Sixty exhibitors representing galleries, art collectives, independent art spaces, and student groups will once again gather on March 19, Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati City for the 17th edition of Art in the Park, the country’s most anticipated affordable art fair. Entrance to the fair is free of charge.
This year’s exhibitors include Ang INK., Arnold Art Collection, ART for Space Gallery, ART LAB: Atelier Cesare & Jean Marie Syjuco, Art Toys PH, Art Underground, Art Verite Gallery, ArtBeat Collective, Artery Art Space, Association of Pinoyprintmakers, Authenticity Zero Collective, Avellana ArtGallery, Boston Art Gallery, CASA San Miguel Foundation Zambales, Cevio Art Haus, Cornerstone Pottery (EJ Espiritu), De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, FA Gallery / ILCP Art Space, Fuse Projects, Galeria de las Islas, Galleria Paloma, Galerie Anna, Galerie Artes, Galerie Stephanie, Imahica Art Gallery, isTorya – Rodel Tapaya and Marina Cruz, J Studio, Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, KASIBULAN – Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan, KOMIKET, Kulay Art Group, Kuta Artists Group, L’arc en Ciel Atelier, MAG, Manila Collage Collective, MONO8, Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Nineveh Artspace, Orange Project, Pangasinan Group, Parokyano ng Malabon, Qube Gallery, Redlab Gallery, Resurrection Furniture, Scarletbox.io, Sheerjoy, Sierra Madre Gallery (Joey de Castro), Space Encounters Gallery, The Mighty Bhutens, The Thursday Group, Tin-aw Art Projects, Triangulum, TUP Manila, UP Artists Circle, UP College of Fine Arts, Urban Sketchers Manila, Village Art Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, vMeme Contemporary Art Gallery, White Walls Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.
A fundraising event, Art in the Park will continue to benefit the Museum Foundation of the Philippines in support of its projects and programs for the National Museum of the Philippines and its network. Since 2006, more than Php 25 million from Art in the Park has been allocated by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines for its projects.
“Art, in many ways, is an investment. The connection each artwork makes its owner feel is the emotion that connects one stranger to another. BPI supports Art in The Park as it enables Filipinos and art enthusiasts to build connections that make the industry further flourish,” said Jenny Lacerna, BPI Product & Sales Head of Unsecured Lending and Cards.
As in years past, Art in the Park organizers handpicked several artists for special exhibits at the fair. This year’s featured artists are Filipino social realist painter Manny Garibay, interdisciplinary contemporary artist Bjorn Calleja, and mosaic artist Kabunyan de Guia.
Manny Garibay is debuting a series of small works, head studies painted on dibord aluminum. The unexpected ground for these paintings lends his images a ghostly, otherworldly air. While experimental in nature, the pieces also showcase his mastery and control over the oil medium.
Born Calleja’s series of charcoal and graphite portraits and ceramic sculptures in Dirty
Hands showcase the artist’s exploration of the relationship between figuration and abstraction. With gestural strokes and exaggerated forms, Calleja imbues the works with a sense of energy and movement, inviting viewers to engage with the physicality of the creative process.
Also on view will be prototypes of lamps, functional art pieces that the artist is currently developing.
Kabunyan de Guia pays tribute to his brother, photographer Kidlat de Guia, who passed away almost exactly one year ago in Madrid, Spain. His installation, Kidlat Ngayon!!!! Isang taon na paglalakbay as soul, creates a lightning bolt or “kidlat”-inspired shrine where visitors can light candles to honor his brother’s memory.
Complementing the vibrant day at Art in the Park, motion graphics artist Isaiah Cacnio will be projecting his work Beauty in Chaos, a digital painting featuring infinitely complex patterns, at tPark.
At the Globe Platinum Lounge, NFT works in honor of cartoonist and national artist for the visual arts, Larry Alcala, will be on view. Presented by Scarlettbox.io, this will feature exciting projects by digital artists Bjorn Calleja, Black Eyed Freaks, Bored Punks of Society, Distort Monsters, Mustachioverse By Ownly, and Planktoons embedded in select Larry Alcala PFPs to create Rares.
For those wanting to grab a bite, or even linger over cocktails, a selection of food and drinks will be available, giving fairgoers the chance to partake of their old, reliable favorites or try new fare. Joining us this year are One World Butcher, 8Cuts, Rafik Shawarma and Pizza di Grazia, Yuan’s Paella Plus, Authentic House of Curry, The Kitchen, Maryland ChickAn, Tita Letty’s Pinoy Deli, Odd Café, Tattooed Baker, Culinary Exchange, Merry Moo, Picolé Healthy Ice Pops, Justainable Juice, Stanford Shaw, Monkey Eagle Brewery, West 103, Origine, Bombvinos, and Arc Gin.
The relaxed and lively vibe of Art in the Park is enhanced by music from Soulful Mood. This continues on into the evening with a flash mob poetry performance by Titik Poetry interspersed with music from Pundaquit Virtuosi from Casa San Miguel in Zambales.
Art in the Park is organized by Philippine Art Events, Inc., for the benefit of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines and with support from Globe Platinum and Bank of The Philippine Islands, and with partners MACEA, Barangay Bel Air, and the Museum Foundation of the Philippines.
For more information, please visit www.artinthepark.ph and follow www.facebook/artinthepark and @artintheparkph on Instagram.
