ManilART'22 forges forward with interactive booths and art installations

ManilART'22, the longest-running visual arts fair in the Philippines, is back for its 14th year.

This year, the art fair focuses on the theme "Forging Futures," following 2020's "Visions for a Future Reimagined" and 2021's "Continuing Legacies."

It will be held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura until Sunday and will feature a "phygital" exhibit or a mix of physical and digital art installations.

Aside from art pieces from emerging and established talents in the art scene, ManilART'22 also brings in educational talks by Binance, one of the country's largest cryptocurrency platforms, which would shed light on Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and their relation with cryptocurrency.

ManilARt'22 also highlights Joy United, an art installation by German media artists Juliana and Andrey Vrady that will explore and reflect the moods of fairgoers in real-time.

Through Joy United, machine sensors will "read" guests' emotions and run them through the artists' software codes. Then, an artificial intelligence (AI) technology will generate an artwork based on the collective's feelings — interpreted as vibrant lights and color.

This year's participating exhibitors include 371 Art Space, AC 388, Annual Sculpture Review, Art For Space, Artes Orientes, AT Art Gallery, Dry Brush, Espacio Manila, Galerie Artes, Galerie Du Soleil, Galerie Francesca, Galerie Raphael, Galleria Nicolas, G9 Online, Gallery Nine, Historia Arts, M Gallery MNL, Museo de Pacis, Philippine Art Nation, Pugad ni Art, Renaissance Gallery, The Artologist, Village Art Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.

ManilART'22 runs from Oct. 19 to 23 at SMX Convention Center in SM Aura Premier. —Hermes Tunac/JCB, GMA News