, upcoming initiatives, and future projects, follow @studioaftersix on Instagram or visit studioaftersix.com.
You can also follow the studio’s journey as it continues to build a creative community centered on collaboration, self-expression, and the belief that creativity belongs to everyone.
OTHER BLOG POSTS
After 6 years of creative collaboration and building community with brands locally and internationally, design collaborative Studio After Six makes their official debut to the public through their art gallery exhibit in Pasig City running from August 8 to 31.