10 Artists to Watch at Art Fair Philippines 2023

(SPOT.ph) Since its inception in 2013, the annual Art Fair Philippines features a specific set of artists to define each edition of Metro Manila's biggest art festival. These personalities range from the legends in the Philippine art scene, such as Kidlat Tahimik in 2018 and Elmer Borlongan in 2017; to emerging artists, including Raffy Napay in 2016 and Jellyfish Kisses in 2020. There were also Filipino artists who were posthumously featured, such as was done with Eduardo Masferré in 2018 and Onib Olmedo in 2020.

For this year, Art Fair Philippines is promising an exciting line-up as it returns to its home at The Link.

ArtFairPH/Projects, which is curated by Normal Crisologo, mounts special exhibits by Faye Abantao, Kiko Escora, Mark Andy Garcia, Raymond Guevarra, Pow Martinez, Yeo Kaa, and Peter Zimmerman. You can find their works at The Link's Roof Deck. ArtFairPH/Photo, on the other hand, focuses on self-portraits by Wawi Navarroza. Other special projects include shows by Yunizar and a retrospective on Rosario Bitanga.

Also read: Everything You Need to Know About Art Fair Philippines 2023

Here are the 10 artists to watch at the 2023 edition of Art Fair Philippines:

Faye Abantao

Faye Abantao, born and raised in Bacolod City, is known for weaving stories through visual arts. This is often interpreted physically, such as in a woven canvas, an archival print layered through origami, and other mixed media work. Abantao was a grantee of the first edition of Art Fair Philippines' residency program, which ran in 2021. This time, she's the recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection.

Also read: Artist Faye Abantao Dwells on Collective and Personal Memories

Kiko Escora

Kiko Escora presents Ek-Ek ng Talipandas for ArtFairPH 2023. Largely interested in abstractions of the body, his works show gestures, expressions, and poses where the subject is at the brink of turning away—an exploration of space and intimacy. Escora also does graphic design, metal sculptures, and other installations.

Mark Andy Garcia

Mark Andy Garcia makes use of layered oil paint on canvas to explore notions of space, landscape, and spirituality. He is a graduate of Fine Arts (Advertising) from the Technological University of the Philippines, and a recipient of the Grand Prize for the 2007 Metrobank Art and Design Excellence National Art Competition, Juror’s Choice Award of Excellence in the 2008 Philippine Art Awards, and the Metrobank Foundation’s Award for Continuing Excellence and Service for Visual Arts in 2019. He is also one of the recipients of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Thirteen Artists Awards in 2015. He has an ongoing exhibit at Silverlens called Chasing Sunsets.

Raymond Guevarra

Valenzuela-based visual artist Raymond Guevarra is known for his sculptures and mechanical mixed media artworks. He takes inspiration from his childhood memories of playing pog, teks, jackstones, and plastic figurines--all of which are common elements in his art. Gueverra won first place at the Shell National Students Arts Competition in 1017.

Pow Martinez

Pow Martinez has shown his works both in international and local exhibitions, the most recent of which include City Prince/sses (2019) at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, WXXX (2019) at West Gallery, and Sustainable Anxiety (2020) at Silverlens. In 2018, he was part of a month-long residency program in Bandung, Indonesia. Martinez' works often show grotesque elements, including mutants, monsters, and other deviants.

Yeo Kaa

Yeo Kaa, who was born in 1989, is well known for his doll-life figurations with pastel colors. In her artist statement, she says: "I imagine a world set ablaze with vivid and bursting colors, inspired by pop art and animation, to stage the mundane and render it enchanting to the eye." Her international exhibitions include From the Comfort of my Own Home (2020) at Yavuz Gallery in Singapore, Rage in Technicolor (2019) in Paris,  and Anxious Lustless Pechay (2018) in Berlin, Germany.

Peter Zimmerman

German painter Peter Zimmermann is known for his epoxy paintings with glossy colors and pour-like shapes. His methods, which also involve layered airbrushing, create depth and density on an otherwise flat canvas. Zimmermann's works are found in many private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Wawi Navarroza

For ArtFairPH/Photo, Wawi Navarroza puts her self-portraits on display in an exhibit titled As Wild As We Come. Each piece explores themes of post-colonial dialogue and globalization vis-a-vis an artist's experience of the self and surroundings. Navarroza currently lives and works in Istanbul.

Yunizar

Indonesian artist Yunizar was trained in the arts in Yogyakarta, which is regarded as Indonesia's center for culture and the arts. While using the classical medium of acrylic and pencil, his works are made unique through his signature texture and layers delivered through brushwork. 

Rosario Bitanga

Former dean of the Institute of Fine Arts and Design of the Philippine Women’s University Rosario “Charito” Bitanga-Peralta is regarded as one of the female pioneers in abstraction. At 88 years old, she is still producing art and adding to her significant body of works, which are recently on display at the Leon Gallery in Makati. For Art Fair Philippines, Bitanga's pieces will be put on display as a retrospective. Rosario Bitanga: Past, Present, Participant is curated by art consultant Miguel Rosales.

Also read: Art Fair Philippines Pays Tribute to Late Gallerist Albert Avellana

Art Fair Philippines 2023 is from February 17 to 19, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at The Link, Parkway Drive, Ayala Center, Makati City. Tickets, which are available online, are P450. For more information, visit Art Fair Philippines' website.