Art Agenda, Fashion & Market, MONO8, Mind Set Art Center and more
By A&M

Vicente Silva Manansala, ‘Balut Vendors’, 1966, watercolour on paper, 57 x 77cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

Art Fair Philippines opens at The Link, Ayala Center, Makati in Manila on 16 February and runs till 18 February. But ‘10 Days of Art 2024’ has already begun on 9 February, to celebrate the best in Philippine contemporary art with the fair’s partners in the city, such as public artworks ‘A Warm Orange Coloured Liquid’ by Derek Tumala and “Prismatic Embrace’ by Isaiah Cacnio, both at the Ayala Triangle Garden, as well as gallery weekend.

Altogether, there are 55 exhibitors at Art Fair Philippines 2024, from the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Spain. Art Agenda, which has gallery spaces in both Singapore and Jakarta, will be showcasing the works of Filipino modernist artists Alfredo Liongoren, Ang Kiu Kok, Arturo Luz, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Fernando Zóbel, Hernando Ruiz Ocampo, Lao Lian Ben, Lee Aguinaldo, Mauro Malang Santos, Nena Saguil, Onib Olmedo, Ramon Orlina, Roger San Miguel and Vicente Silva Manansala, which can be previewed here.

Stella Wenny, Director, Art Agenda Jakarta, says, “Following our showcase on Indonesian modern art, this year, we’re presenting quality works by more than a dozen prominent Filipino modernists whose works straddle the abstract and the representational.” She adds, “Each work may display its own unique characteristic but their inherent Filipino style is still discernible through the lines, forms and colours.”

Artu Nepomuceno, ‘Bronija I’, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Art Agenda will also be co-presenting the fine art photography debut of Artu Nepomuceno with Fashion & Market, the sibling site to Art & Market. Titled ‘Cathedral of Shadows’, it is executed with wife and creative partner Meg Manzano. The photos hold personal meaning for the duo, featuring individuals who are significant in their personal and professional lives.

Rom Villaseran, ‘Kalasag’, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 121.9 x 91.4cm. Image courtesy of MONO8.

Manila-based MONO8 will be participating at the fair. "This year's edition is a very exciting one,” says Gwen Bautista, Director, MONO8. “MONO8 is presenting a new series of works of the elusive artist Rom Villaseran, whose studio practice has had a quiet but strong following since the mid-2000s. This is the first time again after seven years that he is mounting a solo exhibition.”

Elaborating on the importance of Art Fair Philippines in the art ecosystem, Bautista says, “Art Fair Philippines has been instrumental in the growth of young platforms like ours in connecting with a network of patrons and art communities in the region.” She adds, “The fair allows us to introduce the emerging practices of the artists we work with from both Manila and Cebu, as well as our year-long programs. Also, MONO8 is collaborating with Miguel Rosales and the fair this year to mount a special exhibition that features the life and work of the late artist and art critic Rod. Paras-Perez."

Andreea Medar, ‘Solarium, The Forever Garden’, 2022.

Another returning gallery is Mind Set Art Center, featuring seven artists: Chou Kai-Lun, Lin Wei-Hsiang, and Lee Yang from Taiwan, as well as Marina Cruz, Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan, Lee Paje, and Hanna Pettyjohn from the Philippines. Lee Yang will be present for an on-site creation, improvising with his brushes to complete a painting. Fair-goers can look forward to updates on what is happening daily at the fair. Alongside them, they will also be debuting the works of Romanian artist Andreea Medar with ‘Leftovers from the Future’ at ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS.

Director Queena Chu says, “Together, these artists weave a tapestry of spiritual and physical narratives, deeply rooted in the essence of their tropical homelands and personal reflections.” She adds, “This exhibition is a journey through landscapes of vigor and poetry, where art becomes a dialogue between memory and the present, life and environment, through the innovative interplay of materials and light.”

For ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS, aside from Medar, the following artists’ works are featured: Eugenio Ampudia, with the exhibit undertaken with the Embassy of Spain in Manila, Jonathan Ching showing ‘They Think We Still Grant Wishes’, Jigger Cruz with ‘Dialectic Disruptions’, Taloi Havini with ‘Untitled’, Mr. Starcity with ‘One Pedal At A Time’, and a special presentation of the work of the late Rod. Paras-Perez, as well as Tuklas c/o Eskinita Art Farm.

Taloi Havini, ‘Dengung Hyena (from Hyena Series)’, 2020, sound design by Michael Toisuta, single-channel HD video, 16:9, 4 minutes 27 seconds.

Within the ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS section, Silverlens is presenting ‘Dengung Hyena (Hyena Resounding)’ (2020) by Artes Mundi 10 Winner Taloi Havini, which she created in collaboration with Indonesian-Australian sound designer Michael Toisuta. It uses Taloi’s footage of the Hyena ritual in her native Bougainville, which records the night-time celebration of mass coral-spawning. This is layered with Toisuta’s use of the gamelan. The partnership represents their mutual interest in cross-cultural rituals and their search for connection.

Within the space is also a special exhibition ‘Pambabae: Exploring Abstraction by Women Artists, 1969-1989’, curated by Miguel Rosales, featuring the works of Evelyn Collantes, Ivi Avellana Cosio, Lilian Hwang, Ileana Lee, Nelfa Querubin and Phyllis Zaballero. Another special exhibition, curated by Norman Crisologo, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Karen H. Montinola Selection, from the first artist Pio Abad in 2014 to the most recent, Gean Brix Garcia for 2024.

David Gryn, ‘Best Dressed Chicken’ (Manila Version). Image courtesy of the artist and Daata.

There are other sections, such as ARTFAIRPH/INCUBATORS featuring Authenticity Zero Collective, Istorya Studios, Manila Illustration Fair, Pangasinan Group, Talyer 15 and The Empty Scholar. ARTFAIRPH/PHOTO, which launched in 2018, is this year curated by Sandra Palomar, with FotomotoPH as sole exhibitor. And Globe is presenting ARTFAIRPH/DIGITAL. A highlight work is ‘Best Dressed Chicken (Manila Version)’ by David Gryn, founder of Daata Editions, a digital art incubator and online platform dedicated to commissioning and curating all mediums of digital art. Another highlight in this section is a special exhibit with CryptoArt PH to showcase the work of Filipino artists in the web3 space.

There is plenty more to experience at the fair, including ARTFAIRPH/FILM, titled ‘NO SHOWING’, curated by Moira Lang and co-presented by Archivo Gallery in cooperation with Club Kino. At the same time, for ARTFAIRPH/RESIDENCIES, Don Papa Rum will present works from this year’s artists who have completed residencies in various parts of the country, and include Julian Tapales with Butanding Barrio, Jett Ilagin with Emerging Islands, Anna Miguel Cervantes with Linangan Art Residency, as well as Mark Salvatus, Renz Baluyot, Iseult Perrault and Petr Hajdyla with The Orange Project. In addition, ARTFAIRPH/TALKS, with education partner Ateneo Art Gallery,

Art Fair Philippines runs from 16 to 18 February 2024, daily from 10am to 9pm, at The Link, Ayala Center, Makati. Tickets are available at artfairphilippines.com, and on-site.