The 2023 edition of the country’s premier art fair will feature a new biophilic design to give fairgoers a refreshed fair experience in an organically designed setting

Text and images courtesy of Art Fair Philippines
February 3, 2023

Art Fair Philippines celebrates 10 years of expanding the Philippine audience for contemporary art. It continues to shine the spotlight on one of Southeast Asia's most exciting art landscapes. After three years, Art Fair Philippines 2023 will once again transform The Link carpark in Makati City into a multi-level art exhibition venue from February 17 to 19.

This year’s edition will feature a new biophilic design to give fairgoers a refreshed experience of the fair in an organically designed setting, enhancing the spirit of discovery and surprise while exploring the fair.

Line-up of exhibitors at Art Fair Philippines 2023

This year, Art Fair Philippines welcomes [63] exhibitors from the Philippines and overseas.

The participating exhibitors from the Philippines are: 1335/Mabini, Anakbanwa Creative Residency Project, Art Cube, Art Elaan, Art for Space, Art Lounge Manila, Art Underground, Art Verité, Artery Art Space, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, Early Light, FIFTH WALL FEST, FotomotoPH, GALERIA PALOMA, Galerie Stephanie, Gravity Art Space, isTorya Studios, J Studio, Jes Aznar, Kaida Contemporary, KalawakanSpacetime, KANTINA, Kapitan Kulam, León Gallery, Lunang Mentoring Program, Mark Lewis Higgins, METRO Gallery, MONO8,  Mugna Gallery + Foundation University DAFA, no space, Orange Project, Paint Bukog, Paseo Art Gallery, Pintô Art Museum, Qube Gallery, Secret Fresh Gallery, SILVERLENS, Sitting Room Studios, Sulyap Gallery by Tahanan Pottery, Super Duper Gallery, TARZEER PICTURES, The Crucible, Tom Epperson, TRIANGULUM, Tin-aw Art Projects, Village Art Gallery, White Walls Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.

1335 Mabini, Art Cube Gallery, Art Elaan, Art for Space

Art Underground, Art Verité, Artery Art Space, Avellana Art Gallery

Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, GALERIA PALOMA, Galerie Stephanie

Gravity Art Space, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, Leon Gallery

Mark Lewis Higgins, METRO Gallery, MONO8, Paseo Art Gallery

Pintô Art Museum, Qube Gallery, SILVERLENS, Sulyap Gallery by Tahanan Pottery,

Super Duper Gallery, TARZEER PICTURES, The Crucible, Tin-aw Art Projects

Village Art Gallery, White Walls Gallery, Ysobel Art Gallery

The Philippines' leading galleries will be joined by a wider roster of foreign galleries including Art Agenda (Singapore and Jakarta), Artemis Art (Malaysia), Gallery Kogure (Japan), Kobayashi Gallery (Japan), Cayón (Spain), GALLERY SCENA (Japan), La Lanta Fine Art (Thailand), Nunu Fine Art (Taiwan), Gajah Gallery (Singapore), Vin Gallery (Vietnam), Yavuz Gallery (Singapore and Australia), and YOD Gallery (Japan).

Art Agenda (Singapore and Jakarta), Artemis Art (Malaysia), Gallery Kogure (Japan), Cayón (Spain)

GALLERY SCENA (Japan), La Lanta Fine Art (Thailand), Nunu Fine Art (Taiwan), Gajah Gallery (Singapore)

Yavuz Gallery (Singapore and Australia), YOD Gallery (Japan)

Several art groups from the three main island clusters of the Philippines will also join the fair for a section that provides regional focus. These exhibitors are: no Space (Luzon), Orange Project (Visayas) and Panit Bukog (Mindanao).

Art FairPH/ Digital

Art Fair Philippines introduces a new section that focuses on digital media, work that incorporates and engages with computer technology, animation, virtual or augmented reality, the metaverse, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). 

The section highlights two special exhibits featuring Filipino digital artists making waves in the global digital art sphere. New York-based Skye Nicolas presents Frequencies of Nostalgia, while Mark Inducil, who currently lives and works in Melbourne, mounts Homecoming.

Skye Nicolas, Mark Inducil

These special exhibits are curated by CryptoArtPH artists Bjorn Calleja and Jopet Arias.

Bjorn Calleja, Jopet Arias

ArtFairPH/ Digital is co-presented by Globe Platinum.

ArtFairPH/Projects and ArtFairPH/Photo Special Exhibits

One highlight of the fair, ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS, will showcase work commissioned especially for the fair from artists who have made an impact both critically and commercially. For this year, Art Fair Philippines works once again with art consultant Norman Crisologo. 

Co-presented by BPI and located at The Link’s Roof Deck, artists mounting special exhibits include Faye Abantao, Kiko Escora, Mark Andy Garcia, Raymond Guevarra, Pow Martinez, Yeo Kaa, and Peter Zimmerman. "BPI sees the works of these talented artists not only as cultural expressions but also as art forms for investing in the future. Art is also a means to immortalize an idea that defines a generation. It is history in the making," said Jenny Lacerna, BPI Product & Sales Head of Unsecured Lending and Cards.

Faye Abantao, Kiko Escora, Pow Martinez, Raymond Guevarra, photos by Jojo Gloria for Art Fair Philippines

Mark Andy Garcia, Yeo Kaa, photos by Jojo Gloria for Art Fair Philippines. Peter Zimmerman, photo from Nunu Fine Art.

Photographer Wawi Navarroza’s series of striking self-portraits, which also feature in a current survey of Southeast Asian photography at the National Gallery of Singapore, come together for As Wild As We Come  for this year’s ArtFairPH/Photo section.  

Other special projects for the fair are a special exhibition by Indonesian artist Yunizar, with YUNIZAR: New Perspectives, and works by German painter, sculptor and object artist Peter Zimmerman. 

Pioneering female abstractionist, Rosario Bitanga, who, in her 80s still practices her art, will also showcase both old and new work in a show Rosario Bitanga: Past, Present, Participant curated by architect and art consultant Miguel Rosales.

Tributes

This year, the fair pays tribute to two art world personalities, Norma Liongoren (Liongoren Gallery), and Albert Avellana (Avellana Art Gallery),  who have recently passed away, leaving their mark on the local art scene with the ground-breaking work of their galleries. 

ArtFairPH/Residencies

The fair will exhibit works from this year’s batch of artists who have completed artist residencies in various parts of the country: IC Jaucian for Manila Observatory, Nicolei Gupit for Linangan Art Residency, Aaron Kaiser Garcia for Emerging Islands, ESL Chen and Jonathan Baldonado for Orange Project, and James Clar for Butanding Barrio. Launched in 2021 in partnership with Bleeding Heart Rum Corporation, makers of Don Papa Rum, ArtFairPH/Residencies is open to all Filipino artists across all disciplines. 

Nicolei Gupit, Aaron Kaiser Garcia, ESL Chen by Raena Abella and Jonathan Baldonado by Jason Quibilan, James Clar

Learning at #ArtFairPH

ArtFairPH/Talks provides fair visitors opportunities to deepen their exposure to various topics that will enhance art appreciation.

ArtFairPH/Talks, created in partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery and Museum Foundation of the Philippines, will continue to offer learning opportunities for Art Fair Philippines visitors with a variety of lectures, panel discussions, and artists talks.  

Augmenting the learning opportunities at the fair is ArtFairPH/Workshops, which focuses this year on digital art, organized with our educational partner Tezos and its Asian arm, TZAPAC. Attend their workshops to  find out how to onboard as a digital artist and learn more about our local crypto art scene.  

ArtFairPH/Film

Art Fair Philippines 2023 will also continue to present ArtFairPH/Film.  The Ateneo Art Gallery curates this year’s program with two evenings of compelling selections.

In Alternative Cinema: History, Theory and Practice, renowned filmmaker and film historian Nick Deocampo presents an overview of the development of alternative cinema in the Philippines. The second night of screenings will feature a selection of lumbung films, featured for DOCUMENTA 15 in Kassel, Germany.  The lineup for the second film evening is co-organized with Resbak and Lost Frames.

10 Days of Art and the Gallery Weekend

Also complementing the fair is the 10 Days of Art initiative, running from February 10 to 19. This series of events around the Makati Central Business District with participation by galleries, museums, bars, restaurants, and retail establishments celebrates art beyond the venue of the fair. 

Gallery Weekend, from February 10 to 12,  kicks off 10 Days of Art.  We encourage visitors to go and see the gallery exhibitions at their respective locations throughout this three-day effort.

For schedule and updates, visit www.10daysofart.com.

Fair tickets can be purchased in advance at www.artfairphilippines.com. Tickets will also be available at the reception area of Art Fair Philippines from February 17 to 19.

For more information, please visit the Art Fair Philippines website and follow Art Fair Philippines on Instagram (@artfairph) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/artfairph).

Art Fair Philippines 2023 is co-presented by AyalaLand, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and  Globe Platinum, with a special project partner Don Papa Rum. The fair is also sponsored by Rizome. Its official hotel partners are Fairmont and Raffles Makati, and Holiday Inn and Suites.