Artworks by big-name Filipino contemporary artists can easily fetch a seven-figure price tag. Through the latest collection of for-purpose brand Looking for Juan, these pieces can be had at a fraction of the cost, reimagined as jigsaw puzzles, while serving as ‘a quiet act of community work that nurtures both creativity and literacy.’
Looking for Juan is an online store of art-based books and gifts that hopes to improve literacy in the Philippines by merging art and purpose with every purchase. For its latest Haraya Art Puzzle collection, the group partnered with some of the country’s most celebrated contemporary artists today, namely, Elmer Borlongan, June Digan, Jericho Moral, Jim Orencio, and Rodel Tapaya.
‘This project is really about bringing art into everyday spaces,’ says Larissa Chavez, head of Looking for Juan.
‘We want people to experience the power of art not just on walls or in galleries, but through play and storytelling. And with each puzzle supporting book donations, it’s also a quiet act of community work that nurtures both creativity and literacy.’
While designed to invite players to slow down, reflect, and engage with Filipino art in a tactile and meditative way, the puzzles are more than objects of play. They also act as functional art that retell the artist’s vision through an interactive experience between the artist, artwork, and the player.
Each puzzle box comes with a full-image poster for an easier and more enjoyable solve. The pieces come in counts of 300 to 500, crafted from 2mm premium cardboard for less dust. Once completed, the puzzles measure between 45.7 cm x 45.7 cm and 55.45 cm x 74 cm, with dimensions varying per design, perfect for transforming into striking wall art when framed and hung.
For the Haraya Art Puzzle collection, Elmer Borlongan presents his work titled Mobile Record Shop, inspired by Filipino underground culture, a hodgepodge of nostalgia, music and everyday resilience. The scene shows a fleeting encounter, where a man is selling bootleg cassette tapes of 1960s and 1970s music from his Volkswagen Beetle parked at the back of Folk Arts Theater. Music plays from a cassette deck on the roof, inviting passersby to drift into another era.
Meanwhile, Ang Naglalakbay na Karinderya by June Digan follows a child’s adventure into a magical forest, showcasing in full the artist’s renowned whimsical characters and imaginative landscapes. The enchantment deepens with special glow-in-the-dark elements in the puzzle, bringing the scene to life even after the lights go out.
In Jericho Moral’s The Broken Clock, a surreal landscape blends chaos, time and memory, pulling players into a dreamlike world. In this realm, fantastical creatures take over amid precarious architecture and overlapping narratives, as time itself seems to be fractured. The artwork acts as a meditation on disarray, imagination, and dissolution of structure.
In Jim Orencio’s Fern Path (Pinto Arboretum), order prevails. It offers a quiet reflection on nature through a lush passageway that invites serenity and calm, featuring a tranquil trail in Pinto Arboretum, a place of deep inspiration for the artist. The piece evokes the quiet thrill of wandering, not in search of adventure but for the simple joy of moving forward, open to whatever lies ahead.
Lastly, Rodel Tapaya offers his signature fantastical dreamscape in a work titled Mahiwagang Mundo. Drawn from his children’s book Ang Batang Maraming Bawal, the artwork visually narrates the story of a sickly child who finds strength and adventure in his dreams.
Further upholding Looking for Juan’s commitment to children’s literacy and creative advocacy, every puzzle sold supports the ‘One Million Books for One Million Filipino Children’ campaign, which helps fund the creation and distribution of books to public schools and underserved communities across the country.
This is implemented in partnership with a non-profit, the Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development, or CANVAS.
The Haraya Art Puzzles are available online at www.lookingforjuan.com and at select partner stores. Prices range from P2,200 to P3,000.