Department of Avant-Garde Clichés
2289 Pasong Tamo Extension,
UPRC III Building, Makati
Tel. No. 817-2042 or (0916) 2459221
Open from Tuesday - Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Manila's premiere print gallery. Click for more.

(SPOT.ph) No, the Department of Avant-Garde Clichés (DAGC) isn’t the latest addition to PNoy’s government—it’s the newest art gallery to hit the metro. Named after renowned Filipino artist Manuel Ocampo’s (the gallery director and also one of the owners) painting, DAGC is the first and only space in the city dedicated to showing prints.

Aiming to educate people about this underrated art form that’s been around for so long (Trivia: renowned Filipino painter BenCab is a master printmaker), the four-month old space has already mounted three exhibitions featuring local and foreign artists. “We felt the need to push prints as a form of art,” explains owner Osie Ocampo.  “When we went to Europe we saw the potential. They’re a more accessible art form and they’re more affordable with prints that start at P1680.” The space also houses a printmaking facility where exhibiting artists can create their pieces.

Apart from holding exhibits, DAGC also conducts art-related workshops under their Kitsch Recovery Program. “We want to take advantage of the foreign visitors that come to the Philippines,” Ocampo shares. “We realized so many curators and artists come and no one knows that they’re here. Most of them are intellectuals who just want to educate but it’s so hard to hook them up with schools and universities. They want to teach, so we find students who want to learn.” The workshops are open to all, not just artists. The Kitsch Recovery Program recently held the Avant-Garde Silkscreen Sweat Shop, a workshop by print masters from Berlin, Bongout’s Christian Gfeller and Anna Hellsgård, that taught participants the basics of silk screening. The result was a limited edition book that featured a contribution from each participant—not bad for a three-day class.

Watch for upcoming exhibits by Manuel Ocampo, Romeo Lee, Pow Martinez, Soler Santos, Carlo Ricafort, and Louie Cordero, to name a few, and an in-house store that will sell books and other print-related merchandise.

For updates on exhibits and workshops, check DAGC's Facebook page. Photos courtesy of DAGC.