dotdailydose
Continuing to fulfill its mission of generating support for Filipino visual artists, Art Fair Philippines recently staged its biggest and best edition yet as it showcased exhibitions from 36 local and 15 foreign galleries in all the available floors of The Link carpark in Makati City.
For its sixth edition, the fair put the focus on photography, with the introduction of a new section ArtFairPH/Photos, presented by the Swiss private bank, Julius Baer. Here, veteran photographer Neal Oshima featured his own work for Kin, an exhibit conceptualized for the fair, and also co-curated Provocations: Philippine Documentary Photography with Angel Velasco Shaw. Also in this section were photos by Eduardo Masferre, work by Jake Verzosa, a selection from Silverlens, and pieces from the Julius Baer Art Collection.
A groundbreaking first for the Philippines, ArtFairPH/Photos also included 28 exhibition prints of iconic images by 20th century press photographer Weegee, loaned from the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York.
Lines formed at the entrance to the booth of Everyday Impunity as their exhibit Ang Walang Pangalan, stirring photographs by Carlo Gabuco on the war on drugs, captured the attention of fair visitors.
A work for ArtFairPH/Projects, Nilo Ilarde’s The Art Fair is Full of Objects, More or Less Interesting; I Wish to Add 24,124 More easily proved one of the fair’s most popular; photographs of the massed matchbox-sized cars that completely covered the floor area of the artist’s space dominated social media.
Paintings by modern masters, Fernando Zobel and National Artist Arturo Luz, appeared alongside emerging names like Raffy Napay, who works with thread, and metal sculptor Daniel dela Cruz. The works of Indonesian artist Yunizar, Bali-based Ashley Bickerton, and Japanese superstar Yayoi Kusama resonated as well with Filipino art aficionados.
Members of the Tate Museum’s Asia-Pacific Acquisitions Committee also spent an afternoon at the fair, the culmination of their familiarization tour of Manila’s visual arts community.
“At the very core of the fair is the Philippine art scene. Since 2013, our goal has remained the same: To make the best of the Philippine contemporary and modern art more accessible to the public, to the enthusiasts, and to those who want to discover the exciting Philippine art landscape,” says co-founder Trickie Lopa. “That has always been our driving force in enhancing the art fair experience for our guests.”
As Art Fair Philippines grows bigger in size and number of galleries, its audience also multiplies exponentially. In its sixth edition, which attracted six times more visitors than its inaugural year in 2013, the organizers introduced timed entries, online ticketing, and new ways to enter the fair.
“We are aware that our audience has gotten bigger, and we would like to cultivate this by offering them several opportunities to learn while they are at the fair,” says Dindin Araneta, a fair co-founder.
This year, the organizers launched a digital campaign called Art Fair Etiquette, which outlined the do’s and don’t’s in art fairs. Another part of the educational thrust of the fair is ArtFairPH/Talks, which featured daily topics geared towards the development of audiences for contemporary art. The lineup of talks for this year included the following: the crucial role of artists in the achievement of a just andequitable society, art collecting and stewardship, and a discussion on contemporary Philippine photography.
ICP Collections Manager James Kopp also delivered a talk on photojournalists’ attempts to present the hard truths of society through their images. He also showed the stark parallelism of Weegee’s standard-setting coverage of street crime and the works of Philippine photojournalists covering the police beat. Filipino photojournalists Ezra Acayan and Raffy Lerma joined him for a riveting panel discussion that delved into the critical importance of the camera in bearing witness and of the photograph as a visual record of events.
Films by Kidlat Tahimik, the grandfather of the Philippine New Wave, were also shown at the the fair. These include Mababangong Bangungot, Bahag Ko, Mahal Ko, and Balikbayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III
“Among our main considerations in developing the fair is for our visitors to feel engaged with the art scene. We want to help in connecting them with more local artists and galleries, and to offer them knowledge and experience that they can keep with them long after the fair is over,” adds co-founder Lisa Periquet.
The next Art Fair Philippines will be on 21-24 February 2019. For more announcements, please follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram (@artfairph) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/artfairph) or visit www.artfairphilippines.com
Art Fair Philippines 2018 was co-presented by Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Platinum, and Julius Baer. The fair was also sponsored by AC Automotive, Ayala Land Premier, and Make It Makati. Its official hotel partners were Fairmont and Raffles Makati, and Holiday Inn and Suites.
