The Manila Illustration Fair 2023 Will Showcase the Very Best of Homegrown Illustrator Talent
Four months ago, a friend told Dan Matutina—illustrator, designer, and founding partner of Plus63 Design Studio—about a newly constructed low-rise building in Makati called Comuna. Developed by Ana Maria Katigbak and her daughter Maya Katigbak-Colayco, the emporium was designed by Estudio Arkipelago.
Matutina visited the site, and once inside, quickly noted that the façade when viewed from across the street belied what resided within—a supple space that was as much indoor as it was outdoor, as much common area as it was leasable square meters. And how about that garden populated with dita, banaba, and champaca trees? It was all so very cool and unexpected, Matutina thought.
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And perfect for the Manila Illustration Fair 2023. The idea had been gestating in his head for a while; after all, Matutina had been a sought-after judge in international illustration fairs, was acutely aware of how Filipinos namelessly flourish in all the artistic manifestations of this multibillion-dollar industry, and discerned how local talent desperately needed an event (and venue) to showcase this truism.
The wheels were set, sometimes chaotically, in motion. Matutina assembled an unimpeachable jury committee to shortlist applications (recusing himself), put the word out to artists, and received more applicants than anticipated. As he told kanto.com.ph: “To add, we wanted to create an event that celebrates illustration as a craft, so all approaches to illustration are very much welcome, from trad to digital, from children’s book illustrations to fine art illustrations, from personal projects to commercial work, we don’t discriminate.”
Soon enough, the much-debated shortlist was whittled down to the agreed 20. Here are four of the chosen exhibitors.
Ross Du | 27 | Inspired by color, culture, and history
“When I learned about the final lineup, I breathed a thought to myself: What an honor! You see, I had been following many of their works for years.”
For Du, there is no confusion about why Filipinos excel at this craft. She says, “There’s so much vibrancy in our everyday lives to take inspiration from. We’re surrounded by patterns, bright colors, strong tastes, and sharp smells—all the time. So, I think there’s bound to be a percentage of the population that feels the need to translate that sensory overload into art and design.
“We have a strong attachment to media and pop culture, so I think a lot of people tend to start out making fan art as kids and grow up with it. Think, the anime characters on jeepneys.”
Her hope is that Manila Illustration Fair 2023 will plug the gap between commercial/fan art and fine arts for illustrators. In-between these fissures, she says, is where “technical skill is born.”
Joza Nada | 34 | Drawings revolving around memories and the rituals of everyday life
“I took a five-year break from art, so I tried not to expect too much when I sent my submission to MIF 2023,” admitted the creative strategist and communicator for social change.
Describing her work, Nada says, “I didn't know where it came from, but there was so much internal pressure to ‘become an artist,’ and that made me really sad and tired. Fast forward to 2023, I figured that if I'm coming back, then I want it to be on my own terms. So, these days, sometimes I draw… and sometimes I don't, and I'm okay with that. I think the only thing to learn from my artistic process would be to: Listen to your mind and body. Be kind to yourself.”
Coming out from the pandemic, she says, was “super hard” to find your people again after the desolation. MIF 2023, she believes, is an event “where we get the chance to celebrate our work together, meet new faces, and learn new things are necessary to fuel creativity. Please say, hi!”
Glendford Q. Lumbao | 28 | Muralist
“The day the list of the exhibitors was released, I felt the twenty exhibitors had already been announced, and I wasn’t part of it. Maybe I’ll just volunteer to help in the event just to somehow part of the event even though I didn’t make it?”
His Instagram notifications then dinged with sounds that awakened him—holy shit, he thought. I’m in!
His illustrations are heavily influenced by “reimagined history, and the intersection between local folklore and nature.” Like solving a puzzle, he says. “We have so much illustration and design talent because art, in general, has always been part of who we are. Our ninuno communicated and expressed themselves through art. We sing and dance to our gods.”
About MIF 2023, he says that it is about empowerment, where a space is created to collaborate and learn from fellow creatives. “Basically, to celebrate the medium.”
Never let your guni-guni ever leave you, his mural mentor, AG Sano, once told him in Isabela eight years ago—not your hallucination, not your imagination. It resonated with him because of the irony. See, once he was often told, “Guni-guni mo lang yan.” Now, he makes sure to entertain these thoughts, write it down, and doodle.
France Daffon | 27 | Blind-contour art advocate
“The day after a long night at work, I was having a late lunch while watching New Girl, and then my Instagram began to pop with a tagged post. When I realized I was in MIF, I almost spat out my mouthful of food!”
She describes her work as a montage of lines and shadows, wherein she first pictures a scene, like in a film still, as behooves a digital filmmaking graduate. “It doesn’t have to hold meaning yet… but emotion and mood. I’d see the gestures of my characters. Then comes the color, time of day, and the ‘set design.’”
She cites a sentence from The Creative Act: A Way of Being, the 2023 book by Rick Rubin, the record producer who is possibly the most overlooked musical genius of our time: “There’s a time for certain ideas to arrive, and they find a way to express themselves through us.”
“I like this line a lot. It reminds me that even if I have so many ideas, each of them has its own time to be fleshed out—how each idea needs its own moment and insight to get to a point where the medium is realized.”
Esteemed internationally but somewhat unnoticed on our shores, discover what makes Filipino illustrators tick in the first-ever trade fair of its kind in the Philippines. Manila Illustration Fair will take place at Comuna, Makati, on Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entrance and parking are free, and there’s no cover charge. Expect lots of food, booze, and art.
Comuna is located at 238 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Ext., San Antonio Village, Makati City.
