We sit down with artist, manager, and art consultant Derek Flores and talk about his insights on the vibrant contemporary art scene in the country and where to get the best pieces for one's collection
"Actually, I consider myself a latecomer," Derek Flores begins our conversation, talking about his passion for the arts. This managing director and founder of DF Art Agency has acted as manager of leading and emerging names in the Philippine contemporary art scene for over a decade now. He has mounted exhibitions of Mark Nicdao, Enzo Razon, Javier Galvan of Instituto Cervantes, and Andres Barrioquinto, to name a few. And yet, he humbly admits that unlike other art connoisseurs in the scene, he is still relatively new in the game.
"It was during 2009 and 2010 when my interest in art started through the influence of my two friends who were already collecting and selling at that time," he recalls. After working with the Japanese embassy for nine years, Flores turned his attention to the business of art dealing.
"With my penchant to know more about the industry, I have dedicated time, worked hard, and researched hundreds of hours about the industry. Studying the roles of all players in the industry was part of it, too," Flores shares.
Having limited resources back then, except for his sharp business acumen, he started collecting art in 2012. His first purchase was a PHP 17,000 worth paper artwork made by the esteemed visual artist Manny Garibay. "In two months, someone bought it for double the amount. That started it all."
In case you missed it: Markus Jentes on Pushing the Boundaries of His Artistic Style
Flores shares that DF Art Agency officially became formal as a corporate entity in 2016 when it was finally registered with the Security and Exchange Commission. However, he has been in the artist management business since 2011, when he represented the acclaimed contemporary artist Barrioquinto. The partnership flourished until 2019, which included exhibitions in Europe, Korea, Japan, and Singapore—a good run, Flores exclaims.
"I would consider the Portrait exhibit of Barrioquinto at the National Museum in 2018 as my most notable project," he discloses. "It was such a big project that featured the portraits of some of the known personalities such as Bea Zobel Jnr, Richard Gomez, Grace Barbers-Baja, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Cecile Ang, Josie Natori, Abby Binay, Small Laude, Robert Bjorn Santos, Grace Ang, and Sheila Romero, among others."
Related: Ditta Sandico on Her Journey in the Arts and its Many Facets
In this pivotal moment in his business, Flores owes it and is forever grateful to those who helped him to pull it off successfully. He names the Asian Cultural Council headed by then-chairman Ernest Escaler, National Museum director Jeremy Barnes, Anton Mendoza, and Jaime Ponce de Leon, among others. "It is highly seldom that a contemporary artist was able to have an exhibit at the National Museum. It was a well-attended event and became the talk of the town for a long time," Flores reminisces.