Street Art and The City
A visual fest jumpstarts a colorful and artistic boost for BGC
Those who happen to work or live in the vicinity of Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig probably noticed this scenario: A white guy goes on a pedestal to work on a wall, at least 10 to 20 meters high, painting and drawing on it, rendering an image on a blank slate. A few murals have popped out, and people couldn’t help but stare—and it’s meant to be that way.
This activity is part of the recentlyconcluded Art BGC NextACT ONE Festival, a week-long celebration dubbed as the “first-ever mural-centric” arts fest in the Philippines. Dreamed up by the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. (BAFI), together with Globe Telecom and Los Angeles-based design consultancy firm LeBasse Projects, the festival aimed to make art more accessible and inclusive to the public by producing an “experiential atmosphere” in BGC. Apart from the murals, the festivities also featured a concert, interactions with different artists, live painting sessions, a showing of documentary-style films, among others.
Some of the artists tapped for the festival included FAILE, Nate Frizzell, CYRCLE, Drew Merritt, AKA Corleone, Kristin Farr, Egg Fiasco,
and Anjo Bolarda. Other featured artists are film pros Blaine Suque, Dissident Pictures, Aleks Kocev, and Shutter Panda.
By working with both local and international artists, LeBasse Projects owner and founder Beau Basse says that he and his team became very excited when they were granted permission by private institutions based in BGC to make their walls as blank canvases for the murals.
“It’s been a really cool experience,” says Los Angeles-based Drew, but at the same time, says Portueguese artist AKA Corleone, “challenging.”
While the artists had different aesthetics, one common theme they worked on was urban living. Working on big murals is not easy, and considering safety above ground was first and foremost. “When I got here in Metro Manila, it was really more to work than to play,” says AKA Corleone. Adds Drew, “We would work from day to night, hopping from one location to another with a few breaks in between.”
For many artists, the hard work has been totally worth it, if only to champion the value of public art for cultural development. Their works are currently seen on the building walls of One Global Place, Bonifacio Technology Center, Icon Plaza, C1 Building Bonifacio High Street Central, The Palace Pool Club, and even in some spots along Bonifacio High Street.
“The reception from the public so far has been fantastic,” says Beau. “One of the nice benefits of making art more public is that it gives a city a sense of place in the world. It also fosters the cultural sensibilities to a lot of people.”
“It’s important for art in general to not just be ensconced in galleries,” adds Drew. “What if some people don’t have time to go to a gallery? What’s great about making art more accessible to the public domain is that it cuts through different social strata. It’s available for everyone to see and at a time when social media is at its peak, people can just take a picture of an artwork and post it online.”
As Beau puts it, the concept of public art is already established in key cities in the US and Europe. He is enthusiastic that the Philippines would catch up with its Western counterparts. “We plan to come back February next year if given a chance,” says Beau.