Esquire Philippines Celebrates the Country's Leading Contemporary Artists for July
This July, Esquire Philippines takes you into the Philippine art community with our 2023 art issue. We're excited to unveil our triple cover, featuring some marquee names in the Filipino contemporary art scene.
Sitting down with Quiccs, Isabel Santos, and Ronald Ventura made for quite the conversation, and we're here to share their thoughts on the state of Filipino art, fine art vs. commercial art, their creative process, and all the magic in between.
From the New Wave and High Street to the Iconoclasts, these are your July Art Issue cover stars.
Isabel Santos, New Wave
Isabel Santos Is Caught Up in the Afterglow
Ah yes, the importance of being idle. We're catching Isabel Santos in the middle of a break year. But that doesn't mean that the third-generation artist is not thinking about art. It's who she is, really. The granddaughter of the late great Mauro Malang Santos is biding her time, carrying the family name as much as she carries her own, ruminating, ticking away... basking in the afterglow.
"'Yung nga yung panglait sa lolo ko before. 'Cartoonist lang 'yan,' He's an artist. I've never had the feeling that a sculpture is better than video art or something like that. Feeling ko it's how a person consumes it. Minsan kasi, I think people put a premium on paintings."
Quiccs Maiquez, High Street
Quiccs Doesn't Give a Damn About Your Rules
The Filipino designer toymaker, graffiti artist, and rule breaker sits down with us to talk about the changing of the tide in the art scene. Art toys and street art have been elevated to high art status all over the world. And right there in the middle is Quiccs, who's watched the scene evolve in the Philippines and in the West right before his very eyes.
“So if you see the artistry in the iconoclasts, you know that the rule breakers always get appreciated, no matter what; because the stuff they do is revolutionary and changes things even after they die. And if you're lucky enough, you get to live through those times when your art form becomes appreciated by more people."
Ronald Ventura, Iconoclast
How Ronald Ventura Went From Playing in the Streets of Malabon to Selling Multi-Million Dollar Art
For most people, the age of 50 can be a daunting number. But Ronald Ventura isn't most people. In fact, he might just be entering a different kind of prime. From shattering auction records in Southeast Asia to world-bending solo exhibits in New York, Spain, Singapore, and more, the Malabon-raised artist is one hell of a cultural phenomenon.
"Hindi mo pa alam yung art noon. So, 'pag dumating na 'yung na-train ka na para gumawa ng art, doon na nagkaroon ng consciousness sa art. So, nagiging parang... nagiging kurso na. Nagiging career na. So, iba na rin yung pananaw mo nun. Nag-evolve 'yung pananaw mo o nag-iiba according to sa situation na nangyayari."
