ArtFX: ManilART 2014 Photo Diary

“We like to watch people. In a gallery setting.”

Last October 15, I was lucky to be invited to the gala night of the biggest and longest-running contemporary art fair in the country. Titled Crossing Borders, this year's edition of ManilART puts a premium on contemporary art, by promoting solidarity through diverse art, culture and heritage, among local and international galleries and artists. 

Now, here's my ManilART experience in pictures:

1. Experience a work of art.

Alab Pagarigan's Almost (Fall of Icarus)

         

Installation by Lindsey James "Lindslee" Lee 

2. Meet an artist in person. 

Artist Lydia Velasco with fellow artist contemplate on her work.

3. See a work of art hanging next to other works of art. 

4. A gallery is a place to go meet up with friends, bond with loved ones, exchange ideas and to build a community of like-minded artists. 

5. Art allows us to see ourselves and our community through a different lens. 

Migs Villanueva's Sweet Cheeks and Velvet Apples 

Zhang Yuxi's Life and Time 

Manuel Baldemor's Homage to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Lydia Velasco's Inang Kalikasan is made with oil on canvas.

Romulo Galicano's The Triumph of Life Over Death

Fernando Amorsolo 

6. Art even transports us to different places and cultures. 

Jaspher Penuilar's Peppermint Series 

Reyber Ramos's Versus

Christian Tamondong's The Bird of Venus from Secret Fresh 

7. Be surprised at what you see and whom you meet. 

Aileen Lanuza's Warhol's Alter Ego 

8. Support your local art galleries by visiting them and experience the possibilities. 

ArtFX: Surrealist Ivatan Artist Showcase at ManilART 2014

Isagani Fuentes

Christian Tamondong 

   

Max Balatbat's Landscape

Jaspher Penuilar's Peppermint Series

The color is the artist's message

Few people notice about the role of color when they see an artwork. It is perhaps the most fundamental element in every piece of art, yet one that is usually taken for granted by most viewers. 

However, an Ivatan (Batanes native) contemporary artist proves that there is a lot more to color than meets the eye. Exploring the dynamic and intimate relationship of human experiences and colors, Xavier Abelador tries to change the way people perceive art in relation to life.

“Once in a Red Moon”

Abelador's Once in a Red Moon attempts to illustrate the unquenchable thirst of human desire, by using imagery composed of surrealism and symbolism as a containment of what is evident and experiential. His concept resonates on a chronic problem in today's value system: the insatiable want of people to acquire and to satisfy.

                 

The usage of visual representations including the obscure columnar stone of Batanes for a dissatisfied person and the red moon as the supreme being evoke a return to the inner depths of personhood, to search not only for personal gratification but that of spiritual needs.

His latest acrylic on canvas was displayed at the Booth B5 of ManilART 2014 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig last October 15 to 19.

“Red Conversation”
                          

According to Abelador, all displayed paintings at ManilART's Booth B5, named the Viewing Room Gallery, explore the various nature of the color red and how it affects one's outlook, thus titled Red Conversation. This exhibit offers not a spectacle but an exchange of ideas into the color's application and significance and whether, in an artistic perspective, the effect is positive or negative.

                          

S.I.G.A is the newest group of talented young Filipino contemporary visual artists to grace the Philippine art scene. The 8-piece group is a brainchild of Cevio Art Haus gallery owner, Atty. Cecilio Tobillo, who envisions the group to be the most promising and likely the next future stars of the art world. Composed of Jessie Mondares, Xavier Abelador, Odoi Villalon, Keith Paras, Michael Velasco, Ronante Maratas, Siefred Guilaran and Rodel Jacintos, the artists were carefully screened and selected based on their talent and potential. “Siga” in the vernacular Filipino term translates to “make a fire” or in its colloquial form “no fear to show off”. Carrying this moniker, the group aims to blaze trails in the local art scene by showcasing their work without any fear or hesitation. 

In this exhibit, S.I.G.A reveals about “finding and understanding the meaning of red, and how this color affects one's personality; how it becomes essential to life. Not only is it the color of blood but also one of the most recognized representations of symbolism in this world, either positive or negative”.

Check out these amazing artists' artworks and current exhibitions at the Cevio Art Haus.

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Cevio Art Haus. 60 San Isidro Street, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City. 

Open daily from 12 pm to 8 pm except Sunday. (02) 656-4931. https://www.facebook.com/cevioarthaus