On February 16, the 11th iteration of Art Fair Philippines opened to the public, bringing over 100 artworks from the most fascinating local names and galleries around the world. Nowadays, the idea of appreciating art doesn’t belong in a particular class anymore. Years have passed since that idea of exclusivity reigned supreme; this time, art is for everyone.
Founded in 2013 by Geraldine “DinDin” Araneta, Trickie Colayco-Lopa, and Lisa Ongpin-Periquet, its evolution into one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting art exhibitions has become something to watch. Their platform became known for selling the best in modern and contemporary Philippine visual art; as they continued to evolve, they started to showcase the creativity and craftsmanship of international artists, pushing their way through the art world with groundbreaking methods.
For this year’s edition, AFP added another level of excitement by celebrating the duration of Arts Month with a series of micro exhibitions called “10 Days of Art Fair” by partnering up with local galleries and embassies for installations around the city, such as The Goldenberg Art Series with Ronald Ventura and The Alliance Française de Manille’s collaboration with the Qube Gallery.
In the lead-up to this year’s much anticipated AFP series, the new art discovery platform COHART hosted an exclusive dinner event in Manila to celebrate Art Fair Philippines along with J Studio, which was called the Cohart x J Studio Dinner at Art Fair Philippines. Notable attendees included Shyevin S’ng (Cohart Co-Founder and COO), Bianca Gonzalez Intal, Mr. StarCity, and more.
Over the years, Art Fair Philippines has consistently built a grandiose exhibition celebrating tradition and modernity through art, film, photography, literature, and, most recently, AI, which became a stand-out feature last year with Galeria Paloma’s “Parallel,” an exhibition that hints at the parallelism of emerging realities in web3 and the digital art sphere.
Over 100 exhibitors from various parts of the Philippines and the world participated this year; notable names include Mr. Star City, the Malaysian group Artemis Art, which presented its Humans of the World lineup along with European visual artists Andreea Medar ( Romania), and Eugenio Ampudia ( Spain), and the École de Paris along with a coterie of Japanese art galleries collectives, and residency programmes.
On the local side, prominent artists and groups such as Jewelle Young, The Pinto Art Museum, Katherine Cuenca, Juanito Torres, Carlo Magno, Karen Montinila, and Ben Cab awed crowds with eye-catching exhibitions exploring the beauty of femininity up close. Other pieces remarked on political and social commentary in the Philippines. In contrast, others explored different worlds through fantastical imagery.
