Nilo Ilarde (b. 1960, Philippines) is an artist and curator whose work navigates the intersections between image and word, drawing and writing, and surface and painting. Using both found and constructed objects, he assembles image and text to comment on both the formal and conceptual conditions of art and language. Ilarde strips and mines his subjects to reveal their history and materiality, and in the process, creates forms of both declaration and negation.

Often, Ilarde’s practice involves considering the space of the gallery as a readymade and giving form to emptiness through unpainted paintings that reject commercialism. He is interested in the relationship between art objects and space. He takes a meticulous and fastidious approach to planning his works, which ironically necessitates an embracing of errors that may arise as part of the creation process. His installations challenge traditional notions of art-making and engage viewers in a dialogue with the exhibition space.

Since the 1980s, Ilarde has been exhibiting internationally and curating exhibitions in Manila. His works have been featured in art fairs including solo presentations at Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Stage Singapore, both in 2015, and at Art Fair Philippines in 2018. He is the co-founder of King Kong Art Projects Unlimited and was one of the lead curators of the exhibition Chabet: 50 Years that was shown in Singapore, Hong Kong and Manila between 2011 and 2012.