Got Lost in Art

I've been attending Art Fair Philippines for the past few years and I gotta admit, it's a blast every single time. Thanks to our university professor for introducing this to us a few years back. If not for the pandemic, this would've been my nth art fair, but hey, at least I made it to this year's event.

Art Fair PH is located at the Link, it's the parking building between Shangri-la Hotel Makati and Landmark, and has 4 floors full of exhibits.

Art Fair Philippines has evolved over the years. And guess what? This year's Art Fair features 63 local and international galleries and exhibitors. What makes it more awesome is that it features more interactive pieces.

For this year's event, I went with my friend, Kat. We paid Php 450 or $7.94 for the entrance ticket and it came with a wristband for all-day access. Those four floors of exhibits are totally worth it! Money well spent.

One of the cool things about wandering through all the art in the fair is stumbling upon a hidden gem. Who would've thought we'd actually meet @hiddenblade here?

Art Fair Philippines 2023 also features digital and crypto art.

While we were checking out Luis Buenaventura's piece 'Handmade', which focuses on AI's inability to create hands compared to human artists, I told Kat that the girl with the curly hair looked familiar.

Kat approached them first and we ended up with a picture together. Thanks @spintwister for taking the photo! Hidden was there because her art's in the exhibit as well! Super cool! We did wish @jude.villarta was there too.

I'm pretty sure this is Kapitan Kulam's red and black artworks. The phrase Sanayan lang ang Pag-iyak speaks to me in some sort. I felt the frustrations in their art.

The one in the middle with 'Everything You See is Absurd' reminds me of one of my favorite topics in Literature, Camus' perspective that life is absurd and the story of Sissyphus. Would like to talk more about this but maybe I'd do that in a separate post.

There's also this art featuring a vault with an onion inside. It was a blast from the past. Remember when onions were considered a luxury? They were so expensive back then!

This particular exhibit gives me the vibes of 'The Yellow Wallpaper', especially with all those flowery elements. More on its floral content but it would take you to a stream of consciousness. It goes to show that there's more beneath the surface, a sight beyond what meets the eye.

I'm totally loving this one! This piece, in particular, really resonates with me. I found myself emphatizing with the character in this art.

If you take a closer look, you'll find some words and phrases involved.

This one somehow mirrors the art of Robert Campin - The Annunciation. It depicts the woman as diligent in her spirituality yet imprisoned.

In Rosit's artwork, the opened window was blocked by red paint. The window represents freedom but there's none in this particular piece. I'd like to talk about how even the smallest details in this painting add to the general theme but I think I'll save that for another post.

Overall, Rosit's painting symbolizes the place where mothers can relax, free from chores, and simply enjoy some activities that they may never have gotten to do - like reading a book or spending time for themselves.

There's this interactive art where we can spin the frame and find the right angle. Each turn gives us a whole new take on the dance. Awesome, right?

Then we passed by these two child-like figures with a bomb and when I checked the back, it had 'WAR SUCKS' written on it.

Given all the war in various countries due to conflicts, this serves as a reminder of how it impacts everyone.

You can also see the humor and irony in the artists' take on societal commentaries on their works. I couldn't stop myself from capturing their creations.

Jojit Solano's works mostly take religious imagery and turn them into corrupt versions. This one is kinda like a twisted 'The Last Supper' but with priests and politicians perceived as clowns.

I couldn't help but be drawn to this one. It sort of brings to mind one of my favorite films, The House (2022). It's composed of three stories across different eras about a house. I could talk about this for hours! It was a bit strange, creepy, and disturbing but in a really cool way! So if you liked Coraline, I bet you'd love this film.

Anyway, enough of the film. What do you think of Kakinuma Hiroki's Neighbor(a)?

This one depicts my overall mood. I've been a fan of Nika Dizon's art ever since I came across one of her works on Twitter. If you were to pick one from the pabitin, which one would you choose?

P. Michael Daza's handcrafted robot sculpture 'Fix Me' really grabbed my attention. With 727 handmade pieces made of brass, aluminum, iron, steel, copper, glass, and mahogany wood, it's mind-blowing! I'm curious how long it took him to put this masterpiece together.

And look at these interactive exhibits. Brandon Braza's 'Disconnected Connections Through Time', where the viewer drops coins into the machine for the image to come to life for a short period of time, is similar to Pisonet where the user puts coins into the machine for internet access.

Art De Leon's Reconnect somehow have the Sza's album vibes! His work depicts how someone can rise up and make an effort to reconnect with whatever they've lost. I like the first one, invigorate.

Jade Suayan's 'To Destroy is to Create' explores the connection of destruction and creation and how destruction can serve as an inspiration to create something new.

There you have it, a glimpse of the Art Fair PH 2023!

Compared to the past years of attending this event, there were more attendees this year. It's somehow a sign that there's a growing interest in art here in the Philippines. Hoping to see more next year!