Cover In last year’s MoCAF, Michael Cacnio showcased a series of sculptures that represent the ordinary Filipino, celebrating the heroic deeds of workers and capturing the beauty and joy in their lives. (Photo: MoCAF / Facebook; Art piece: Michael Cacnio)
In last year’s MoCAF, Michael Cacnio showcased a series of sculptures that represent the ordinary Filipino, celebrating the heroic deeds of workers and capturing the beauty and joy in their lives. (Photo: MoCAF / Facebook; Art piece: Michael Cacnio)
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From a new set of curated exhibitions to exciting and insightful talks, dare to witness the return of MoCAF
Last year was one for the books, as a new platform for modern and contemporary art discoveries came about. With the success of the Modern and Contemporary Festival (MoCAF) comes the emphasis on the country’s expanding art scene, with different exhibitions from León Gallery, Galerie Stephanie, and National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, to name a few, gathering together. This year, on July 28-30 in Fairmont Makati, the dynamic festival returns with more artists, exhibits, and activities.
MoCAF features modern and contemporary art. It empowers emerging Filipino artists, enlivens everyone’s interest in the arts, and highlights art’s role in social development. This coming July, it aims to strike off the three from their list.
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“We are very eager to showcase another impressive roster of creative exhibitions, art dialogues, and special executions,” says Coleen Wong, festival director of MoCAF 2023.
Above (Photo by MoCAF / Instagram)
(Photo by MoCAF / Instagram)
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Art Underground, Galerie Joaquin, Galerie Stephanie, Qube Gallery, Village Art Gallery, Ysobel Art and more will return to the festival. New faces, however, will also make an appearance.
Rojo Galerie, for example, will be participating for the first time in a festival. It was established just this February 2022. “My perspective and background are different [from other gallery owners]. I’m not an artist,” says Rey Castillo, owner of Rojo Galerie.
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Above Some of MoCAF’s discoveries (Photo by MoCAF / Facebook; stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
Some of MoCAF’s discoveries (Photo by MoCAF / Facebook; stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
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MoCAF is anchored to inclusivity and is insistent in its claim to foster and encourage young galleries and artists who show great promise.
The festival will also present nine special exhibitions to spotlight prominent and rising personalities in modern and contemporary art. One of whom is Daniel Dela Cruz, who will have a solo show titled Garden Masquerade.
Known for his choice of subjects—particularly muses and women—Dela Cruz focuses on his usual style, but in a different way he hasn’t done before.
“The garden [in Garden Masquerade] signifies rebirth. . .I know it’s tiring and overused—we’ve all gone through the pandemic and everything. [But] We’re all still starting to recover and celebrate, and we’ve all walked away from [the pandemic] with new knowledge and outlooks. [We have] new reasons to celebrate. . .and I think that’s what I’m trying to celebrate with this exhibit,” he explains.
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Above ‘In God’s Peculiar Light’ by Daniel dela Cruz (Photo: Galerie Stephanie)
‘In God’s Peculiar Light’ by Daniel dela Cruz (Photo: Galerie Stephanie)
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Additionally, to further educate and share more insights on relevant art topics, MoCAF will hold several dialogues. Some of the discussions will tackle the following:
- Art In the Time of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- The Problem of Art Forgery
- Art as Empowerment
- The Situation of the Philippine Art Market
- Economic Outlook and Art as Investment
To buy tickets for the festival, visit MoCAF’s website mocaf.net and settle payments via online transactions. There will be an email confirmation sent to guests afterwards. For more information, visit their Instagram (@mocafmanila) and Facebook (/mocaf.net) pages.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
