The Queens Museum Makibaka Exhibition opened on Sunday, March 16, 2025, with a 2:15 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. FANHS National and the Metro NY Chapter were in attendance. For those unable to attend the opening, video and photo documentation is being arranged with the links provided once they are available. The exhibition will run from March 16 until October 5. Museum hours are Wed-Fri from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Sat-Sun from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Artist duo Abang-guard (Maureen Catbagan + Jevijoe Vitug) contends with visibility through the lens of immigration and labor in their multidisciplinary practice. For their first museum solo exhibition, Abang-guard reconfigures the iconic architecture of the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair’s Philippines and New York State Pavilions as a scaffold to structure their investigation into the layered significance of the year 1965 in Filipino American labor history. Abang-guard takes stock of how these narratives have been lived, remembered, erased, and fought for. Makibaka, roughly translated from Tagalog as “coming together for change,” is a rallying cry used by Filipino movements and communities in fighting against exploitative systems. The spirit of makibaka is woven into Abang-guard’s paintings, sculptures, performances, and videos that pay homage to significant Filipino American sites.

Abang-guard: Makibaka is organized by Sarah Cho, Assistant Curator.