Art Fair Philippines 2024 Will Be One of the More Dynamic Fairs Yet
If there was ever a venue that could articulate the state of Filipino art, it's Art Fair Philippines. This year's edition sees an expanded program that encompasses different mediums, platforms, discussions, exhibitions, concepts, and much more.
Co-presented by AyalaLand, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Globe, with a special project partner Don Papa Rum, Art Fair Philippines 2024 will be held at The Link in Makati City this coming February. Here is a decent guide to the 11th anniversary of the fair. Better check those schedules.
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Participating Galleries to See Up Close
Quite the collection of exhibitors.
Visitors can expect to see 55 exhibitors at Art Fair Philippines 2024. Other participating galleries include those from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and more exhibitors from the Metaverse.
The list of local galleries is as follows:
- Altro Mondo
- Art Agenda
- Art Cube Gallery
- Art Elaan
- Art for Space
- Art Lounge Manila
- Art Underground
- Art Verité Gallery
- Artemis Art
- Avellana Art Gallery
- Boston Art Gallery
- CANVAS
- Cartellino
- G A L E R I A P A L O M A
- Gajah Gallery
- Galerie Stephanie
- GalerÃa Cayón
- GALLERY KOGURE
- Gravity Art Space
- J STUDIO
- Kaida Contemporary
- Kobayashi Gallery
- León Gallery
- METRO Gallery
- Mind Set Art Center
- Modeka Art
- MONO8
- Nunu Fine Art
- Orange Project
- Paseo Art Gallery
- Pintô Art Museum and Arboretum
- Qube Gallery
- Richard Koh Fine Art
- Secret Fresh Gallery
- SHUKADO+GALLERY SCENA
- SILVERLENS
- Superduper Art Gallery
- TARZEER PICTURES
- The Columns Gallery
- THE CRUCIBLE GALLERY
- TRIANGULUM
- Vantage Contemporary
- Village Art Gallery
- Vin Gallery
- White Walls Gallery
- Yavuz Gallery
- Yiri Arts
- YOD Gallery
- YSOBEL Art Gallery
Special Exhibitions, Residencies, and the 2024 KHM Selection Grant
Tuklas
ArtFairPH/Projects offers a closer look at the dynamism of today's Filipino art scene. Arguably its most important concept is the contiguous space curated by production designer and theater director Ed Lacson, with works by local modern and contemporary heavyweights such as Jonathan Ching, Jigger Cruz, Gean Brix Garcia, and Rod Paras-Perez. A selection of women modernists and a group of muralist painters mentored by Alfredo Esquillo Jr. and Renato Habulan will be showcased, as well.
Brooklyn-based multi-disciplinary artist Mr. StarCity will also be making an appearance under The Project section. Joining the artist are Romanian conceptual artist Andreea Medar and Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia, who will be conducting a special performance piece just for the event.
Mr. StarCity
Art Fair Philippines 2024 also shines the spotlight on the contributions of Filipina women modernists through the Pambabae exhibit. The exhibition will span the years 1969 to 1989, two decades that saw an explosion of creativity which was significant in the development of Philippine modern art. Artists such as Ivi Avellana Cosio, Ileana Lee, Nelfa Querubin, Evelyn Collantes, Phyllis Zaballero, and Lilian Hwang, among others, will have their works shared here.
At ArtFairPH/Residencies, audiences are invited to view the visual reports of selected residency artists. These consist of illustrations, photographs, videos, performances, and objects highlighting the personal and shared experiences within the programs' runs.
The selected residency artists are:
- Mark Salvatus for Manila Observatory in Quezon City, Manila
- Anna Miguel Cervantes for Linangan Art Residency in Alfonso, Cavite
- Jett Ilagan for Emerging Islands in San Juan, La Union
- Julian Tapales for Butanding Barrio in Puerto Princesa, Palawan
- Renz Baluyot for Orange Projects in Bacolod, Negros Occidental
Two other international artists, namely Iseult Perrault and Petr Hajdyla, are joining the residency program in Orange Project this 2024.
Apart from these, the Karen H. Montinola (KHM) Selection is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The grant, which is given by the Montinola family in memory of the celebrated collector, offers the public a deeper appreciation of emerging Filipino artists.
To commemorate the special milestone of the grant, a retrospective exhibit curated by art consultant Norman Crisologo will be held. It features recipients of the grant like Pio Abad (2014), Mike Adrao (2015), Mac Valdezco (2016), Mark Valenzuela (2017), Alvin Zafra (2018), Liv Vinluan (2019), Carlo Villafuerte (2021), Melvin Guirhem (2022), and Faye Abantao (2023). This year's grant has been awarded to visual artist Gean Brix Garcia.
Digital, Photography, and Film
Relatively new to the Art Fair scene is ArtFairPH/Digital. Only introduced last year, this section of the fair centers around digital media and work that incorporates and engages with computer technology, animation, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse.
Art Fair Philippines 2024 invited none other than the founder of the foremost proponent of digital art, Daata Founder David Gryn to present "Best Dressed Chicken (Manila Version)." The exhibition is said to be a selection of great digital video artworks that "engage with notions of vanity and choice."Â Adding to that is a special exhibit in collaboration with CryptoArt PH.
Its title is lifted from the DJ Doctor Alimantad reggae song.
Introduced in 2018, the ArtFairPH/Photo section highlights the role of photography in the contemporary art landscape. The sole exhibitor for this year is FotomotoPH, a Manila-based organization of visionary photographers curators and writers dedicated to promoting Philippine photography.
The group hosts an annual cycle of exhibitions, public programs, and special projects with art spaces throughout the archipelago. This exhibition will be curated by Sandra Palomar, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
For ArtFairPH/Film, visitors can take part in this new "festival-not" concept by filmmaker Moira Lang presents NO SHOWING, co-presented by Archivo Gallery in cooperation with Club Kino. It's an open hangout/speakeasy/watering hole/listening party/dance floor/breathing space of sorts for filmmakers and filmgoers to weigh, diagnose, and compare notes and remedies on the state of movie making and moviegoing in the Philippines.
Workshops, Incubators, and More
This year's Art Fair PH/Talks is done in collaboration with the Ateneo Art Gallery and with special participation of the Lopez Museum and Library. Talks revolve around elevating consumers' engagement with art, encompassing insights into an artist’s work and life, art forms, artistic processes, collectors, and interests. The program includes discussions on the intersections of art and science, photography as authorship, women in modern art, and reading images from a historical perspective, among others.
Of note here, too, are workshops and demonstrations on basic stretching, matting, and framing of canvas, as well as a discussion on the basics of artwork conservation. On the other hand, incubators such as Authenticity Zero Collective, Istorya Studios, Manila Illustration Fair, Pangasinan Group, Talyer 15, and The Empty Scholar will be opening up creative spaces outside the traditional gallery format.
Adding to the festivities is the 10 Days of Art initiative, which hosts a series of events around the Makati Central Business District with participation by galleries, museums, and other establishments to celebrate Philippine contemporary art beyond The Link. Complementing these is the Gallery Weekend from February 9 to 11, where guests are invited to visit partner galleries around the city.
Two areas in the CBD will serve as key venues for new mediums. The first location is at the Tower One Fountain area along Ayala Avenue. Trans-disciplinary visual artist Derek Tumala is presenting "A Warm Orange-Colored Liquid," his most ambitious work yet.
Meanwhile, the second expanse focuses on the exploits of motion graphics artist and multimedia engineer Isaiah Cacnio and his collaborations with digital artists AJ Dimarucot and Carlos. The video projection, entitled "Prismatic Embrace," is shown at the Green Wall of Ayala Triangle Garden Tower 2.Â
Art Fair Philippines will be running from February 16 to 18, 2024 at The Link in Makati City. For more information, visit Art Fair Philippines.
