A hybrid experience awaits at Art Fair Philippines, an exploration of the country’s flourishing contemporary art scene
Art aficionados, rejoice! The premier exhibit, which aims to showcase the best of modern and contemporary Philippine visual art, is back from March 23 until April 1. A compelling hybrid experience awaits art enthusiasts in Art Fair Philippines 2022, with physical exhibitions at Ayala Triangle Gardens and various gallery venues in the metro, plus online exhibitions at artfairphilippines.com. More creative spaces now exist outside the mainstream gallery format especially for those who want to proceed with extra caution.
With the purpose of expanding the audience of Philippine visual art, visitors can look forward to a diverse pool of 46 exhibitors from the local and international art scene. This year’s Philippine exhibitors include 1335Mabini, Altro Mondo Gallery, Art Cube Gallery, Art Elaan, Art For Space, Art Underground, Art Verite Gallery, Artery Art Space, Avellana Art Gallery, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, District Gallery, Eskinita Gallery, Galerie Roberto, Galerie Stephanie, Grounded Holistic Arts and Culture Studio, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, León Gallery, Luzviminda, Modeka, MONO8 Gallery, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinaglabanan X, Qube Gallery, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, Strange Fruit, The Crucible Gallery, Tin-aw, The Metro Gallery, White Walls Gallery and Ysobel Art Gallery.
Art for Space |
MONO8 Gallery |
Meanwhile, six international galleries will also be present, including Art Agenda (Singapore/Jakarta), Gajah Gallery (Singapore/Yogyakarta), Mayoral (Paris/Barcelona), Yavuz Gallery (Singapore/Sydney), Gallery Kogure (Tokyo) and YOD Gallery (Osaka).
What else is new? Two NFT galleries will exhibit at Art Fair PH, namely A/terhen and Cyber Baat.
#ArtFairPH Gallery Hops and #ArtFairPH live at Ayala Triangle Gardens
Art is even more accessible to the common folk and art enthusiasts and collectors alike with the fair’s Gallery Hop section with physical spaces of exhibitors, helping them experience art live.
#ArtFairPH live at Ayala Triangle Gardens
Art Fair Philippines will also be taking over a new space for its first physical exhibition since 2020. Working with art consultant Norman Crisologo and exhibition designer Ed Lacson, they will present art installations at the Ayala Tower One Fountain Area for the ArtFairPH/Projects section.
The 2022 featured artists will include a special exhibition of works by the late Arô Soriano and noted social realist Nune Alvarado. This section will also feature new commissions from both internationally established and rising Filipino visual artists such as Bjorn Calleja, Johanna Helmuth, Ryan Jara, Doktor Karayom, Tyang Karyel, Aze Ong, Wyndelle Remonde. Also in this section is Melvin Guirhem, the 2022 recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection, a private grant created in homage to art patron Karen Montinola.
Also part of the physical exhibit is the fair’s ArtFairPH/Photo section. Curated by Neal Oshima, Michael Salientes, Mark Nicdao and Gio Panlilio, this section will explore the exhibit entitled Tattoos, Ternos and Couture, A Celebration of Philippine Fashion Photography.
The fair will also exhibit works by the chosen artists for #ArtFairPH/Residencies: Derek Tumala for Manila Observatory, Hannah Nantes for Linangan Art Residency, Jao San Pedro for Emerging Islands, Alwin Reamillo for Orange Project and Faye Abantao for Butanding Barrio.
#ArtFairPH Augmented Reality
For this year’s edition, Art Fair Philippines is inviting its guests to follow an interactive augmented reality (AR) art trail at the Ayala Triangle Gardens using the Daata AR app.
Named after Leeroy New's artwork, Aparisyon (Apparition), this AR Art Trail examines the timeless nature of storytelling through words and imagery, inspired by the Philippines’ thriving speculative fiction. Curated by Daata, this digital-meets-physical show offers an opportunity to discover ground-breaking artists and newly commissioned artworks by artist Leeroy New and author Eliza Victoria.
#ArtFairPH Metaverse
The exhibits by this year’s participants will also be viewable at artfairphilippines.com. Art Fair Philippines guests can also join the Gallery Walkthrough, scheduled on March 23 and March 24, for virtual tours of the exhibitors.
10 Days of Art
To complement the fair is the 10 Days of Art initiative, a series of events around the Makati Central Business District. This year’s three major public art exhibits will include an art installation by James Clar called I Can't Tell You What I Don't Know, Only That I Don't Know at the plinth in front of the Ayala Museum. Works by Juanito Torres and Norman Dreo, two solo exhibits in conversation under the title Perspectives, will also be on view at the Greenbelt 5 Gallery. For schedule and updates, visit www.10daysofart.com.
James Clar’s “I Can't Tell You What I Don't Know, Only That I Don't Know”
To know more about this year’s program and schedule of activities, visit the Art Fair Philippines website and follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram and Facebook.
Photos Art Fair Philippines
Art Macky Arquilla
