Premier art hub, Pineapple Lab, bids farewell to its five-year commitment in upholding local arts, resulting from the continuing community quarantine. In an announcement shared on Facebook, co-founder and creative director Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan expressed a message of thanks to those who have shown their support to the space since it first opened operations in 2015.

Located along Palma street in Poblacion, Makati City, Pineapple Lab served as a cultural hub, and art and photography gallery that housed and showcased contemporary work, events, and gatherings that celebrated and championed various local artists. Since its inception, the art space has become an important destination that bridged the gap between Filipino artists, art enthusiasts, and the international arts scene.

In an interview last April, Pamintuan opened up about closing the lab due to the insurmountable impact of the pandemic. He said, “Pineapple Lab were running Fringe Manila, where we helped facilitate over 90 arts events, and where artists and audiences come together to celebrate Philippine Arts Month. From working almost 7 days a week, interacting with international artists, and meeting our beautiful audience, we had to cancel the rest of the festival and close Pineapple Lab.”

Earlier today, Pamintuan formally said goodbye to the art space, uncertain when and where the new home of the lab would be. He highlighted, “I just want to say that I am so thankful to each and everyone of you. And that I’m so so so sorry to the many artists who called us their home. For those who have always believed in the lab – in what we do and in what we stand up for – my heart breaks because we couldn’t say, ‘hey just pop in and say hi and come hang out.”

“I didn’t think Pineapple Lab would happen in 2015, but I believe it came at the right time. It articulated a certain purpose and point of view that we wanted to share in Poblacion. It was our safe space and it was how we were able to work and collaborate with the most talented folks that have become part of the Pineapple Lab family.”

In the end, Pamintuan noted that while the lab lets go of its space, the mission to celebrate the local arts scene continues, “The past five years have been quite an amazing ride and we would not have thrived if not for the community that shaped what the lab has become. It was not an easy decision, but we have to take this time to pause for a bit, deal with the grief so we can pick ourselves up and create something that will enable us to continue our work and be there for the community. And while we let go of our space, we hang on to all the memories and lessons learned until we can make new ones again.”

Pineapple Lab joins the number of local and global establishments and art spaces that closed down due to the unforeseen impact of the five-month-long quarantine brought by the growing pandemic. Earlier this month, Pamintuan and co-founder Jodinand Villaflores Aguillon have also created the initiative on-going project, ilostmygig.ph, which pores into the harsh repercussions of pandemic to the creative industry.