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ManilArt 2014: Opening spaces for new Pinoy artists
The energy was palpable at the SMX Aura Convention Center in Taguig City, during ManilArt 2014.
You could have lost yourself in the gathering of artwork. From paintings to installations; from the spiritual to the seemingly mundane; from Vicente Manansala to a group of young artists from Cebu, it was all here arranged in a maze of art.
ManilArt is the biggest art fair in the country. And during this, its sixth year, it lived up to its theme "Crossing Borders" by taking away a panel from the normally three-sided booths.
This gives the booth an L-shape that made for a fluid stop-look-walk experience. And, though packed, the 28 galleries or booths still felt open.
‘Best among Filipino artists’
"Dito sa art, we need exposure, not only 'yung mga kilalang magagaling, kundi 'yung mga baguhan," said pioneering glass sculptor Ramon Orlina, a consistent participant in ManilArt. "We're a small community and we have to help each other."
For Remigio David, owner of Altro Mondo in Makati City, the event provided a platform to introduce "a conglomeration of what is best among Filipino artists."
"It's very 'in' now to be in an art fair. It's trendy and a lot of people come and you can see them become more and more curious about art. People get a bit more inquisitive and they really take the time," he explained.
David, whose gallery's ManilArt collection included the work of respected Spanish-born painter Betsy Westendorp, added that the event provided a glimpse at the trends, concepts, and discourse that most artists are engaged in these days.
Exposure, however, is not limited to local artists. The participation of Art Expo Malaysia was an opportunity to view the collection of sought-after Chinese artist Zhang Yuxi, whose work featured a three-eyed little yellow boy.
"We seldom join other art exhibits because we organize our own. It's our first time to join here," Peilin Tan of Art Expo Malaysia told GMA News Online. "[Zhang Yuxi's] little yellow icon gives a positive message to the audience, so we brought it here to Manila."
Homecoming
For New York-educated Hawaiian artist Clarence Chun, ManilArt 2014 is his introduction to home.
Chun, who shuttles between Texas and Honolulu, was born in Tacloban City in Leyte. From sending a couple of pieces every now and then, his gallerist convinced him to stage a solo show at ManilaArt.
Also, at 39, he was embracing his Filipino roots by staying a year in Manila. He will set up his studio here in preparation for a second show in the Philippines, slated sometime 2015.
"This is home, right?" said a bright-eyed Chun, who was clearly fascinated by Metro Manila's traffic, power lines tangled "like spaghetti," and the crowded malls on weekends.
"When you're in the States, you're an immigrant. You're always looked at as an immigrant. But when you come back to the Philippines, you are home. It's important for me to know about my roots, my culture, things like that."
His work (showcased by Gallery Big) are a play between muted colors, neat lines and curves. It is organized clutter, a result of "being constantly inspired" by the laid-back life in Honolulu. Chun's work reflected the colors and movement of Hawaii's waters, as well as manga comics, anime, and details from "my girlfriends' dress and other people's bikinis."
"My work is really about my memories of a certain day, just your typical everyday things that you think about," he said. "My work [for the second show] is going to be a lot busier, I think, because of the energy of the city (Manila)."
Up-and-coming
This year's art fair was also the debut for "The Rising Stars", a group of contemporary artists from Cebu whose pieces were brought to Metro Manila by Cebu-based Qube Gallery.
The group was the gallery's brainchild, and is made up of homegrown talent who are in their 20s and 30s. The group's members are as varied as their artwork - from art majors to a girl from an island who uses small shells to make images.
"This is the first time we are carrying a purely Cebuano collection," said gallery manager Bea Sagun. "We wanted them to debut as a group in ManilArt... They're local talent, they're entry-level artists. But we think their works are very unique. We thought it could compete in the national level, and true enough, it's getting a lot of attention."
The artists' work, created solely for the exhibit, form a cohesive collection that "is varied but still speaks of a Cebu talent," Sagun said, who pointed out that they had not imposed a theme on the artists.
"ManilArt brings in all these galleries and not just patrons, but fans, enthusiasts. It gains us a lot of exposure -- if not the sales -- and exposure is what we need for these guys to actually make the
scene. Bringing them to ManilArt is a leap," she said. — DVM, GMA News
The 2014 ManilART fair runs from October 16 to 19 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For more information, log on to www.manilart.com or the ManilArt Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/manilart)
