August 06, 2010
Manila has seen another rich produce of contemporary Filipino art in ManilArt 10 held from July 30 – August 1, 2010 at the Hall 4 of the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.
ManilArt 10 is the second Philippine international art fair to be hosted in the country participated by the country’s leading art galleries, including some from the Asian region. Organized by the Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (BAGO) Inc. composed of 30 Metro Manila-based art galleries, ManilArt 10 is a follow up to the much-talked about ManilArt 09 held last year. With a funding from The National Commission for Culture and Arts, all the 30 member galleries of BAGO were provided with one booth each, with 40 extra booths allotted to regional and foreign galleries. Each booth measured 12 x 24 sq. m. in area and displayed the works of at least 70 visual artists. Alongside the said exhibition were art lectures, fora, auction, painting demonstration, including the launch of the Art Fair catalog priced at P300 each.
The lectures included topics such as “The Ateneo Art Awards†(by Mr. Ramon Lerma Jr., Curator, Ateneo Art Gallery, “Legal Issues In Expression†(by former NCCA Commissioner Atty. Trixie C. Angeles, “Public Domain, Private Hell: A Study of Images in Contemporary Art†(by Cid Reyes, art critic and visual artist), “SPARKS: Illuminating the Filipino Self†(by Jose Tence Ruiz, visual artist), “The Preservation and Conservation of Works of Art on Paper†(by Alexandra Bothello, conservator of rare books, photographs and works of art on paper), “Artwork Photography†(by Ross Capili, professional photographer and visual artist), including the much-welcomed topic “AFM – Philippine Artist Residency, Residence Program for Filipinos in France†(by Ms. Deanna Ongpin-Recto, President of Alliance Francaise De Manille and Mr. Stéphane Doutrelant, Director of Alliance Francaise De Manille).
Some of the artists whose works were showcased included Orley Ypon, Gabriel Barredo, Anthony Palomo, Carlo Gabuco, Anton Mallari, Jef Cawaon Cablog, Leo Velasco, Demosthenes Campos, Joel Mahilum, Annie Cabigting, Joselito Jandayan, Marlon Magbanua, Jojo Austria, Chriseo Sipat, Sam Penaso, Lirio Salvador, John Marin, Melvin Culava, Jojit Solano, Rick Hernandez, Resty Tica, Heraldo Corpus, Jonathan Joven, Ronald Jeresano, including Bacolod-based artists Roderick (R.A.) Tijing, Ian Valladarez, and Sony Golez, Davao-based artist Kublai Millan, and Kim Santiago, a 20-year old artist from Bulacan who turned in an impressive work for this exhibit.
The by-invitation-only gala night on July 29, served as a delectable multi-sensual preview to the entire art fair and was highlighted by a program participated by Noel Cabangon who also sang the national anthem, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and the Ballet Manila, which performed a number called “Fire,†Grace Nono and the Tao Music Group, which performed “Salidummay, among other eclectic performances for the night. There was even the music-mixing number done by DJ Christina Badkiss
Supporters of the said event were also recognized namely NCCA Chair Vilma Labrador, former NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Napoleon Abueva, and Ben Cabrera.
Capping the gala night was a raffle that involved a Janina jewelry package worth P100,000.00 and a closing message from BAGO President, Jonathan Sy (Bonafide Art Galleries Organization) that underlined the importance of such an event in creating the much needed awareness on the current visual art scene among every Filipino and creating as well a key venue to showcase to the international art community the country’s homegrown talents.
ManilArt 10 opened its doors to the general public starting July 30 to August 1, 2010 with admission tickets priced at P200. View the complete list of exhibitor galleries at http://www.manilart.com
