ALT Philippines returns, presenting the works of around 200 artists

From February 21-25, at the SMX Hall A in the SM Mall of Asia complex, catch the works of around 200 artists who have been active in the scene locally and internationally. There are also works of several diasporic artists to see and a series of meaningful conversations on various topics concerning Philippine contemporary art to watch out for.

The above-mentioned expansive venue, spanning over 2,500 square metres, gives optimum breathing space for art and the best atmosphere for appreciating and collecting it. Designed by B+C Design Inc, this year’s ALT Philippines boasts an integrated design approach highlighting the importance the galleries accord to presenting art.

“We aim to rouse audience participation and more in-depth discussion within an intimate setting,” the collective wrote in a statement. “This venue’s expansive scale allows for freedom and an organic, emotional response made possible when every work of art is respected and valued.”

ALT operates from the non-profit organisation Contemporary Art Collective. This year’s social responsibility project is a collaboration with Univers. Revenues from its silent auction will benefit scholars of the Philippine High School for the Arts.

Here are highlights and events you shouldn’t miss:

Five critically acclaimed artists will be highlighted in special project spaces within the venue:

Juan Alcazaren uses familiar objects to blend clever text with sculpture, lighting, and installation. He will present a large-scale, wall-bound work of domestic ware and other daily artefacts. Most of these objects are found in a monochrome of blacks and greys that appear as shadows. They are arranged to form a constellation when lit up against the wall. In full view, the word “(NOW)” is spelt. With typical philosophical wit, the idea of now is perceived through materials repurposed for art, thus questioning whether “now” is the present, or just like the stars whose light we see only after travelling a great distance, now exists from a very distant past.

In this presentation, Geraldine Javier’s notable and continued investigations into the natural world extend to environmental concerns. Encaustic paintings connect her ongoing garden archive with the global threat of marine debris, suggesting that all ecosystems and species are ultimately linked. A pool-like installation is filled with finely cut plastic pieces collected from various water refilling stations. By combining technology with manual artistic labour, the artist acknowledges that convenience is important to human life and hopes that future generations will use innovation to protect our world. She states, “As you gaze into this pool, I want you to ponder the enormity of the task, gathering up all the plastic that has been dumped into the sea. A task that must be done.”

Pete Jimenez, eminent for his innovative use of salvaged discarded materials, now turns to the even more mundane: cement sacks. Junkyards often repurpose these sacks to collect plastic, cardboard, and metal. His installation comprises over thirty giant cement sacks, individually lit, arranged in a 45 square meter space. The work’s title, A City Set on a Hill Cannot be Hidden, is taken from a passage in the Bible from the book of Matthew. The lighted sacks coalesce into a phenomenon, transcending the entire space like a living, illuminated being. Jimenez focuses on the enduring capacity of light, especially its effect in the darkness when the odds are not in one’s favour.

Oca Villamiel’s massive installations are made through the long-term collating of found materials in urban and rural environments. His work for ALT 2024, Water is Life, spanning seven meters in diameter, is made of countless strips of silver foil. Villamiel observes that in many places, people still practice the poisoning of rivers for a faster and bigger yield of fish and shrimp. The polluted river water eventually flows down from the mountains to the seas. The silver foil creates a reflection that can also be considered metaphorical. Light tiptoes on the surface and undulates, moving as we move. Light and images shift and dance-- like the fish and the water, they are affected by our every decision.

Artist and illustrator Isabel Santos’ most recent acclaim is having won the Uniqlo UT Grand Prix (2020), a prize in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She has exhibited in the Philippines, New York, France, and Berlin and has completed several artistic residencies in these countries. For ALT 2024, Santos will be painting a mural sponsored by Boysen Paints.

Sync, Memory will be presented at ALT Philippines’ dedicated video section as a unique immersive experience through video space and images. Loosely derived from Vladimir Nabokov’s memoir, ‘Speak, Memory,’ the group exhibition aims to highlight video as a medium that advances artistic expression by featuring artists who constantly engage in methods like video installation, moving image, digital motion, animation, and recorded video processes and performance. Curated by Cocoy Lumbao, Jr, it will feature new works by Victor Balanon, Manny Montelibano, Christina Lopez, Miguel Lorenzo Uy, and collaborations by Jim Lumbera and Joey Singh, as well as Kira Dalena and Ben Brix.

Somatosonic is a multidisciplinary art unit composed of Christina Dy, a visual artist and dancer; Tad Ermitaño, a media and sound artist; and Marco Ortiga, a sculptor and specialist in kinetic media. The trio produces collaborative works that incorporate media and techniques drawn from the members' various specializations. Alongside their collaborative artworks, Somatosonic also performs with artist-made instruments, augmented by electronic textures and a sonified dance performance. Their performance at ALT 2024 will be held on February 22, Thursday, at 6pm.

A platform for critical discourse and the sharing of ideas, ALT Conversations brings together thinkers from across the creative spectrum. The aim is to address the future of diverse art forms and their relationship to interdisciplinary practices and the contemporary world through a series of informal discussions featuring artists, gallerists, curators, musicians, filmmakers, critics and scholars while inviting audiences to partake in the discussions and share their own thoughts and reflections with the speakers. ALT Conversations will be held every 2pm and 4pm from February 22–25, 2024.

In a unique collaboration with six specially selected artists, the cult retail concept UNIVERS will auction one-off Moreau Paris bags at ALT Philippines 2024. These artists were invited to transform Moreau Paris’ Saint Tropez totes into custom pieces that creatively bridge art and fashion. Costantino Zicarelli, Jigger Cruz, Johanna Helmuth, Luis Antonio Santos, Raffy T Napay, and Yeo Kaa will be employing various treatments that include painting, sewing, printing, and laser etching, elevating the bags from commercial luxury goods to rare and collectable functional art. The lots will be available to bid on via silent auction, with all proceeds going to charity.

ALT Philippines is made possible by its event partner Boysen Paints, with the support of the collective’s individual friends, BDO, PLDT, Udenna Foundation, Universe, and other partners B+C Design for design, Happy Living for the wines, and Arc Gin and Vodka for the bar drinks.

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