Art Fair PH 2023 Enters 10th Year With Biophilic Design, New Digital Space

Sixty-three exhibitors, a new section for the metaverse and all things digital media, and a biophilic design mark the return of Art Fair Philippines to its original home at The Link in Makati on Feb. 17-19. The country’s biggest festival celebrating contemporary art, Art Fair PH is back to its first full in-person event in three years, following its hybrid setup in 2022 and its online version in 2021.

This year’s iteration, which also signals its 10th anniversary, gathers galleries from the Philippines, including 1335/Mabini, FotoMotoPH, León Gallery, Pintô Art Museum, and Sulyap Gallery by Tahanan Pottery, as well as from overseas such as Art Agenda (Singapore and Jakarta), Artemis Art (Malaysia), Kobayashi Gallery (Japan), Cayón (Spain), La Lanta Fine Art (Thailand), Nunu Fine Art (Taiwan), and more. Click here for the full list of exhibitors.

New Venue Layout

Architect Andy Locsin, administrator and design consultant at Leandro V. Locsin Partners, gave a sneak peek of the venue’s refreshed layout during the fair’s media launch last Feb. 24. He described the new biophilic design as a “journey of discovery where you are never really sure of what is around the corner. There’s an opportunity here to take advantage of how corners are turned.”

Art Fair PH is also forging its path towards sustainability as this year’s layout uses natural bamboo veneers from Bukidnon.

Digital Space

Nodding to the role of technology and innovation in the arts, Art Fair PH introduces a section dedicated to digital media including virtual and augmented reality, nonfungible tokens, and the metaverse. New York-based post-conceptual artist Skye Nicolas presents his “Frequencies of Nostalgia,” while Mark Inducil, who lives and works in Melbourne, mounts his crypto arts in “Homecoming.” CryptoArtPH artists Bjorn Calleja and Jopet Arias are the curators of these special exhibits.

Residencies

The fair also spotlights works from this year’s batch of artists who have completed artist residencies in the Philippines, namely IC Jaucian for Manila Observatory, Nicolei Gupit for Linangan Art Residency, Aaron Kaiser Garcia for Emerging Islands, ESL Chen and Jonathan Baldonado for Orange Project, and James Clar for Butanding Barrio. Art Fair Philippines’ residency program was launched in 2021 in partnership with Bleeding Heart Rum Corporation, makers of Don Papa Rum, to find and hone Filipino creative talents across all disciplines.

Tributes

Art Fair PH pays homage to two leading figures in the local art scene: Norma Liongoren of Cubao’s Liongoren Gallery and Albert Avellana of Pasay-based Avellana ArtGallery. The artists, who passed away in 2016 and 2022, respectively, helped shape the artistic landscape of the country through their ground-breaking galleries.

Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Through the Ateneo Art Gallery and Museum Foundation of the Philippines, fairgoers can also expect a lineup of artist talks, lectures, and panel discussions to boost their appreciation for the arts. Meanwhile, digital art is in focus during the fair’s workshops in collaboration with open-source platform Tezos. Attendees can learn about the local crypto art scene and the journey of becoming a digital artist in this age.

To complement the exhibits inside The Link, Art Fair presents “10 Days of Art,” a series of events around the Makati Central Business District with participation by galleries, museums, bars, restaurants, and retail establishments to celebrate art beyond the venue of the fair. It also brings back Gallery Weekend from Feb. 10-12, where visitors can see exhibitions at their respective locations.

Art Fair PH 2023 Tickets

Art Fair Philippines 2023 runs from Feb. 17-19 at The Link, Ayala Center, Makati. Gates are open from 10 AM to 9 PM. Tickets, which cost P450 for regular passes, are available on their website. For more information, visit Art Fair PH’s Facebook and Instagram.