What to expect at Art Fair Philippines 2020: new segments, projects, collaborations

Art Fair Philippines 2020 is set to open in February with new sections that will expand its program of promoting Philippine visual art among audiences.
Cathy Maris, Jojo Gloria via Art Fair Philippines/Released

MANILA, Philippines — Art Fair Philippines 2020 is set to open in February with new sections that will expand its program of promoting Philippine visual art among audiences.

The fair’s eighth run will be held on February 21 to 23 at The Link carpark in Makati City.

Its new features include the ArtFairPH/Open Studios, ArtFairPH/Film section and ArtFairPH/Incubators.

Tickets will be sold for P350 on the ground at the reception area of the fair during its February run, or in advance through the official Art Fair Philippines website.

Concession tickets would also be available for purchase to students with valid IDs at P150 and specifically for Makati students with valid IDs at P100.

The fair regularly sees an annual 30,000 visitors and Art Fair Philippines co-founder Trickie Lopa told Philstar.com that they would be more than happy to maintain this figure.

Here’s what fairgoers and art enthusiasts can expect this year:

ArtFairPH/Open Studios

Open Studios, which would complement ArtFairPH/Talks, will offer a series of workshops led by distinguished artists and cultural practitioners.

This includes a two-day workshop on photography with Paco Guerrero, lighting techniques for photographers with Mark Nicdao and Neal Oshima, and wooden furniture with Benji Reyes.

Demos will also be held on watercolor painting techniques, cyanotype, rubber cutting, and sculptural planter-making — to be respectively presented by the likes of Claude Tayag Alexis Oshima and Angela Silva, the Association of Pinoyprintmakers, and Rita Gudiño of Tahanan Pottery.

ArtFairPH/Film

The Film section will exhibit a selection of feature-length and short films of different genres that would “showcase the diversity of Philippine cinema.”

The lineup of narrative, experimental, documentary and animation films will be curated by Erwin Romulo, Philbert Dy and Teddy Co.

The segment is a celebration of the past century of Philippine cinema while also acknowledging that film evolves like other art forms, providing a glimpse of an exciting 100 years to come.

ArtFairPH/Incubators

The Incubators format will welcome creative spaces outside of the conventional mainstream gallery setup. 

Among the exhibitors to be featured are Giatay, art/n23, Limbo, Loadnadito projects, Project 20 and Signum.

Sandra Palomar curated the works, including a first-ever virtual reality piece by Issay Rodriguez that will “immerse the audience in a simulated and interactive beehive-like environment.”

Additionally, a special cultural exchange project in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in Manila will be presented during the fair. The participation of Galleria Tiziana Di Caro, a contemporary art gallery from Naples, is something to look out for.

The “10 Days of Art” initiative will also be held alongside the fair. The Makati Central Business District will see a series of events in participation with galleries, museums, bars, restaurants and retail establishments.

Continuing features

The ArtFairPH/Projects sections will return this year, featuring new commissions characterized by interactive and/or thought-provoking installations by Filipino visual artists recognized in the international scene.

The lineup of installations for the Projects format is curated by art consultant Norman Crisologo.

Featured artists this year include the late Onib Olmedo, Salvador Joel Alonday, Perry Argel, Jaime De Guzman, Roedil Joe Geraldo, Jellyfish Kisses, Gene Paul Martin, Neil Pasilan and Carlo Villafuerte, the 2020 recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection.

The fair’s official timekeeper this year, Hublot, will also present new works by Rodel Tapaya, while New York-based curator and art historian Carina Evangelista is also working with Art Fair Philippines to present the works of iconic American artist Sol Lewitt.

Meanwhile, the mainstay ArtFairPH/Talks section will tackle topics like "The Art of Photography in Southeast Asia," "Documentary Photography Beyond Boundaries," "Being Visayan Artists" and "Ethics in Photography."

Discussions focusing on certain personalities in the art world, such as Onib Olmedo and his expressionistic figurative paintings, will be held as well during the Talks segment.

The ArtFairPH/Photo segment will also be further developed this year, spotlighting photography as contemporary art and broadening its appeal among Filipinos.

Lineup of Exhibitors

A total of 61 local and foreign exhibitors will participate in Art Fair Philippines 2020.

The Philippine-based exhibitors are:

  • 1335 Mabini/GMH
  • Altro Mondo Gallery
  • ARCHIVO 1984
  • Art Cube
  • Art Underground
  • Art Vérité
  • 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
  • Leon 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
  • Ysobel Art Gallery

Foreign galleries that will be joining Philippine exhibitors this year are:

  • Art Porters Gallery (Singapore)
  • Artemis Art (Malaysia)
  • Cayon (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 and Asian Art Center (Japan)

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