Before the year finally ends, here's a review of the art stories we've covered over the past few months. Here's to celebrating the year that was!
This year, we have witnessed the return of Art Fair Philippines through the virtual route, highlighting the rise of NFTs in the digital arts community. Early this 2021, we have also seen the reopening of the Metropolitan Theater, Manila, the so-called 'grand dame' of art deco buildings in the country. Through its governing body, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines, the performing arts scene continued to fare well in the digital space in lieu of a live audience. And then, we ended the year with the soft reopening of Ayala Museum after its two-year hiatus.
Galleries and museums have also continued their virtual exhibitions and auctions. Just last December in the Kingly Treasures auction of Leon Gallery, the late modernist painter Anita Magsaysay Ho cemented her title as the country's auction queen when her 1975 Fish Vendors drew rave reviews and reaped PHP50 million inclusive of buyer's premium.
See also: Bright Lights: Tatler Honours Maria Ressa, John Arcilla, and Roberto "Ka Dodoy" Ballon This 2021
Our roaring celebration of the arts scene in the country extends to our wins in the field of architecture and design. The Philippines received its first-ever award at the Venice Architecture Biennale with architects Sudarshan V. Khadka Jnr and Alexander Eriksson Furunes' Structure of Mutual Support. Filipino architect Carlo Calma, meanwhile, nabbed two category wins at this year's World Architecture Festival.
Everyone was also captivated by the Philippines Pavilion at the Dubai 2020 Expo that happened last October because of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda's Bangkóta, which was dubbed as 'a celebration of Filipinos' centuries-old creativity and ingenuity.' Architect J. Anton Mendoza also made headlines earlier this year with his redesign of the famed Casa Manila in Intramuros, Manila and Greenbelt 3 mall.
We must not also forget that this year, the renowned ABS-CBN Film Restoration project celebrated its 10th year anniversary. Despite adversaries, it continues to create invaluable work for Philippine cinema. Various film festivals that we've missed last year have also returned, thanks to the virtual screenings of KTX.ph, Upstream, the newly launched Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) channel, and Ticket2Me.
But perhaps the most celebrated news we've heard was John Arcilla's Volpi Cup win for his portrayal of the lead role in Erik Matti''s On The Job: Missing 8. His win at the prestigious Venice Film Festival has put him in the ranks of the finest actors across the globe. Aside from this, there were also other local films that have earned recognition and accolades from various international award-giving bodies, just like our very first entry to the short film category of Sundance Film Festival: Excuse Me, Miss Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento.
We listed down ten of our most-read stories about the local arts scene. Check if there's anything you've missed!
1. Philippine Pottery: Its Origins, Influences, and What It Is Today
Read it again here