Ayala Museum will host Ritual, Ornament, Currency: Gold in Early Asian Cultures, its first-ever international conference dedicated to the study of precolonial Philippine gold.
The two-day gathering on Oct 21 and 22 at Ayala Museum and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex, respectively, will bring together leading Filipino and international scholars across archaeology, art history, and material culture studies, while encouraging a new generation of researchers and cultural practitioners to contribute to the study of Philippine gold.
It is anchored on the historic three-year loan of gold objects from BSP to Ayala Museum for the exhibition Reuniting the Surigao Treasure: From the Collections of Ayala Museum and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (2024–2027).
Since its opening on May 17, 2024, Reuniting the Surigao Treasure has welcomed over 68,000 visitors to Ayala Museum. It exhibits objects from two of the country’s most significant collections of precolonial gold, bringing 38 gold works on loan from BSP alongside approximately 1,000 gold objects in Ayala Museum’s permanent collection. Together, these objects offer insights into the rich artistic traditions, complex social hierarchies, and sophisticated economic practices of precolonial Philippines.
Convened by exhibition curator Florina Capistrano-Baker, the conference will explore three key themes: the historical, cultural, and archaeological contexts of precolonial Philippine gold; related regional material traditions; and gold’s monetary history in the Philippines.
“Through the ‘Reuniting the Surigao Treasure’ exhibition, generations of Filipinos have had the chance to come face to face with these extraordinary objects, a vivid reminder of the richness of our precolonial past, and of what that history reveals about who we are as a people,” said Jorell LegaspI, Ayala Foundation’s senior director for arts and culture. “This gold conference takes the conversation one step further, gathering a distinguished panel of international speakers to discuss the significance of Philippine gold in maritime trade and regional connections, proving the world-class caliber of Philippine craftsmanship.”
The conference opens on Oct. 21 at Ayala Museum with a keynote address by Ambeth R. Ocampo, senior professor of history at Ateneo de Manila University. Other featured speakers are Adriana Proser of The Walters Art Museum, who will examine evidence of Chinese metalworking influences in precolonial Philippine gold, and Li Xiaolu of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, who will explore the evolution of Southeast Asian aesthetics across pottery, gold, and porcelain.
On Oct. 22, the conference continues at the BSP Complex with a keynote address on Indian Ocean trade by Himanshu Prabha Ray, Tagore National Fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, followed by sessions on the Surigao gold mines and the journey of gold from mine to treasury. The day concludes with a tour of Museo BSP and the launch of Bahandi: The Surigao Treasure and Related Finds.
“This conference is both an invitation and a challenge to young researchers to delve into the rich history of precolonial Philippine gold, a subject that touches archaeology, history, geopolitics, and trade,” said Capistrano-Baker. “We hope it sparks new interest in this field of study, for a new generation of scholars to carry it forward.” CONTRIBUTED
Registration has been extended until Oct. 19, or until all slots are filled. Onsite participants will receive two-day conference access, admission to all Ayala Museum exhibitions until Oct. 25, a 10% discount on select Museum Shop purchases, lunch and snacks on both days, a conference welcome kit, and a certificate of participation upon completion of the two-day conference. Online participants will receive two-day virtual access to the exhibitions until Oct. 25.
To register or access the full conference program and FAQs, visit events.ayalamuseum.org/events/gold-con-2026/purchase.
For inquiries, contact research@ayalamuseum.com.
