What to expect for Art Fair Philippines’ eighth year

Tomorrow marks the beginning of February, and you know what that means: it’s officially Art Fair month.

Now in its eighth year, the fair returns with its mission to make art more accessible to most of the public (of Metro Manila, at least).

Happening from Friday, Feb. 21 until Sunday, Feb. 23, there are a couple of new additions to the fair, along with some exciting new things in their existing programs.

First off, Art Fair Philippines will introduce a new section in the fair called ArtFairPH/ Open Studios, which are workshops that will complement the ArtFairPH/Talks.

Open Studios will host a slew of seasoned practitioners in the fields of arts and culture, with highlights including a two-day photography workshop with Paco Guerrero, lighting techniques for photographers with Neal Oshima and Mark Nicdao.

Another new section in the fair is ArtFairPH/ Film, which acknowledges and celebrates the evolution of film, from the last and next 100 years.

This section is curated by Erwin Romulo, Philbert Dy and Teddy Co, and is part of the centennial celebration of Philippine Film.

The ArtFairPH/ Film section will screen a selected showcase of Philippine cinema, including some of the best in feature-length, short films, narrative and experimental, and more.

To expand Art Fair’s reach, this year also introduces ArtFairPH/ Incubators, which are creative spaces outside the mainstream gallery format, including exhibitors art/n23, Giatay, Limbo, Loadnadito projects, Project 20 and Signum. 

For its existing programs and sections, this year will also be an exciting edition. The ArtFairPH/ Photo section continues its development, and this year will put the spotlight on contemporary artist Poklong Anading, along with photographs by Denise Weldon/Tom Epperson, Luzviminda, Silverlens Photo, Tarzeer Pictures, and more.

The ArtFairPH/Talks section, on the other hand, will tackle topics like the art of photography in Southeast Asia, being Visayan artists, ethics in photography, and more.

All this, of course, will be accompanied by multiple floors of art on display, at the Art Fair’s home in The Link carpark in the heart of the Makati CBD.

Tickets to the fair may be purchased in advance on artfairphilippines.com, and at the reception area on the fair dates.

Regular tickets are at P350. Discounted tickets are available for students, PWDs and senior citizens, but you must present an ID.  

For more information, visit http://artfairphilippines.com/ and follow @artfairph on Instagram.