This year’s ManilART fair officially opened at the SMX Aura Convention Center inside the SM Aura Premier mall in Taguig City last October 9, 2024. ManilART is the longest-running visual arts fair in the Philippines and is touted as the country’s National Art Fair.
With the central theme ‘Prisms and Mosaics’, the sixteenth installment of the art fair aims to celebrate the diversity of Filipino artistic expression as well as the interconnectedness of the country’s artists all around the Philippines.
“Much like a prism, art is a reflection of our culture and heritage, but also our struggles and triumphs. It encompasses a breadth of perspectives, techniques, and stories. And like a mosaic, Filipino contemporary art forms a cohesive image of us as a nation,” said NCCA Deputy Executive Director Bernan Joseph R. Corpuz in a speech he delivered on behalf of NCCA Chair Victorino Manalo.
The five-day fair is studded with an ambitious roster, garnering 34 exhibitors in over 40 booths presenting 260 artists collectively at the convention center.
Ranging from traditional art forms to the emerging artificial intelligence, the fair comprises of an abundance of artworks created in different ways across different mediums; a testament to ManilART’s commitment to recognize local artists across the country.
After the fair’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, renowned glass sculptor Ramon Orlina also launched his new book entitled ‘Visions in Glass.’ The book launch also served as an exhibit with several Orlina pieces adorning the SMX Convention Center lounge.
Both the launches of ManilART 2024 and Orlina’s book coincide with the Museums and Galleries Month which is celebrated every October by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 798, s. 1991.
Organized by the ManilArt Foundation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and its curation headed by Danny Rayos del Sol, ManilART 2024 ran from October 9 to 13 at the SMX Aura Convention Center. For more information on the proceedings of the fair, visit the ManilArt website of their official Facebook page.
For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Head, Public Affairs and Information Office, through pais@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.
