Wender·Vista
Malabon
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines
in the north of Metro Manila

Malabon

— — low tide and the smell of vinegar from the noodle shops.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A coastal city on the northern edge of Metro Manila, where the Tullahan River drains into Manila Bay. It gave the country pancit Malabon, the orange-noodle plate with shrimp, squid, and smoked tinapa. The streets sit low and the tide comes high. The fish markets open before the sun does, and the work of the day is mostly done by ten. — from the studio

from the studio
Malabon
— bring it home

Malabon, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Malabon

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Malabon is a coastal city in the northern part of Metro Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Its 15.71 square kilometres hold roughly 380,000 people, one of the higher densities in the metro. It sits at the mouth of the Tullahan River where it empties into Manila Bay, and forms part of the CAMANAVA cluster with Caloocan, Navotas, and Valenzuela. The land lies at or barely above sea level, which shapes every street and every doorstep.

— informed by Wikipedia — Malabon
— the water

Malabon was built on fishponds. Old Tagalog records name it Tambobong, after the bamboo fish corrals that once filled the inlets. Today the Navotas Fish Port at the western border lands a large share of the country's daily catch, and the wet markets along Gov. Pascual Avenue open before dawn. The same low ground that built the fishing trade also floods after almost every typhoon, and residents have raised their thresholds a step at a time for more than a hundred years.

— the visit

Malabon is reached from central Manila by jeepney along Rizal Avenue Extension or by the NLEX Harbor Link, about a forty-minute drive without traffic. The dish that carries its name, pancit Malabon, is the reason most outsiders come, and several family-run shops near Concepcion still serve it from large round trays. The Immaculate Conception Parish, founded by the Augustinian Recollects in the early seventeenth century, anchors the old town and remains the city's mother parish.

— where
Philippines · Metro Manila, National Capital Region
— elevation
2 m · 7 ft
— position
14.6681° N · 120.9568° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km W
Navotas
fishing port city
4 km S
Caloocan
neighboring city
6 km SW
Manila Bay
bay
N
Malabon
Navotas
Caloocan
Manila Bay
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Malabon — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Malabon is best known for pancit Malabon, a thick orange rice-noodle dish with shrimp, squid, smoked tinapa flakes, and chicharrón. The city is also a long-standing centre of the Manila Bay fishing trade.

Malabon sits in the northern part of Metro Manila, at the mouth of the Tullahan River where it meets Manila Bay. It is one of four cities in the CAMANAVA cluster, alongside Caloocan, Navotas, and Valenzuela.

Much of Malabon lies at or barely above sea level on former fishponds. High tides on Manila Bay, monsoon rainfall, and the Tullahan River backing up combine to flood low streets several times a year.

Pancit Malabon uses thick rice noodles dressed in a shrimp-and-annatto sauce, then topped with shrimp, squid, smoked fish flakes, chicharrón, sliced egg, and green onion. It is served at room temperature on a large round tray.

The Immaculate Conception Parish in Malabon was founded by the Augustinian Recollects in 1622 and remains the city's mother parish. The present stone church has been rebuilt several times after earthquakes and storms.

Tambobong is the old Tagalog name for Malabon. It refers to the bamboo fish corrals once used in the area's tidal creeks, a clue to how long fishing has shaped the city.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with roots in Metro Manila. The piece reads as a hometown portrait rather than a tourist souvenir. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece reads well in Coastal-modern, Tropical-modern, and warm Maximalist rooms. The bay-water blues and red-orange noodle palette anchor a wall without taking it over.

A single Large reads well above a standard console. Above a full sofa, a four-tile Mural holds the wall in scale, and a nine-tile Mural fills a larger living room above an eight-foot sectional.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for humid rooms and splash zones. Both are scratch-resistant and wipe clean. The Glossy finish is meant for dry framed wall art.

A soft microfibre cloth and water are enough. Avoid abrasive sponges and cleaners with bleach or ammonia. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so it will not fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. The painting is original to Wender Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee, curated by Reid Wender. The tiles are hand-finished in our studio, and the artwork is not licensed to or from any other maker.

— if this one stayed with you

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