Fresh Perspectives
We put the spotlight on artist-run spaces and initiatives that bring to the fore new voices in the local art scene.
by Maia San Diego
January 3, 2023
This is an excerpt from Art+ Magazine Issue 88. To read the full interview, get the latest issue available on collectibles by artplus, Shopee, and on select stores of National Bookstore and Fully Booked.
Here are the narratives of today’s artist-run spaces and initiatives. They share their origin stories and vision, and reflect on the role their respective pursuits can play in the Philippine art scene.
FACULTY PROJECTS
How did your artist-run space get started?
Faculty Projects was established by Jason Montinola, together with his friends Valerie Chua and RG Gabunada in 2023. Our primary objective was to foster collaborative opportunities for adiverse array of artists on both local and international fronts. We have a lot of artist friends andwe want to give them a platform or space to create alternative ways to present their work, minustraditional or formal constraints. Apart from exhibitions, we aim to provide alternativedocumentation styles such as books or small publications, enabling the mobility of artisticcreations beyond spatial confinements. We’re all about collaboration and play so we’re open toworking not just with artists and curators, but also with galleries, museums, and other industriesintrigued by explorative art projects.
Where can visitors find you and when can they visit?
We’re not a gallery so we don’t have fixed gallery hours. Our office is located at 54 Santa Rosa St., Kapitolyo, Pasig City. We are open to the public whenever there is a project launch or exhibition. Prospective visitors are encouraged to use our website form to book a viewing appointment with us at Facultyprojects.com.
GRAVITY ART SPACE
How did your artist-run space get started?
Indy Paredes: GAS was established on March 19, 2021 during the transition of an ending pandemic situation, and while people were trying to regain the "normality" of life and living. With my knowledge that QC is a home to artists, I started studying the economics of it and how having a gallery could help more people. The idea of putting up a gallery was spurred when my partner, Melai Matias, asked me what things I know aside from cooking (during that time, we were doing a food business). I said, art. She is into sales and marketing. She asked me to create a catalog of my works because most of her friends asked if they could buy my artworks. At first, I was hesitant to sell, but practicality strikes; we need to sell some to survive. I was so surprised that people were buying works here and there. We sold 3 works to 3 different people. Then one of them asked me if I could sell some of my artist friends’ works. I told Mela it would not be ethical to do this as an artist since it kind of bypasses the role of an art gallery. I worked with 1335MABINI before as their exhibitions coordinator, and with that, I somehow learned the economics and how this art ecosystem works.
Where can visitors find you and when can they visit?
We are located at 1810 Mother Ignacia Ave, Quezon City. We are located near Roces Rotonda, beside the office of the Rotary Club. GAS is situated inside the old NANKA Japanese Steakhouse building. GAS is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 1 pm to 7 pm.
BARAKS
How did your artist-run space get started?
It was established last July 1, 2022. [It started with] six artist friends, namely Archie Oclos, Dennis Bato, Tsarlyboy Salazar, Epi Colorina, Apok, and AMC who have a common interest initially through cycling and, of course, art (though they have diverse practices, including graffiti, street art, installations, mixed media works, sculptures, painting, film and photography).
Where can visitors find you and when can they visit?
The space is around UP village. You can get the exact location by messaging us through IG @baraaaaaks.
TALYER 15
How did your artist-run space get started?
Talyer 15’s founding partners are artists Gerry Tan, Maria Cruz, and Tracie Anglo-Dizon, with arts manager and cultural worker Angel Mojica as the managing studio partner.
Talyer 15 is an artist-run space doing limited edition multiples and is now also working on special projects and collaborations. Talyer 15 started as an online platform that focuses on collaborating with local artists to produce print editions of original works of art. We started with selling one-of-a-kind box sets of limited editions of serigraph art prints. In this day and age of digital immediacy and dissemination, Talyer 15 aims to perpetuate the traditional and experimental processes of handmade printmaking.
Where can visitors find you and when can they visit?
TALYER 15, Unit A15, 2680 F.B. Harrison, Pasay City, Philippines. Located inside the Henry Hotel Compound. Visits are by appointment only. Send us a message on Instagram to schedule a visit.
KALAWAKANSPACETIME
How did your artist-run space get started?
KalawakanSpacetime was founded by graffiti and visual artist Jose Gabriel Naguiat in 2017 and then joined by artist and musician Jan Sunday in 2020.
Both artists run the space’s program of exhibitions and gatherings that involve an amalgamation of underground creative movements emerging from fringe communities in skate, graffiti, punk rock, hip-hop, and psychedelia. The space has served as a platform to many informally trained and self-taught artists both from Metro Manila and other parts of the country, with the intention of introducing countercultural art practices into the Philippine contemporary art sphere.
Where can visitors find you and when can they visit?
KalawakanSpacetime is located on the 2nd floor of the Casa Bella Building, 1046 Quezon Avenue Corner A. Roces Avenue, Brgy. Paligsahan, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. 10am to 7pm by appointment through our gallery attendant Dennis Torres: (0939) 877 4407.
