Art Fair 2024 is happening! Here are 5 exciting experiences to look forward to

Art Fair Philippines season is almost here, and everybody is looking forward to the large event that brings the scene together.

To be held on Feb. 16-18 at The Link Carpark in Makati City, Art Fair Philippines takes pride in showcasing pieces from talented Filipino and foreign artists across various media.

Exciting plans for this year's edition are underway, with co-founder and organizer Trickie Lopa telling GMA News Online at the press launch on Tuesday, “Maybe you shouldn’t just go to one day.”

She added it would be great to observe and experience all that is planned out, and not just stick to one event or exhibit.

“We're trying to bring in a whole variety of artists who work with a whole variety of medium. The presentations are varied—they're all deep, they're all well thought out. And then the galleries are also preparing,” she added.

Trickie also said how interesting it is to see different ideas growing and coming together, given that the fair is now in its 11th year.

“You can see our audience is ready,” she said, adding a big part of the fair is staying ahead of the public and giving them something new.

“We introduce something new to elevate the exposure to all forms of art,” Trickie said.

With this, here are five exciting parts of Art Fair Philippines to look forward to:

1. 10 Days of Art

Art Fair Philippines has been holding the 10 Days of Art event for a few years now, and this year, it will take place ahead of the fair itself, from Feb. 9-18.

Happening all across Makati City, it is a way to bring and celebrate the best of Philippine contemporary art outside of The Link. It promises exhibits, design installations, and public art events.

Visible along Ayala Avenue at the Ayala Triangle Tower One Fountain area, trans-disciplinary visual artist Derek Tumala presents “A Warm Orange-Colored Liquid,” his biggest and most ambitious work to date.

Meanwhile, at the Green Wall of Ayala Triangle Garden 2, motion graphics artist and multimedia engineer Isaiah Cacnio has an exciting video projection, “Prismatic Embrace.”

Gallery Weekend happens from February 9 to 11, wherein the public is encouraged to visit various galleries in Makati. The full schedule and venues are up on 10daysofart.com.

2. Large murals and digital art from Tuklas

Two huge murals by artists from Tuklas will be up for display at Art Fair Philippines.

Tuklas is a year-long mentorship program for up-and-coming artists of all media, who have never been featured in a solo gallery exhibition.

Digital art will also be among the features of the fair. An exhibit titled “The Best Dressed Chicken in Manila,” is named after the debut album of Jamaican DJ Dr. Alimantado, released in 1978. It is a selection of digital video artworks with the theme of vanity and choice.

3. Performance art, interactive pieces, poetry, and more

Art Fair Philippines will have 55 exhibitors from the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Spain, among others.

And if there’s anything the fair hopes to impart to its audience, it would be that art has several forms.

There will be performance art, interactive pieces, musical performances, poetry readings, photography exhibits, digital art, and many more.

An exhibit by Spanish performance artist Eugenio Ampudia titled “Be A Tree Now” is a comment on the climate crisis and calls for the audience’s participation.

The artist invites guests to pose or move in front of a camera. He will then combine these movements into an artwork that looks like a tree, to show that there is not a big difference between humans and nature.

Another much-awaited project will be done by Brooklyn-based artist, Mr. Starcity, who will present a series of portraits. Not only that, his space at the fair will have a velvet wall, a saxophonist, and the artist will be reciting poetry.

4. ‘Pambabae’ and rediscovering Rod Paras-Perez

Curated by Miguel Rosales, "Pambabae” is a a special exhibition featuring works by Filipino women artists from 1969 to 1989 who were overshadowed by their male contemporaries.

Among the Filipina artists included in the exhibit are Evelyn Collantes, Ivi Avellana Cosio, Lilian Hwang, Ileana Lee, Nelfa Querubin, and Phyllis Zaballero.

Meanwhile, Art Fair Philippines 2024 will also feature pieces by the late Rodolfo Paras-Perez, who was known for his prints and work on woodblock. There will also be video presentations about him, and a small selection of his erotic works will be displayed. Exhibiting his work is a way for audiences rediscover his impact in Philippine art.

5. ‘No Showing’

For the Art Fair Philippines film section, there will be “No Showing.” As in, instead of presenting films like the previous recent years, the Film section this year will focus on connections and conversations.

Dubbed a “hangout/speakeasy/watering hole/listening party/dance floor/breathing space,” No Showing is a way for filmmakers and filmgoers to speak about the state of films—both its production and the act of watching these—in the Philippines. It is curated by filmmaker Moira Lang and co-presented by Pasong Tamo favorites Archivo Gallery in cooperation with Club Kino.

The concept also involves music by selected filmmakers playing in the background, for guests to listen to as they have their conversations.

Art Fair Philippines is happening from February 16 to 18 at The Link Carpark in Makati City. Tickets are now available online via artfairphilippines.com and onsite on the fair days. Guests may easily enter through the bridgeway on the 3rd floor of Landmark.

— LA, GMA Integrated News