Sneak Peek: 10 Things You Need to See at Art Fair Philippines 2023
It's happening at The Link from February 17 to 19.
(SPOT.ph) If you're an Art Fair Philippines regular, chances are that you know how overwhelming it can be. There are over 60 exhibitors from the Philippines and abroad, all spread out across four levels of The Link in Makati City—not to mention the special exhibitions (a.k.a. ArtFairPH/Projects) located at the roof deck. Exploring the different displays is almost a workout, and there's always the danger of missing an artwork in one of the nooks and crannies. To get you started on your Art Fair Philippines weekend, we list down the pieces you should take the time to look for (and look at).
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Here are 10 works you shouldn't miss at Art Fair Philippines 2023:
Dancing from the North and Towards an Archipelago by Aaron Kaiser Garcia
Location: ArtFairPH/Residencies, 4/F
Aaron Kaiser Garcia, a performance-maker with background in folk contemporary dance, explores the potential of the body in telling the stories of the people from the Cordilleras. The exhibition at Art Fair Philippines shows photographs of his movement studies that aim to trace this journey that's rooted in the indigenous concept of Kalawakan and Kalibutan.
Searching for Water by Nicolei Buendia Gupit
Location: ArtFairPH/Residencies, 4/F
A recipient of the Art Fair Philippines 2022 artist residency at Linangan in Alfonso, Cavite, Nicolei Buendia Gupit uses art to raise awareness about the ironic scarcity of clean water in an archipelago like the Philippines.
"Water is everywhere, but it is never enough. At my family's home in Rosario, Cavite, we have no running water, so we draw from a well outside and bring in mineral water to supply ourselves with water," she wrote in her exhibition notes. She finds irony in this situation, given that Cavite is right by Manila Bay and is often plagued by rainfall and flooding. Searching for Water, interestingly, doesn't make use of water: "only residues, imitations, and recollections of water that once was." She collected potable water and freshwater from Laguna Lake and Molawin River, froze them into ice sculptures in the shape of water bottles, and captured them in a video clip as the ice melts—a reminder of the melting glaciers at an alarming rate. The exhibit also includes resin sculptures of what seems to be drinkable water, but are actually garbage.
Abdulmari Imao
Location: Globe Platinum x Artifract, 4/F
The works of National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao are presented in an interesting way through a partnership between Globe Platinum and Artifract. The whole space is a celebration of both physical and digital art, where Imao's Sarimanok Series is showcased in a series of ever-changing screens to emulate its pattern.
"Datu" and "Dayang," the couple chairs, are also exhibited publicly for the first time. It stands for the partnership between Imao and his wife and fellow Grace de Leon as the couple championed Philippine art.
Abysmal Abound by Don M. Salubayba
Location: Tin-Aw Art Projects, 5/F Booth 10,
Tin-Aw Art Projects puts the works Don M. Salubayba (1978-2014) front and center in a show titled Abysmal Abound / Hindi Maarok na Kasaganahan. The exhibit showcases his paintings, mementos, and children's books he previously illustrated. Don't miss the video projection, which shows Salubayba's masterful work on shadow play and stage work through the Anino Shadowplay Collective. Abysmal Abound / Hindi Maarok na Kasaganahan, which includes pieces from the family's collection, also chronicles the artist's use of Filipino mythology and folklore in his works.
"Party with the Gate Crashers" by Jojit Solano
Location: J Studio, 5/F Booth 8
Jojit Solano, in an exhibit called Palson Tawen, presents an irreverent take on religious images. "Party with the Gate Crashers," for example, makes use of the iconic The Last Supper, except the people are priests and politicians who are depicted as clowns.
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"Return of the Robots" series by GP Peros
Location: Avellana ArtGallery, 6/F Booth 29
A robot that lobbies for medical marijuana, another that advocates for forests and streams, and a few other robots make up a whole pedestal at the Avellana ArtGallery. It's titled Return of the Robots, which is a series of found objects made into cartoon-like bipedal robots that may or may not creep you out.
To Destroy is to Create by Jade Suayan
Location: Secret Fresh Gallery, 6/F Booth 25
Street artist Jade Suayan looks into the relationship between destruction and creation in her solo show To Destroy is to Create at Secret Fresh Gallery's booth. It features big canvases with bright and playful colors interspersed with neon cartoon-like characters, a commentary on what creating art is like: a chaotic experience that eventually finds its way on a canvas.
One of the posts bears printed artworks, which were purposely torn and ruined, a literal portrayal of "to destroy is to create."
"Class Symbiosis" by Czar Subang
Location: Lunang Mentorship Program, ArtFairPH/Incubators, 7/F
Lunang is a Davao-based mentorship program that seeks to discover and train young artists over the age of 18 years old. For Art Fair Philippines 2023, they feature the works of 18 artists in a group show titled Kayod or Kayod-Kalabaw. This brings forth the Filipino value of hard work while respecting the indigenous knowledge and wisdom of the land and its people.
Czar Subang's "Class Symbiosis," in particular, is a three-dimensional piece that shows an image of a carabao with barbed wire in its mouth and a crow, both behind a black veil of silk. One may ponder on the relationship between the carabao and his farmer, a slave and his master, and—maybe—a farmer and the landowner.
"Marka sa Capiz" series by Sheila Bernaldez
Location: Kantina, ArtFairPH/Incubators, 7/F
Also part of the Incubators, Roxas City-based experimental art space KANTINA presents the works of over 20 Capisnon artists. Higyaw-Higyaw, their programming for Art Fair Philippines 2023, celebrates this Hiligaynon term for hanging out or gathering.
Sheila Bernaldez, one of KANTINA's featured artists, showcases a series of etched markings on Capiz shells. Its small size—as small as a fingernail—might be easy to miss, so look closely and be impressed by how the most minute details of Roxas City's landmarks are etched on those shells.
Don't Forget to Remember by Faye Abantao
Location: ArtFairPH/Projects, Roof Deck
Faye Abantao, the grantee of the Karen H. Montinola Selection, brings viewers on a journey of memories through six doors. Don't Forget to Remember lets you turn six doorknobs that open into life-sized boxes, each different from the other. One contains a series of framed photographs: family photos, class pictures, and portraits. These photos bear Abantao's distinct style of woven, creased and folded paper. Another has seemingly overflowing origami of swans. Another door reveals an abstract wedding photograph of a couple, and behind it is yet another canvas.
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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.