ManilArt Fair highlights diversity, complexity and interconnectedness of creative and artistic expressions, as well as refractions, reflections and convergence, with its 2024 theme, “Prisms and Mosaics.” The fair runs from 9 to 13 October at the SMX Aura Convention Center inside the SM Aura Premier mall in Taguig City. Organized by the ManilArt Foundation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), this major art fair also serves as one of key events in the celebration of Museums and Galleries Month, which banners the theme “Honoring Traditions, Fostering Innovation” this year.
Convergence of galleries
Different galleries and artists will converge at the fair, creating a mosaic that provides a sweeping survey of the current Philippine visual arts landscape.
“We have a stellar lineup of professional galleries representing artists who continue to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation. This exhibition showcases the best of the Filipino art scene and we’re excited to see their works come to life again this year,” said Silverio “Rio” Q. Ambrosio of Artes Orientes Gallery, a member of the NCCA National Committee on Art Galleries (NCAG) and ManilArt Exhibitors Relations director. “I’m proud to say that the ManilArt also nurtures and encourages new art galleries to add to its roster, pursuing its mandate to make the local gallery scene more diverse, vibrant and raise the level of professionalism all around. With 34 exhibitors in over 40 booths, ManilArt 2024 will collectively present over 260 artists over our five-day fair, all under one roof.”
This year’s participating galleries include 29 Kapitolyo Art Space, 371 Art Space, Annual Sculpture Review, Art Circle, Art for Space Gallery PH, Artalyer, Artienda Art Gallery, Artologist Gallery, Artes Orientes, AT Art Gallery, Daloy Likha Art Gallery, Drybrush Gallery, Espacio Manila, Florentino Gallery, Galeria Bañez, Galleria Nicolas, Galerie Artes, Galerie Raphael, Gallery Nine, Historia Art, Legacy, Life ’n Arts Gallery, M Gallery MNL, Museo Orlina, NAMI Art Gallery, OMVI Art Gallery, Pugad ni Art, Rayos del Sol Gallery, Renaissance Art Gallery, VAM International Art Gallery, Village Art Gallery and Ysobel Art Gallery.
Special exhibit on art and artificial intelligence
These galleries will have mini exhibits in their own booths, but big exhibit will serve as the fair’s main showcase. This year, ManilArt will mount Plugged into Fernalia: The Gray Areas of Art and AI.
The special exhibit will explore the meanings of being an artist in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and the impacts of AI in the future of art and artmaking. Curator Gromyko Semper’s approach was to invite artists to respond to specific questions or prompts.
The works will be displayed in four thematic sections: “Origins and Inspirations,” a retrospect on the promise brought by AI to art; “Ethics and Appropriation,” which raises the concerns of artists and the use of AI in creating artistic works and content; “Human vs. Machine,” which compares AI-generated art with human-made works; and “Future Visions,” which imagines the future of creativity in an AI-dominated world.
Participating local and international artists include Noel Sadicon, Joshua Palisoc, Pen Medina, Isobel Francisco, Jonathan Benitez, Maria Magdamit, Judeo Herrera, Gilbert Semillano, Cheryl Hironaka, Glenn Martinez, Ali Alejandro, Roman Padilla, Angelo Padilla, Paul Benjamin Hilario, Jopeter Arias, Hermino Tan, Roberto Lolong, John Melvin Garcia, Joyce Pertez, Rem Kulas, AJ Pascua, Jascha Tolentino, Vince Balandra, Raeun Ramos, James Koehnline, Christian Townsend and Peter Gric.
Other features
Aside from the special exhibit, ManilArt will also have other features, such as sculptural and 3D displays at the main venue. This year, works by Ramon Orlina and her daughter Anna, Marge Organo, Ombok Villamor, Agi Pagkatipunan, ManilArt curator Danny Rayos del Sol and Ram Mallari will be featured.
At the ManilArt central podium area, The Wave will be mounted. It is a three-part mural-sized canvas by award-winning hyperrealist Ed Coronel, representing his inquiry into realism and expression, as well as his response to the continuing conflicts in South China Sea and tensions in the region.
A launch of the book on Ramon Orlina
ManilArt will also host the launch of Ramon Orlina: Visions in Glass by artist and art critic Cid Reyes. The hefty coffee-table book documents the long career of the glass sculptor.
“This book is a celebration of almost five decades of my journey in art. It’s a project of the Museo Orlina for its 10th-year anniversary,” Orlina said.
“May this book bring gladness, glory, joy and inspiration to the readers,” he shared.
Reyes said “that the greatest privilege, pleasure and honor of writing this book is working with a Filipino who only thought of being faithful to the promise of his passion for art. And he has his own, as the book narrates, challenges with material, but all of that has been surmounted thanks to dedication, passion and commitment of this particular Filipino who, in my humble opinion, is a national treasure.”
The ManilArt lounge will be designed by Orlina. Orlina curator Glenn Cuevo said the Orlina Glass Lounge reflects the essence of the artist.
Satellite exhibits
Aside from the main event at SMX Aura Convention Center, ManilArt reaches out to audiences both local and international with its satellite exhibits and events.
“For the past years, we’ve headlined the celebration of Museums and Galleries Month as proof of the vibrancy of the local visual arts scene. Not only do we have ManilArt, but we also have a thriving arts scene in the regions, as shown by regional fairs, including Mindanao Art, Visayas Art and Luzon Art Fair. We also forge partnerships with exhibitions around the country and beyond, expanding the reach of Filipino art to new audiences and bringing a global perspective to our local artists,” said Amy Loste, ManilArt Foundation president and co-founder.
This year’s satellite exhibits will be mounted in different parts of Europe and the country, including the host city of Taguig. These include the fourth iteration of the Viaje series of exhibits, Viaje 4: Filipinism, organized by KUNST Filipino, which has been promoting Philippines art to international audiences.
Viaje 4: Filipinism, which will attempt to interpret Filipino identity in art, features the work of Filipino artists, including Nino Cris Odosis, Joseph Albao, Ian Maigan and Windsor Magnaye. It will be mounted in Germany from 1 to 6 October, in the Netherlands from 7 to 10 October, in Belgium from 12 to 16 October and in France from 18 to 20 October.
The 20th Annual Sculpture Review (ASR) exhibit will be at the Marco Polo Ortigas in Pasig City, highlighted by sculptor Angelico “Jik” Villanueva’s Providence, a four-meter brass installation of a tree branch carrying industrious ants bearing precious stones symbolizing the harvest of diligence and nature’s gift of abundance for those who labor, serving as the centerpiece in the lobby.
In Amadeo, Cavite, Ricardo’s Galeria Al Fresco mounted Refracted Light from 6 to 7 October, featuring artists from the province of Cavite including Andrea Jean Ballecer-Barrion, Arvin Arbolado, Bobby “Woody” Balingit and many more. The gallery’s guest advisors, Aquilino “Lino” Acasio, Melander “Lander” Blanza, and Reynante “Nante” Carandang, will also contribute their creativity to this rich artistic mosaic.
Finally, Galerie Du Soleil in Taguig City will feature the solo exhibit by Elmer Nocheseda, Kutkot Pa More, which will offer a glimpse into the artistic journey of the author and advocate of indigenous cultures. He continues to create art while dealing with the onset of Parkinson’s disease, leading to the creation of his kutkot style.
Talks and discussions
The exhibit will be complemented by talks and discussions, delving into select topics on art, aimed at providing insights into the current art scene. The slate will include “Art for Stigma Reduction” with speaker Ian Felix Alquiros on 10 October; “Creative Industries Act: Significance and Impact on the Visual Arts and Galleries” with Congressman Christopher de Venecia on 11 October; “Art in the Colonial Periods” with Abe Orobia on 12 October; “An Artist’s Moral and Economic Rights, Duties and Obligations” with lawyer Emerson Cuyo on 12 October; and “The Algorithmic Muse: AI’s Role in Shaping Contemporary Artistic Creation” with Marian Pastor Roces, Cristian Townsend, Noel Sadicon and Jerry Yapo on 12 October.
ManilArt, The National Art Fair, is considered the longest-running visual arts fair in the Philippines, established in 2009 as a flagship project of the NCCA National Committee on Art Galleries.