Cover Ryan Jara in action (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

We list down the featured artists who are exhibiting at the Ayala Triangle Gardens and the galleries this year participating via Art Fair Philippines' website and hosting onsite exhibitions

The hybrid Art Fair Philippines this year can be viewed by art lovers and collectors alike via its website starting March 23 until April 1. During this 10-day affair, people are invited to see for themselves the physical exhibitions of ten featured artists at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

46 participating galleries will showcase artworks in their respective locales and through online viewing rooms. They are: 1335Mabini, Altro Mondo Gallery, Art Cube Gallery, Art Elaan, Art For Space, Art Underground, Art Verite Gallery, Artery Art Space, Avellana Art Gallery, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS.PH, District Gallery, Eskinita Gallery, Galerie Roberto, Galerie Stephanie, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, León Gallery, Luzviminda, Modeka Art, MONO8 Gallery, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinaglabanan, Qube Gallery, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, Strange Fruit, The Crucible Gallery, Tin-Aw, Metro Gallery, White Walls Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.

Meanwhile, six international galleries are participating online: Art Agenda (Singapore/Jakarta), Gajah Gallery (Singapore/Yogyakarta), Mayoral (Paris/Barcelona), Yavuz Gallery (Singapore/Sydney), Gallery Kogure (Tokyo), and YOD Gallery (Osaka). Two NFT galleries A/Terhen and Cyber Baat are also presenting this year.

Don't miss also select art groups from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, that are hosting exhibitions at their galleries and joining in the Talks series throughout the event. These are: Ibagiw Art Fest x Gallery 2600 (Luzon), VIVA ExCon Dasun Bacolod x Orange Project (Visayas),  Langgikit x Museo De Oro x Art Portal Gallery (Mindanao), and Liwag-diwa x Gallery Down South (Mindanao).

Read more: Art Fair Philippines Goes Hybrid This 2022! Read On to Know More

Art Fair PH also collaborated with Russian artist Sasha Frolova, whose inflatable artworks will be spread out across the venue. "We chose her because she has these beautiful, elegant, abstractive forms. She also does performance art with smaller inflatables," Trickie Lopa explains. "We are really looking forward to this playful addition to the fair," she continues.

The following are the featured Filipino artists, in an exhibition curated by Norman Crisologo and designed by Ed Lacson Jnr, at Ayala Triangle Gardens:

1. Arô Soriano

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Photo 1 of 2 A work by the late Arô Soriano (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 A work by the late Arô Soriano (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

Underrated and forgotten Filipino artist Lazaro Soriano was a creative force to reckon with during his career-high in the '70s to the early '90s. He was a child actor before he was introduced to the world of art in his twenties when he was in Europe. He later returned to the Philippines and started his artistic career, focusing on folk traditions like bugtong (riddles), salawikain (proverbs), or laro (games). His works are characterised to be playful and cheerful in colours, cartoonish in style, but evokes biting social commentaries. Soriano passed away in 2021.

2. Nune Alvarado

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Photo 1 of 2 Nune Alvarado (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Nune Alvarado (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

One of the best known social realist artists in the country, Nune Alvarado has been active since the Martial Law era in the '70s. His works always focus on the plight of the sacadas (sugarcane workers in azucaleras mostly in Negros), one of the most economically oppressed sectors of Filipino labourers. Visually striking in colours, his works are symbolic expressions with strong outlines for representation. Alvarado is currently living in retirement in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

3. Bjorn Calleja

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Photo 1 of 2 Bjorn Calleja (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Bjorn Calleja (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

A true contemporary artist of today, Bjorn Calleja expresses his worldview in the form of hybrid visual elements, ranging from traditional, iconic, to digital images. Many of his works are tapered with tiny humanoid figures that look like tiny dots from afar. It is a way for the viewer to reflect upon an alternative world within a world. Calleja is one of today's successful NFT artists and his works will be virtually exhibited by A/Terhen.

4. Johanna Helmuth

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Photo 1 of 2 Johanna Helmuth (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Johanna Helmuth (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

Showing both paintings and sculptures for the fair, Johanna Helmuth is known for her body of work that focuses on interior life. She often portrays domestic interiors or the emotional drama of everyday life. These settings and narratives are often biographical with the feminine protagonist being she and using muted colours. She is best known for her grasp of texture, with her works being in multiple layers of paint.

5. Ryan Jara

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Photo 1 of 2 Ryan Jara (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Ryan Jara (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

Using monochromatic hues and Cubism techniques, Ryan Jara can never hide the strong influences of Pablo Picasso, one of his major inspirations, in his body of work. He explores the human condition, describing his works as portraits of people. Many of the figural elements of his large-scale paintings are distorted or exaggerated. For the Art Fair PH, Jara will be exhibiting his so-called "diary of the pandemic".

6. Doktor Karayom

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Photo 1 of 2 Doktor Karayom (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Doktor Karayom (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

An audience favourite, Doktor Karayom (real name: Russell Trinidad) has the ability to combine grotesquerie and humour. He is an observer and interpreter of human frailties using detailed resin figures to create an installation work. His figurative works are highlighted with his trademark red paint which adds a bloody, gruesome quality and influences from Asian horror and folktales.

7. Tyang Karyel

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Photo 1 of 2 Tyang Karyel (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Tyang Karyel (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

Tyang Karyel's works are characterised to be playful and cheerful, both in content and in colour. She combines pop culture, street art, comics, and film, with a touch of nostalgic vintage vibe. Her usual medium is wood and has been very proficient with it and other woodcarving tools. For the Art Fair PH, she has created several installations depicting typical Philippine neighbourhood market stalls, interpreting Filipino consumerism playfully.

8. Aze Ong

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Photo 1 of 2 Aze Ong (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Aze Ong (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

An experienced textile artist using crochet, Aze Ong delivers an intuitive and free-flowing creative process. Expect to be in full wonder when you see the large scale work Ong has made for the Art Fair PH, which will be suspended from the ceiling of the plaza area. 

9. Wyndelle Remonde

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Above Wyndelle Remonde (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

This Cebu-based street artist is influenced by graphic design and animation and does works that narrate his personal journey. Wyndelle Remonde references himself in his murals using a carabao figure, who he named "Juan Kugihan" which means 'hardworking Juan'. The devastations of Typhoon Odette in his hometown inspired his work that he will be exhibiting at Art Fair PH.

10. Melvin Guirhem

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Photo 1 of 2 Melvin Guirhem (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)
Photo 2 of 2 Melvin Guirhem (Photo: Art Fair Philippines)

Melvin Guirhem is the Karen H Montinola Selection Grant recipient in this year's edition of Art Fair PH. Guirhem is an Iloilo-based artist who works in mixed media and usually produces appliquéd tapestries using cast-off fabrics. His strong eye for pattern, design, and figuration. For the Art Fair PH, he will be showcasing a set of tapestries in a dramatic tableau manner and will be put up on stage. It is a commentary of the artist on the social, religious and economic conflicts beset in our society.