‘An art fair on steroids’
Before you go sportingly ballistic with the title of this article, take a chill pill. What Art Fair Philippines (AFP) organizers Lisa Periquet, Dindin Araneta and Trickie Lopa just want to underscore that this year’s AFP offing has been bolstered by new components in line with its mission of “expanding the audience for Philippine visual art.”
Augmenting the learning opportunities at the fair, Art Fair Philippines is introducing a new section called ArtFairPH/Open Studios. This section, complementing ArtFairPH/Talks, will present a series of workshops with respected practitioners in the fields of arts and culture, including a two-day workshop on photography with Paco Guerrero; lighting techniques for photographers with Neal Oshima and Mark Nicdao; and wooden furniture with Benji Reyes. There will also be a demo on watercolor painting techniques with Claude Tayag; cyanotype workshop with Alexis Oshima and Angela Silva; rubber-cutting workshop with the Association of Pinoyprintmakers; and a Sculptural Planter-Making workshop with Rita Gudiño of Tahanan Pottery.
Art Fair Philippines 2020 will also introduce the ArtFairPH/Film section, curated by Erwin Romulo, Philbert Dy and Teddy Co. This section acknowledges that cinema, like all artforms, is evolving. It aims to celebrate the last 100 years of Philippine cinema and the possibilities for the next hundred.
ArtFairPH/Film will screen a selection of the best feature-length and short films, narrative and experimental, documentary and animation, to showcase the diversity of Philippine cinema.
Art Fair Philippines 2020 also welcomes the participation of incubator spaces, ArtFairPH/Incubators, creative spaces outside the mainstream gallery format including exhibitors art/n23, Giatay, Limbo, Loadnadito projects, Project 20, and Signum. In this section, art/n23 will present a virtual reality piece by Issay Rodriguez. Curated by Sandra Palomar, Rodriguez's work will immerse the audience in a simulated and interactive beehive-like environment.
This year, Art Fair Philippines also presents a special cultural exchange project with the Embassy of Italy in Manila, highlighted by the participation of Galleria Tiziana Di Caro, a contemporary art gallery from Naples, Italy.
As in previous years, Art Fair Philippines 2020, through its ArtFairPH/Projects section, will also feature new commissions in the form of interactive and/or thought-provoking installations by internationally established Filipino visual artists. For this year, Art Fair Philippines is working with art consultant Norman Crisologo, who takes on conceptualized exhibition projects for art galleries.
The featured artists include a special exhibition in cooperation with the estate of the late Onib Olmedo. Drawings from the family's collection will highlight the influence that Olmedo exerted on a good number of artists working today.
Other artists mounting special exhibits include Salvador Joel Alonday, Perry Argel, Jaime De Guzman, Roedil Joe Geraldo, Jellyfish Kisses, Gene Paul Martin, and Neil Pasilan. Also in this section is Carlo Villafuerte, the 2020 recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection, a private grant created in homage to art patron Karen Montinola. ArtFairPH/Projects is presented by the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
Hublot, the Official Timekeeper of Art Fair Philippines 2020, will also present new works by Rodel Tapaya.
Art Fair Philippines is also working with New York-based curator and art historian Carina Evangelista in presenting the works of Sol Lewitt, an iconic American artist known for his contributions in Conceptual Art and Minimalism.
ArtFairPH/Talks, created in partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery and Museum Foundation of the Philippines, will also continue to offer learning opportunities for Art Fair Philippines visitors.
There will be a panel on Onib Olmedo with speakers Elmer Borlongan and Allan Cosio, and moderated by The STAR columnist Carlomar Daoana. Onib Olmedo was an award-winning artist best known for his expressionistic figurative paintings and for his contribution in founding the Filipino Expressionist movement. Through his art, he depicted the marginalized members of the Filipino culture.
The Italian Ambassador to the Philippines and known art aficionado Giorgio Guglielmino will also talk about his book The Originals, in which he enumerates 30 various artists that make a difference in the art scene.
This year, the fair also continues to develop ArtFairPH/Photo, which aims to boost support for photography as contemporary art and expand its collectability among Filipinos. On spotlight are the works of Filipino contemporary artist Poklong Anading. Other artists and groups in this section include art/n23, bio | trans | forms , Denise Weldon | Tom Epperson Photographs, Luzviminda, Silverlens Photo, Strange Fruit, and Tarzeer Pictures. ArtFairPH/Photo is presented by Julius Baer.
Also complementing the fair is the “10 Days of Art” initiative, a series of events around the Makati Central Business District with participations by galleries, museums, bars, restaurants, and retail establishments in celebrating art beyond the venue of the fair. For schedule and updates, visit www.10daysofart.com.
This year, Art Fair Philippines welcomes 61 exhibitors from the Philippines and abroad. The participating exhibitors from the Philippines are: 1335 Mabini / GMJ, Altro Mondo Gallery, Archivo 1984, Art Cube, Art Underground, Art Verité, Artery Art Space, art/n23, Association of Pinoyprintmakers, Avellana Art Gallery, bio | trans | forms, Boston Art Gallery, Canvas, Denise Weldon | Tom Epperson Photographs, District Gallery, Eskinita Art Gallery, Galerie Roberto, Gallery of Fine Arts, Galerie Stephanie, Giatay, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, León Gallery, Limbo, Loadnadito projects, Luzviminda, Mariyah Gallery, METRO, Mono8, Orange Project, Paseo Art Gallery, Pintô Art Museum, Project 20, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Signum, Silverlens, Strange Fruit, Tarzeer Pictures, Tin-aw Art Gallery, Tropical Futures Institute, and Ysobel Art Gallery.
The Philippines' leading galleries will be joined by a wider roster of foreign galleries including Art Porters Gallery (Singapore), Artemis Art (Malaysia), Cayón (Spain), Energy Field (Japan), G13 Gallery (Malaysia), Gajah Gallery (Singapore), Galerie OVO (Taiwan), Gallery Kogure (Japan), Hanada Gallery (Japan), Kobayashi Gallery (Japan), La Lanta Fine Art (Thailand), Mind Set Art Center (Singapore), Number1 Gallery (Thailand), Nunu Fine Art (Taiwan), Shukado (Japan), Vin Gallery (Vietnam), Yavuz Gallery (Singapore), YOD Gallery + Asian Art Center (Japan). The Italian Embassy is also bringing Galleria Tiziana di Caro, an art gallery from Naples, Italy.
Fair tickets can be purchased in advance at www.artfairphilippines.com. Tickets will also be available at the reception area of Art Fair Philippines from Feb. 21 to 23.
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For information, visit the Art Fair Philippines website and follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram (@artfairph) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/artfairph).
Art Fair Philippines 2020 is co-presented by Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Platinum, Hublot, and Julius Baer. The fair is also sponsored by AC Motors, Ayala Land Premier, Make It Makati, and Don Papa. Its official hotel partners are Fairmont and Raffles Makati, and Holiday Inn and Suites.
The Philippine STAR is a media partner of Art Fair Philippines 2020.
