Expect a ‘ bigger, better, bolder’ Art Fair PHL 2017
ON ITS FIFTH year, Art Fair Philippines has much in store for visitors to its four-day event on Feb. 16 to 19 — this time around it will occupy four floors of The Link Carpark which will be filled with even more participating galleries.
Cofounder Geraldine “Dindin” B. Araneta said as a promise to showcase the best in Philippine modern and contemporary art, Art Fair PHL reserved Ayala Center carpark’s fifth to seventh floors and its roofdeck to accommodate the ever increasing number of people who visit the fair since its inception in 2013.
“Generally, based on what we saw last year, we have a bit of a younger audience which is encouraging. That means now we finally have an art-going culture which took so many years to build — not only in our part, but [through] everyone else’s efforts,” Ms. Araneta said.
From the 6,000 visitors in its first year, Art Fair PHL reported around 22,000 visitors in 2016.
Cathy Bengzon, Ayala Land’s head of marketing, meanwhile said this year’s Art Fair PHL is expected to be “bigger, better, and bolder” with the expansion of its venue. Ayala Land is a copresenter of Art Fair PHL.
“The venue is the most critical part of the Art Fair to make it successful. Art Fair PHL has found a home in Makati because it positions Makati not only for business, but also for lifestyle, and now for arts and culture,” she said.
Art Fair PHL will be bringing in 46 galleries, with 12 from Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, presenting curated exhibitions from Filipino and foreign visual artists. The overall exhibition design of Art Fair PHL 2017 is a project of Leandro V. Locsin and Partners, curators of the Philippine Pavilion in the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale.
The participating galleries are: 1335 Mabini, Altro Mondo Arté Contemporanea, Archivo 1984, ARNDT, Art Cube Gallery, Artinformal, ART LAB, Art Underground, Art Verité, Artesan Gallery + Studio, Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Finale Art File, Gajah Gallery, Galería Cayón, Galerie Anna, Galerie Michael Janssen, Galerie Stephanie, Galleria Duemila, Gallery Kogure, Gallery Orange, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, Asian Cultural Council/ Leon Gallery, MO_Space, Nunu Fine Art, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinto Art Gallery, ROH Projects, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, TAKSU, The Crucible Gallery, The Drawing Room, Tinaw Gallery, Underground Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, West Gallery, XuArtspace, Yavuz Gallery, Ysobel Gallery, and YOD Gallery.
COMMISSIONED WORKS, TALKS
Works by internationally recognized Filipino visual artists will be featured through ART FAIR PHL/PROJECTS, a program of new commissioned interactive and/or thought-provoking installations around the Link.
An installation by Jose Tence Ruiz, one of the artists who represented the Philippines at the Venice Biennale in 2015, will take center stage. The installation, which is a socio-realist commentary on the country’s current political issues, will be displayed on the 6th floor.
Other artists who were commissioned to create works for this year’s fair are Agnes Arellano, Elmer Borlongan, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Emmanuel Garibay, Dex Fernandez, Mark Justiniani, Maria Jeona Zoleta, and the WSK group of sound artists.
Art Fair PHL 2017 will also be showing Swiss-American artist Christian Marclay’s video Telephones, which is on loan from Julius Baer’s art collection, and will present the Asian premiere of Street by British-born painter and filmmaker James Nares on Feb. 15-19 in Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Also part of Art Fair PHL’s programs are the ART FAIR PHL/ TALKS and ART FAIR PHL/ TOURS, created in partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery and Museum Foundation of the Philippines.
There will be three lectures a day, and among the speakers is Canadian writer and sociologist Dr. Sarah Thornton, formerly the contemporary art chief correspondent for The Economist and author of several art world bestsellers such as Seven Days in the Art World and 33 Artists in 3 Acts. Filipino historian, academic, and columnist Ambeth Ocampo will talk about the solo exhibit on National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz which he curated for the Ateneo Art Gallery. Curator and writer Tony Godfrey will also have an exchange on often asked questions about contemporary art as he discusses what a “masterpiece” or being a great artist may mean today.
ART FAIR PHL/ TOURS, on the other hand, will hold guided tours of relevant museums around Metro Manila.
Art Fair PHL also launched 10 Days of Art — a series of events around Makati City and nearby BGC involving galleries, museums, bars, restaurants, and retail establishments to complement the art fair. This will be held on Feb. 9 to 19.
“We always want to top it. Since we have more space now, it’s also part of the anticipation... hoping more people would come [this year],” Ms. Araneta said. —
For more information on Art Fair Philippines 2017, visit www. artfairphilippines. comcom/artfairph. or facebook. Follow @artfairph on Instagram and Twitter.