Things You Wanted to Say But Never Did: Geloy Concepcion’s six-year project makes Its exhibition debut at the Ateneo Art Gallery

Geloy Concepcion’s Things You Wanted To Say But Never Did comes to the Ateneo Art Gallery this 18 April 2026. After receiving almost 300,000 messages and publishing more than 3,000 notes, this marks the first time the visual artist’s project is presented in an exhibitionary context.

Featuring published work from the online series alongside new letters gathered from across the Philippines, the exhibition brings the project into tangible form, inviting visitor participation and extending its relational nature into a physical space. The show runs until 12 July 2026 at the Wilson L Sy Prints & Drawings Gallery, 2F Ateneo Art Gallery.

The project began as a prompt from Concepcion’s personal social media account in 2019: “What are the things you wanted to say but never did?” Replies filled his inbox. Later, he shifted to receiving responses via Google Forms, allowing thousands from around the world to anonymously share confessions, fears, hopes, insecurities, and questions. Concepcion inscribed senders’ words onto film photographs, first using pictures he took himself. The series soon gained visibility and resonance online. As thousands of letters came in, he shifted to using found photographs from flea markets in California as well as images submitted alongside the letters.

The project reflects an active digital public but draws from immigrant isolation. After moving from Manila to California in 2017, Concepcion faced three years without work due to immigration delays. He also struggled with language barriers and found it difficult to return to photography. The global pandemic only heightened this sense of estrangement, at which point isolation was not only an individual experience but a collective condition. 

In every note is an appeal to connect, which ties back to the artist’s photography practice, particularly portraiture, which is inherently relational. As Concepcion describes, “It isn’t just the picture of a person. It is about access; it’s the consent your subject is giving for you to represent them.”

Running for six years, the project has become an archive of sentiment, its intimacy owing to its anonymity. A confession arrives without a name; its voice belongs to anyone.

The exhibition unfolds across two spaces. The first component gathers several of the notes sent from different countries, written on his film photographs and on images sourced elsewhere. The second section presents letters written by people nationwide, gathered by volunteers who tapped their communities. This section is given for visitors to stay awhile before leaving, to write a note and carry on the project’s relay of affect.

Things You Wanted To Say But Never Did is on view 18 April–12 July 2026 at the Wilson L Sy Prints & Drawings Gallery, 2F Ateneo Art Gallery, Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. The Ateneo Art Gallery is open Mondays to Saturdays from 9:00am–5:00pm. Closed on Sundays and holidays. For inquiries, email aag@ateneo.edu or call (2) 8426 6488.