Cover Derek Flores, founder and managing director of DF Art Agency

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."

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Above DF Art Agency

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.

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Above Derek Flores and Anna Bautista

With sold-out shows for emerging artists like Anna Bautista, Angelo Quintos, Miller Laberinto, Tita Halaman, Ian Anderson, Jill Arteche, and Bryan Teves, as well as notable exhibitions of some established names like Nicdao, Gus Albor, Raul Isidro, Raul Lebajo, Demi Padua, Orley Ypon, Max Balatbat, and Edwin Wilwayco, Flores finds DF Art Agency staying true to its mission of offering these artists strategic advice and empowering them to share their originality in the local and international art scene.

The agency also provides art business consultancy, strategic arts engagement, and private art collection management. Over the years, the agency has had partnerships with Leon Gallery International, Metro Gallery, Secret Fresh, J Studio, and Modeka. It also had projects in the past with White Walls, Vinyl on Vinyl, Pinto Art Museum, and Altromondo. Currently, Flores is finalising his negotiations to bring some Filipino artists to Italy and Los Angeles next year, as well as special projects with ArtistSpace in Ayala Museum, ArtLab in Antipolo, and Alliance Française de Manille.

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Above Inside the DF Art Agency office in Makati
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Above Inside the DF Art Agency office in Makati

What can you say about the local art scene?

I must say that it remains to be a vibrant industry.

Although it has quite stabilised, the staging of art fairs and events, emergence of new galleries and artists, and rise of local auction houses contribute to this sustained vibrancy. Leon Gallery Auctions, in particular, with its spectacular auction results, is now recognised internationally. It has also been instrumental in the emergence of auction stars.

To add, there are now some local galleries that participate in prestigious art fairs like Art Basel. This helps in the exposure of local artists to the international art scene. 

Compared to the year when I started, more collectors now are willing to invest in arts. They realised that if they do it right, they can have a big return in the future, but of course, there are still collectors who buy purely for the love of art. They don't care if their purchases will appreciate in value or not. I refer to them as the Triple-A collectors.

What do you look for in artists that you work in exhibitions? What are your criteria?

Basically, I need to first like the work of the artist/s for me to be able to mount the exhibit and market it effectively. I want to work with artists who are punctual, professional, humble, and have a continuous passion for their craft. Luckily for me, most of the artists that I have worked with have all these traits.

Especially for the young artists under the Agency, I have been reminding them to always have passion and do their best in every exhibit. The financial rewards will come naturally if they do it right. An artist who commodifies his artworks will not last long in the industry. 

See also: Turning Trash to Treasures: Mars Bugaoan's Art Speaks of Life's Pains and Growth

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Above Derek Flores with Demi Padua

How about your personal art collection? What are your criteria?

I must say that I really don’t have a particular criterion in regard to my personal collection. As long as I like it, I usually buy it. Though, of course, I must obtain at least one work of all the artists who are under DF Art Agency.

I am not really a big collector, but I guess I have a modest collection.  I have Pongbayog, Marrie Saplad, Bryan Teves, Jill Arteche, Ian Anderson, Mark Nicdao, Miller Laberinto, Yanna Guillermo, Angelo Quintos, Sean Go, Tita Halaman, and Anna Bautista who are all under DF Art Agency.

I also have works by promising artists Cedrick Dela Paz, Dino Gabito, Demi Padua, Mark Justiniani (a print work), Max Balatbat, Mark Andy Garcia, Isko Andrade, Adrian Evangelista, Alee Garibay, Andres Barrioquinto, Jigger Cruz (a gift from the artist), Randy Solon, Orley Ypon, Lynyrd Paras, Jojo Ramirez, Yeo Kaa, Kiko Escora, Winner Jumalon, Roland Llarena, PJ Cabanalan, Richard Gomez, and Olan Ventura, among others.

For the foreign artists, I have some works of Japanese artists: Tomoo Gokita, Takashi Murakami, and Hajime Sorayama. I also like to collect KAWS, Bearbricks and works of Filipino-American artist Jefrë.

Are there periods, styles, or artists you are most inclined to take an interest in? What/Who are those?

As much as I would like to have these artists in my collection, I honestly cannot afford their prices at this point and let me tell you that they’re actually pretty challenging to procure. (laughs)

If money was not an issue, I want to have one work of these artists: Fernando Zobel, Lao Lian Ben, Ronald Ventura, Bencab, John Santos, Marina Cruz, Tapaya,  Justiniani,Garibay, Ang Kiukok, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, and Heart Evangelista.

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Above Miller Laberinto, Yanna Guillermo, Tita Halaman, Derek Flores

What are your tips for beginners in art collection? What are the things they should consider?

  • First and foremost, they should like the artwork since they will see it almost every day. Appreciation in value should be secondary.
  • Try to research the artists and their background, educational attainment, awards, lifestyle etc. His attitude towards his or her craft is also very important. 
  • Try to learn from veteran collectors like Paulino Que, Toto Salgado, Dr Joven Cuanang, among others.
  • Be more discerning since there are artists who some groups are just hyping.
  • Try to attend art fairs here and abroad and be exposed to the works of international artists.
  • Try to know the collector base of the artists that you want to collect.
  • Ask advice from the gallerists, art consultants and from your fellow collectors. It is also advisable to observe the auction results for you to have an idea of the performance of a particular artist in the secondary market.
  • For first-time collectors who have limited budgets, the 20 to 50 thousand pesos price range is a good start.

Read more: Tips On How To Collect Art For Your Home

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Above Derek Flores, Pongbayog, and Marrie Sapalad

Where do you think collectors can get the best artworks?

If you have the funds, most of the best works tend to appear in auction houses. Try bidding in Leon Gallery Auction, Christie's, Sotheby's and other auction houses.

You can also get good works from local art fairs like Art Fair Philippines, ALT, ManilArt, and the soon-to-be-launched MoCAF. You can also explore art fairs abroad like, Art Basel (Hong Kong, Miami, Basel), Art Fair Tokyo, Frieze Art Fair, Art Dubai, London Art Fair, Art Moments Jakarta, Busan Art Fair, The Armory Show, Art Cologne, Tokyo International Art Fair, among others.

Private reputable art dealers are also a good source of good works. Lastly, if you can access the artist's studio, that's a jackpot. Good luck!

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