All roads lead to art: What to look out for at Art Fair Philippines 2024

A unique performance piece by Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia will also be presented in partnership with the Embassy of Spain in Manila. “[Ampudia] will be presenting an interactive work titled ‘Be a Tree Now’, which is a call on the climate crisis,” teases Periquet. “He will be asking audience members to move, dance—do whatever—in front of the camera and combine the movements into an artwork.”

Furthermore, to celebrate the 10th anniversary and “winding down” of the Karen H Montinola (KHM) Selection, the Montinola family gives out a grant in memory of a collector who championed the works of emerging Filipino artists. Garcia is the 2024 grantee. 

Women are also empowered in this event through Pambabae. This special exhibit aims to reappraise and highlight the contribution of Filipina women modernists, whose male contemporaries have mainly overshadowed them. It will span 1969 to 1989, two decades that saw a significant explosion of creativity in the development of modern Philippine art. Among the female artists are Ivi Avellana Cosio, Ileana Lee, Nelfa Querubin, Evelyn Collantes, Phyllis Zaballero, and Lilian Hwang.

Incubators

“Ever since we launched this incubator section, we realised that these are mostly artist initiatives,” says Lopa. “They provide the vibrant energy in the fair.” Authenticity Zero Collective, Istorya Studios, Manila Illustration Fair, Pangasinan Group, Talyer 15, and The Empty Scholar are on this year’s roster. 

Authenticity Zero Collective is a group of architects whose works are “very graphic and abstract”. At the same time, The Empty Scholar is an alternative art space that aims to introduce new voices to the art scene. 

Residencies

Artists are given opportunities to deepen their practice through residencies. The time spent in another place enables them to develop new projects and collaborate with new, different artists. This is what the Art Fair Philippines residency program aims to achieve and which previous residency artists successfully did.

The residency artists include Mark Salvatus for Manila Observatory in Quezon City, Manila; Anna Miguel Cervantes for Linangan Art Residency in Alfonso, Cavite; Jett Ilagan for Emerging Islands in San Juan, La Union; Julian Tapales for Butanding Barrio in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Renz Baluyot for Orange Project in Bacolod, Negros Occidental—who is joined by two international artists who have joined the residency program in Orange Project this 2024: Iseult Perrault and Petr Hajdyla.

Digital, Photography, and Film

Now in its second year, the digital section will continue to focus on digital media and work using computer technology, animation, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse. One of its highlights is an exhibit in collaboration with CryptoArt PH, a community of empowering Filipino creators in the dynamic web3 space.

Introduced in 2018, the photo section, on the other hand, will showcase works from FotomotoPH, curated by Sandra Palomar. The exhibitor is an organisation of visionary photographers, curators, and writers promoting Philippine photography through an annual cycle of public programs and special projects with various art spaces.

Meanwhile, the fair also presents ‘No Showing’, a project curated by filmmaker Moira Lang. It is co-presented by Archivo Gallery in cooperation with Club Kino.

10 Days of Art, Public Art, and the Gallery Weekend

Art enthusiasts also look forward to the 10 Days of Art, an initiative highlighting events around the Makati Central Business District. Galleries, museums, and other establishments “celebrate the best of Philippine contemporary art outside the fair’s venue,” says Lopa. 

This year, the public art presentation will occur in two locations. Visible along Ayala Avenue, at the Tower One Fountain area, trans-disciplinary visual artist Derek Tumala presents A Warm Orange-Colored Liquid, his most significant and most ambitious work to date. “He says he’ll be using solar panels—tackling the issue of climate change,” says Lopa. 

Motion graphics artist and multimedia engineer Isaiah Cacnio also presents Prismatic Embrace, a digital projection featuring a vibrant symphony of colours and dancing layers of hues. This will be seen on the Green Wall of Ayala Triangle Garden Tower 2. 

To kick off 10 Days of Art, the team will present the Gallery Weekend from February 9 to 11, where visitors will be encouraged to see the gallery exhibits at their respective locations.

Access to the fair is not exclusive to the Parkway Drive Entrance at The Link, Makati. You may also use the Bridgeway from Landmark, the third floor, to avoid long lines. For more information, visit artfairphilippines.com.

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