Attention art lovers! Here's what to expect at ManilART 2024
Get ready to fuel your passion for art as ManilART 2024 is set to showcase masterpieces from more than 200 artists and a new book on the works of renowned visual artist Ramon Orlina.
From Oct. 9 to 13 at the SMX Aura Convention Center at SM Aura Premier in Taguig City, the longest-running visual arts fair in the Philippines will shine the spotlight on “diversity, complexity, and interconnectedness in artistic expressions” in Philippine contemporary art.
With the theme “Prisms & Mosaics,” this year’s ManilART will showcase 34 exhibitors in over 40 booths and present over 260 local and international artists under one roof.
Continue reading to find out what’s in store for you.
A new book about Ramon Orlina
Orlina, a contemporary glass sculptor admired for his skills in creating beautiful figures from glass blocks without heat, is celebrating his 50th year in the craft with the launch of his 570-page book titled “Ramon Orlina: Visions in Glass” on Oct. 9.
Written by Cid Reyes, the book explores Orlina's life from his childhood years up to the time he mastered the art of sculpting. The pages are also sprinkled with pictures of his works captured by none other than the artist himself and other trusted photographers.
“I started from scratch, nobody taught me. I practiced architecture before, but sculpture is different. But architecture helped me because if you’re working on material, you need science, and science is what I learned from architecture. It’s very different from finishing fine arts,” said Orlina on what he wants readers to take away from his story.
Learn more about AI art
It’s safe to say that artworks generated by artificial intelligence (AI) have garnered a lot of controversy in recent times, which is why ManilART is encouraging visitors to pause and reflect on the topic through their special exhibit titled “Plugged into Fernalia: Art in the Age of AI.”
Curated by Gromyko Semper, the display aims to delve into how artistry can thrive in an AI-driven world and what it could mean for the future of art.
The exhibit gathered answers from various artists on their interpretations of AI’s impact on their craft and formed an impactful story that’s divided into four thematic sections.
“Origins and Inspirations” looks back on the initial promise brought by AI to the artistic landscape; “Ethics and Appropriation” talks about artists’ worries over companies using AI for creative content; “Human vs. Machine” compares AI-generated art with human-made works; and “Future Visions” visualizes the future of creativity in an AI-dominated world.
Marvel at three-dimensional works
You can’t have an art exhibit without masterpieces that are too magnificent to be contained in mere canvases.
ManilART promises countless three-dimensional artworks displayed at the exhibit that offer unique artistic expressions.
Complementing the traditional paintings and murals by master illustrators, the art fair also includes a stunning array of glass sculptures by Orlina himself, dazzling wall-bound metalworks by Ombok Villanueva, woven wood functional art by Agi Pagkatipunan, giant brass insects and birds by Jik Villanueva, and translucent ostrich egg carvings by ManilART Head Curator Danny Rayos del Sol.
A mural on the West Philippine Sea
One of the most important functions of art is raising awareness on serious issues, and one problem that has been plaguing the Philippines for quite some time now is the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
ManilART seeks to highlight this concern through a three-part mural-sized canvas titled “The Wave” by hyperrealist Ed Coronel.
Triggered by the conflict on the West Philippine Sea and continuing tensions in the region, Coronel uses the imagery of gigantic black waves catching his iconic Grand Prize-winning gummy bears to symbolize resilience against dominating forces.
The painting can be viewed at the ManilART central podium area.
The complete list of exhibitors is as follows:
To enjoy the art fair, you can purchase tickets online through Ticketbooth. General admission is priced at P250 each and allows you access to the fair from Oct. 10 to 13, but if you would like to enjoy the VIP preview and gala night on Oct. 9, you may opt to get the VIP Access tickets worth P2,500 each.
Now in its 16th year, ManilART was established in 2009 as an annual flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.