11 Artists on Our Radar at the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival 2023

The Modern and Contemporary Art Festival is back, folks. If last year was any indication of what's to come, this edition will only amplify the Philippines' position in the global art world as quite the cultural powerhouse in Southeast Asia. In other words: we're getting a hell of a lot more.

This year, MoCAF continues its dynamism with prominent local galleries and institutions, such as Vinyl on Vinyl, Ysobel Art, Cartellino, and Art Lounge Manila, to name a few. In fact, the festival even welcomes international art galleries from Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia in its new showcase, too. These galleries include YOD TOKYO & Editions, Gallery Kogure, Kobayashi Gallery, Artemis Art, and Srisasanti Syndicate. It's quite the lineup.

Talks will be available during the three-day festival, as well. These include discussions on topics like art in the time of artificial intelligence, art forgery, art as empowerment, the Philippine art market, and art as investment.

An interesting new twist to MoCAF 2023 is the launch of MoCAF XP, which will feature a series of pocket events every Saturday leading up to the end of July. These include the MoCAF Art Bazaar XCEPTION in Legazpi Village, Makati, the MoCAF Painting Workshop at Art Caravan in BGC, and the MoCAF Printmaking Workshop at Commune in Poblacion, Makati. It's a new direction that hopes to reach a wider, fresher audience in the contemporary art movement.

"We want to reach out to younger people because we want a future that is more into art. We’re hoping that more people will enjoy art for the variety and breadth that there is to offer," explains Festival Chairman Ricky Francisco. “More and more people are getting into art. And they believe that art shouldn’t be just on the walls—it should be something that’s part of life and something that everyone can enjoy."

Festival Director Coleen Wong further states: "This 2023, we intend to expand MoCAF by having different events outside the festival walls. It gives an opportunity to not just empower and inspire the youth but also give a chance for the ever-growing art community to flourish.”

Of course, we get an interesting new art collective that features a healthy mix of both established and emerging artists from the Filipino art scene. And yeah, we do have our favorites. From Doktor Karayom and Distort Monsters to Gelofiiish and Zuh Dai, these are the artists you need to check out during that weekend.

The 11 Artists You Need to Check Out at MOCAF 2023

1| Carla Gamalinda

h

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gamalinda (@carlagamalinda)>p

>pVisual artist, researcher, and art teacher Carla Gamalinda's brand of realism depicts subjects in a state of muted whimsy. They're quietly magical, putting us right in the voyeur's sweet spot.>p2| Kiko Moran>h2>p

Renowned experimental artist Kiko Moran's style is notable for its cartoonish, conflated dialogues between the subjects and their altered realities.

3| Gelofiiish

h

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by gelofiiish (@gelofiiish)>p

>p>h2Gelofiiish offsets the grim undertones of his figures by allowing them space to grieve themselves and their environments. This makes for a weirdly amusing interplay between darkness and capriciousness.>p4| Doktor Karayom>h2"Mga Nakikinig sa Bulong Mong Pahigop" by Doktor Karayom>p