A city truly comes alive not because of bustling businesses and crowded streets, but because of art. A city becomes more interesting when art is given much gravity likeevery important aspect of life. Wall murals make gray urban landscapes more colorful while busking artists give melody and rhythm to the atmosphere. After all, a city without art is a city without a soul.
Makati recognizes the importance of art that is why creativity is given the right avenue to be seen, be heard, be felt, and be enjoyed by citizens. Art can break the monotony of fast-paced urban life and puts everything into perspective.
The Makati Central Business District (CBD) is home to museums that serve as venues where everyone can appreciate art. And every year, the city likewise hosts one of the biggest art events in the country, the Art Fair Philippines.
The fair, which will be held from February 21 to 23 at The Link car park, will showcase Filipino art and the passionate community behind it. And like every other year, the stakeholders of the annual event make sure that art goes beyond the limits of the location itself.
One of the initiatives of the fair is the 10 Days of Art, where various art-related events are held simultaneously in and out of Makati during a 10-day period. And to complement this initiative, Ayala Land, Inc. and Make It Makati arranged several activities around the central business district. Starting from February 14 to 23, the special activities lined-up highlights the Filipino creatives, from visual artists to film makers to musicians to magicians.
Now on its 8th year, Art Fair Philippines is continuing to bring Philippine art to a wider audience. The activities for 10 Days of Art bring art even closer to the people. And it starts with transforming a building facade into a canvas by making a bright and colorful impression. Through the form of video projection mapping, Manila-based projection designer G.A. Fallarme and Dutch artist Henk-Gert Lenten, will light up the facade of The Link.
The video projection mapping is called “The Art of Now: A Selection of Philippine Contemporary Art” and will feature artworks of various Filipino contemporary artists.The normally still pieces come to life as they would be presented as vibrant and dynamic moving images. This will illuminate Makati Avenue, giving everybody a glimpse of modern Filipino art in a large scale.
Then there's “The Unconfined Cinema: An Outdoor Cinema Experience,” an unconventional movie screening event to be held at the fountain area of Tower One and Exchange Plaza. The movies will be projected on the arched ceiling of the plaza while the audience lay down on comfortable carpets and pillows. This event reflects modern-day film viewing, when watching a movie is not confined inside theaters anymore. This activity is also in celebration of The Centennial of Philippine Cinema.
The film screening is done in partnership with Panasonic, Star Cinema and Cinema One and is curated by Erwin Romulo, Philbert Dy, and Teddy Co. The outdoor movie theater will feature several original Filipino films including “One More Chance” on February 14 at 6:00 p.m. Also on Valentine's Day, at 8:00 p.m., there will be a special presentation of one of the country's most successful independent films, “That Thing Called Tadhana” with live script reading by special guests.
On February 15, the special screening will also showcase short films from QCinema like “Here Here,” “Judy Free,” and “Isang Daa't Isang Mariposa;” and other movies like the award-winning documentary film “Sunday Beauty Queen.” The screening on this day starts from 6:00 p.m. onwards.
For music lovers, a few areas around Makati CBD will play host to musicians busking in public during the span of the celebration (Feb. 14 to 23). Busking, a common yet unappreciated performance art form in the Philippines, is an activity where artists play their music live on the street or a public space for donations. Catch musicians along Greenbelt-Dela Rosa Walkway, Paseo Underpass, Sedeno Underpass, and at Ayala North Exchange from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Some of the other events include: TranscenDance at Kondwi on February 14; Artist in a Box featuring Pablo Bermudez at Modeka Residency on February 15; La Luminosa, a one-night pop-up exhibit at Almacen in Poblacion featuring the works of Bea Policarpio, Bianca Ruiz, and Corina Borromeo on February 17; and Learn How to Draw in 3 Hours by Gig De Pio at Rustan's Makati on February 18.
Also included in the initiative are various exhibitions happening in and out of thecity during and beyond the 10 Days of Art period. Some of the exhibits include Lawrence Borsoto's Nevertheless at Eskinita Art Gallery at Makati Central Square; Material Culture by Daniel dela Cruz at Art Cube Gallery along Chino Roces Ave.; Inscapes: A Retrospective by Agnes Arellano at Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo de Manila University; and Arte Povera: Italian Landscape at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, just to name a few.
And in support of the 10 Days of Art and Art Fair Philippines, several retail and restaurant establishments in Makati will offer discount promotions in the duration of the initiative.
In addition, Art Fair Philippines continues to expand and get bigger as it introduces new activities this year. Aside from featuring galleries and art installations, 2020 also makes art more interactive. A new section called ArtFairPH/OpenStudios brings ArtFairPH/Talks, a series of workshops and demonstrations featuring respected names in arts and culture. This year will also showcase digital art like the virtual reality piece by Issay Rodriguez.
This year's Art Fair Philippines celebration pushes art everywhere—on buildings and on the streets. For the people working and visiting in Makati CBD, it's as easy as stopping at the right place and at the right time to appreciate art.
