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All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
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Ciriaco Sayoc draws on Filipino flag colors and basket and fabric weaving references for an ongoing installation dedicated to SoMa’s community organizations.
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
Ciriaco Sayoc’s Tagalog-language banner at YBCA carries a specific dedication: support for the organizations contributing to San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District.
SoMa Mahal Kita translates as SoMa I Love You. Sayoc’s large-scale message is written in Tagalog, and its design draws on colors from the Filipino flag and elements of basket and fabric weaving practices in the Philippines.
The artist also points to film, the ideas of cities and love, and his personal practice of leading with love. Together, these references frame the banner as a dedication to the communities and organizations that have helped shape SoMa—not simply a statement about the neighborhood’s name.
Further reading: SoMa Mahal Kita (SoMa I Love You) - YBCA ↗
YBCA describes Sayoc as a designer, artist and maker who was born in the Bronx in 1975 and lives and works in San Francisco. He works from a SoMa studio alongside other Balay Kreative artists.
Sayoc also collaborates with neighborhood organizations through community building and storytelling. That ongoing local practice gives context to a work dedicated to groups contributing to the Filipino Cultural Heritage District.
Further reading: SoMa Mahal Kita (SoMa I Love You) - YBCA ↗ · Ciriaco Sayoc - YBCA ↗
The banner is part of YBCA’s Neighborhood Commissions SoMa project, directed by Rea Lynn de Guzman, Senior Manager of Educational Programs. Its community partners are Balay Kreative; Bindlestiff Studio; Filipino Community Development Corporation (FCDC); Filipino Education Center Galing Bata; SOMA Pilipinas; SoMa Community Action Network (SOMCAN); and YBCA / Bessie Carmichael School Teaching Artists.
The partnership context matters to the work’s dedication: the installation points to organizations already contributing to the district, rather than presenting a general account of Filipino culture.
Further reading: SoMa Mahal Kita (SoMa I Love You) - YBCA ↗
The artwork is at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. YBCA’s directions for the 2024 unveiling place the banner between the Gallery & Forum Building and the Blue Shield of California Theater, near Crepe Myrtle Gardens at Minna and 3rd streets. The main entrance for the galleries and forum space is at 701 Mission Street.
SoMa Mahal Kita (SoMa I Love You) - YBCA ↗ · Visit - YBCA ↗ · Community Public Art & Artist Tour - YBCA ↗
YBCA galleries are open Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed Monday and Tuesday. The artwork is listed as 2024–ongoing, with no closing date announced.
YBCA lists gallery admission at $10 for adults 18 and older and $5 for students and seniors. Admission is free for youth 17 and under, military personnel and Museums for All visitors; galleries are free to everyone on Wednesdays. Members receive free gallery admission for four.
Employees of other museums with a current, valid staff ID receive free general admission for themselves and one guest. Museums for All is available to Medi-Cal and EBT cardholders; the benefits card is required at entry, and tickets must be purchased at YBCA’s ticketing desk. The artwork listing does not say whether these general gallery terms apply to viewing this installation.
YBCA says all public entrances are accessible. At the Gallery & Forum Building, both the 701 Mission Street and Garden Esplanade entrances have electric push-button doors; elevators serve both buildings. Wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served through the Info Desk, and one caregiver accompanying a visitor with accessibility needs is admitted free.
YBCA permits breastfeeding and bottle-feeding in public spaces. ADA-defined service animals are welcome on leash and under their handler’s control, provided they do not pose a threat or cause a disturbance. Pets, emotional-support animals and therapy animals are not permitted.
YBCA’s main entrance for galleries and forum space is at 701 Mission Street. The event listing identifies the artwork as the Vestibule Banner; directions for its 2024 unveiling locate it between the Gallery & Forum Building and the Blue Shield of California Theater, near Crepe Myrtle Gardens at Minna and 3rd streets.
SoMa Mahal Kita (SoMa I Love You) - YBCA ↗ · Visit - YBCA ↗ · Community Public Art & Artist Tour - YBCA ↗
YBCA lists public transit, car, bicycle and walking as ways to reach the campus, but the captured visit information does not give transit routes or parking specifics. The map links can calculate directions from your starting point.
YBCA lists the work as an ongoing public-art installation but does not announce a current timed tour, talk or performance.
Wednesday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. and Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Adults 18 and older pay $10; students and seniors pay $5. Free admission is listed for youth 17 and under, military personnel, Museums for All visitors and everyone on Wednesdays. Members receive free gallery admission for four.
The artwork listing does not specify whether general gallery admission applies to viewing the banner.
701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-01 against the linked sources.