Philippine contemporary art at its best

Art lovers were recently treated to the best in Philippine contemporary art through the Art Fair Philippines 2013, which was held in partnership with Make it Happen-Make it Makati.

The car park of The Link at Ayala Center Makati played host to 24 carefully selected galleries and art groups — Altro Mondo, Art Cube, Art Informal, Avellana Art Gallery, Bureau of Artistic Rehab (B.A.R.), Blanc, Boston Art Gallery, Canvas, The Drawing Room, Finale Art File, Galleria Duemila, Light and Space Contemporary, Liongoren Gallery, Manila Contemporary, MO Space, Now Gallery, Pablo, Paseo Gallery, Philippine Art Awards, Salcedo Auctions, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, Tin-Aw and West Gallery.

The country’s vibrant art scene came to the fore through a creatively crafted exhibition area designed by Kenneth Cobonpue and Leandro V.  Locsin Partners. The area featured gallery spaces and commissioned exhibitions by visual artists Gabriel Barredo, Norberto Roldan, Ronald Ventura and Yason Banal.

Art Fair Philippines 2013 delivered a unique, multi-layered experience to art enthusiasts through lectures held at the Ayala Museum and art installations on exhibit in select areas surrounding The Link. The fair proved that the Philippine art is definitely among the most exciting in Southeast Asia.

The art fair was organized by Trickie Lopa, Dindin Araneta and Lisa Periquet. They will also come up with Art in the Park on March 16  at the Jaime Velazquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City. This affordable outdoor art market will open from 2 p.m. until midnight.

(Art Fair Philippines 2013 was made possible by Ayala Land, San Miguel Corp. and Citigold. Additional support came from Living Innovations, Mini Cooper Philippines, Globe Platinum, Ayala Corp., Fairmont Makati, Cebu Pacific, Kai Restaurant, Gigi Bautista & Associates, Collab and Patch Silva Design. Media partners for the event were The Philippine Star, Summit Media, PIPELINE and Asian Lines.)

Easy online shopping

The country’s first online fashion and lifestyle department store, Zalora Philippines, made online shopping easier when it recently launched its official mobile site at the Privé Super Club. The event coincided with the launch of CloudFone’s new smartphone, the CloudFone Thrill 430x.

Guests were treated to a firsthand experience of the Zalora Philippines mobile site through the CloudFone Thrill 430x. They also heard true-to-life testimonials from spokespersons Saab Magalona, Laureen Uy, Tin Patrimonio and Xian Lim.

Paulo Campos, Zalora Philippines’ co-founder and managing director, said, “The company has already made its mark during  our first year by providing the ultimate online shopping experience nationwide. With the launch of Zalora mobile, we’re taking the next step in bringing an unprecedented level of access to even more Filipinos.”

Zalora has been a pioneer in creating a premium customer experience with its offerings of free deliveries and returns nationwide and dedicated customer service.

Campos added, “Everyone should be able to enjoy the Zalora experience. With the launch of Zalora mobile, we’re really excited to bring the accessibility of online shopping to the next level.”

(Check out www.zalora.com.ph.)

Innovators unite

Dell recently held the company’s first-ever convention of chief information officers (CIO). The event brought together leaders and innovators who shared practices and inspired each other toward a common goal. The gathering also provided relevant solutions that can help businesses grow.

The CIO summit was attended by head information officers and senior executives from banks, telecommunication companies, realtors, property development entities and business process outsourcing companies.

The summit also created a platform for CIOs to network, build relationships and share knowledge amongst peers through different activities such as a luau party and an appreciation night.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority director Joven Reyes, Microsoft Philippines’ multinational OEM accounts head Raymond de los Reyes and Intel Philippines’ business development manager Christopher Syling were the key speakers at the summit.

(For more information, visit www.dell.com.) Certain photos by Pepper Teehankee