Art Fair Philippines made its return a triumphant success after 3 years of no in-person events. But all of that changed the moment its trio of founders – Geraldine ‘Dindin’ Araneta, Lisa Ongpin-Periquet and Trickie Lopa held this year’s fair – which ran from February 17 – 19 at its designated home, The Link carpark – a multi-level building that was transformed into an art lover’s haven for its 2023 edition.
Art Fair Philippines celebrated ten years of expanding the Philippine audience for contemporary art by welcoming 64 exhibitors from the Philippines and numerous international names into the fold, making this one of their most ambitious projects as of late.
The fair was designed to be biophilic for its fairgoers – “It’s to give people a refreshed experience of Art Fair by being organic while also enhancing the spirit of discovery and surprise.”
Technology, such as NFTs, nostalgia, and interactive art were the highlights of this year’s fair as the most prominent galleries in the Philippines, such as Silver Lens, León Gallery, Boston Art Gallery, Pinto Art Museum, and other notable exhibitioners showcased a series of magnificent art, ranging from photographs, mixed media, sculptures, photographs, and paintings.
The Orange Project, a group that focuses on the craft of Bacolod-based emerging artists located in the Central Region of Visayas. Sentimentality had another meaning altogether. The exhibit’s concept “ Ato Bala”, aka “you know” in the local Waray dialect, brought to life the shared memories of life. According to Curator Moreen Austria, “ I asked the artists to recall a particular memory through their work that stayed with them for a while, despite the changes that happen on a daily basis. culture will always be there, and that is why I wanted to see what they ( the artists) could develop to showcase how contemporary art is now.”
Galeria Paloma
AI and crypto art made a striking appearance at the fair with Galeria Paloma’s maiden exhibit – ‘p a r a / / e l’, which explores the counterparts between physical and digital/new media art. the group’s ‘phygital’ exhibit was displayed simultaneously with NINFA Labs in Milan, Italy – their concept approached digital art simply as a medium, without the idealism of cryptocurrency.
Another underlying theme in the fair was the air of tongue-in-cheek societal commentary, as each artist demonstrated a unique take on the pop-culture norms of Filipino and global culture.
Apart from the glittering assembly of different artwork, notable brands set up shop on the exhibition floors – Lifestyle Store Guava Sketches bought their trademark Scandinavian – Asian flair to the fray with an exciting set of clothes from fashion designer, Geof Gonzales and accessories from their artisans.
Geoff Gonzales | Guava Sketches