The most part of 2020 was spent online — video calls, virtual concerts, and cyber meet-ups with friends. For the first time ever, Art Fair Philippines is going fully digital and introducing us to Metaverse. It will run from May 6 to 15 via www.artfairphilippines.com, and will be free for everyone. Are you excited about this year’s exhibit? Here’s everything you need to know about Art Fair Philippines 2021:
43 Exhibitors
There will be a total of 43 exhibitors from the Philippines and abroad who will showcase artworks through their online viewing rooms. This will include videos produced in collaboration with Globe Studios.
This year’s exhibitors include 1335Mabini, A3 Arndt Art Agency, Altro Mondo Gallery, Archivo 1984, Art Agenda S.E.A. (Singapore), Art Cube, Art Elaan, Art Porters Gallery (Singapore), Art Underground, Art Verite Gallery, art/n23, Artery Art Space, Avellana Art Gallery, bio|trans|forms, CANVAS, and more.
Digital Art in focus
For its first online edition, Art Fair Philippines 2021 will shine the spotlight on digital art.
Art Fair Philippines will debut digital artworks specially commissioned for ArtFairPH/Film. This section of the fair is developed in partnership with Daata, a digital platform that commissions original digital artworks by established and emerging artists, allowing viewers to stream or download high-quality digital artworks on any device. The ArtFairPH/Film section is presented by Globe Platinum.
Art Fair Philippines and Daata will showcase digital artworks by new media and contemporary artists Jeremy Couillard and Petra Cortright, and Keiken, a collaborative practice co-founded by artists Tanya Cruz, Hana Omori, and Isabel Ramos.
ArtFairPH/Residencies
This year, Art Fair Philippines also launches a new section, ArtFairPH/Residencies, an artist residency program project in partnership with Bleeding Heart Rum Corporation, the makers of Don Papa Rum.
This program is open to all Filipino artists across all disciplines. Five artists selected based on their submitted portfolios will be paired with art spaces and galleries from different parts of the Philippines including Manila Observatory in Quezon City, Linangan Art Residency in Alfonzo, Cavite, Emerging Islands in San Juan, La Union, The Orange Project in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, and Barrio Butanding in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
The resulting artists’ projects will be presented at Art Fair Philippines 2022.
Special Exhibit for Photography
Co-presented by the Swiss private bank Julius Baer, ArtFairPH/Photo has proved to be one of the more popular sections of the art fair.
For 2021, Paris-based Filipino photographer Ding Panganiban will bring to the fair his ambrotype collodion process of developing photographs taken with a vintage camera and printed on glass.
ArtFairPH/Talks, Open Studios, and Online Tours
In keeping with the fair’s thrust to widen the audience for the visuals arts and to continue to expand the appreciation of fair visitors for contemporary art, ArtFairPH/Talks features daily discussions presented in partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery, Museum Foundation of the Philippines, and the international publication, Art Review.
Launched last year, the series of workshops dubbed Open Studios goes online with a selection of live demonstrations and recorded instructionals aimed to give fair visitors hands-on experiences in art-making.
Also in the pipeline are two virtual tours: a look at the singular collection of filmmaker and current Baguio resident, Moira Lang, and a studio visit with acclaimed artist Alfredo Equillo.
10 Days of Art
The 10 Days of Art initiative started in 2018 to create buzz for the art fair beyond the physical confines of its venue. Even as the fair pivots to a digital platform, an installation is planned for Ayala Tower One’s fountain area with live screenings of the selections of ArtFairPH/Film digital artwork.
For more information on this year’s program and schedule of activities, please visit the Art Fair Philippines website www.artfairphilippines.com and follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram (@artfairph) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/artfairph).
