Spotted at Art Fair: National Artists, Senators + More VIPs

(SPOT.ph) To be honest, we make our way to the annual art extravaganza that is Art Fair Philippines to look at art. What’s on show is always a good gauge of what collectors are buying at the moment—or what the galleries think will appeal to them. But it’s not rare that we miss out on a lot of good pieces, just because as soon as you enter the fair's halls, you also spot celebs, National Artists, public officials, influencers, society figures, friends, and suddenly you no longer know where to look.

Which is what happened again when we attended this year’s vernissage, this time in the fair’s new address: the Ayala Triangle in Makati City. In between glancing at the amazing photographs at the Tarzeer booth and the showstopper selections at Silverlens, we’d get distracted by KitKat Zobel lining up to get her mug scanned for an instant portrait by Bimpoman, or by the sight of Juliana Gomez who thinks she can do some quiet art-watching and dodge our searching eye, all because she’s in basics and a cap. Between enjoying Spy Studio’s outdoor art Barrier Tape 2 and marveling at the astounding works by Manny Garibay and Leslie De Chavez, there was musician Louie Ocampo doing some art shopping and National Artist Bencab and wife Annie Sarthou getting into one of the bamboo pedicabs that will take them around the garden.

Also read: 10 Days of Art Brings You on an Art Walk Around Makati City

But in the end, isn’t this what Art Fair visits are all about? Whether you’re looking at the walls or the next person beside you, there’s always a thing of beauty that will catch your eye. And here are the ones that caught ours.

Here are the artists, senators, celebs we spotted at the Art Fair vernissage:

Also read: Guide to Art Fair Philippines 2025: Everything You Need to Know