Through the hustle and bustle city of Makati, there lies a haven for the culture and the arts. Every corner, there’s art to be found, from the brilliantly structured buildings that are home to the Philippines’ biggest companies, to its parks, museums, galleries and malls—truly a ground that breathes and radiates art in all its forms, catering to art enthusiasts and culture vultures.
Offering a variety of activities all year round, with plays, shows, art classes, book launches and several art exhibits, there is no doubt that Makati has become the most ideal destination to engage a vast variety of audiences to witness the best in local art, culture and history. Makati has also become the go-to city for tourists from different parts of the globe as it continues to offer innovative projects for regional and global artists alike.
A tradition that began in 2013, Art Fair Philippines is the prime avenue to exhibit and sell top-notch modern and contemporary visual art. This February 16 to 19, the Art Fair Philippines will kick off at Makati’s premier lifestyle district. Set to happen at The Link carpark in Ayala Center, the Art Fair Philippines will once again transform a nondescript space for those who seek to discover the best in Philippine and Southeast Asian contemporary art.
Makati City has transformed the art scene as it attracts the international community, from auction houses to galleries, to enthusiasts. It has become a world-class platform that puts Makati on the map alongside other cities around the world, as it continually creates projects that pioneers art, from its walkways, to the parks, to the streets.
“Makati has become the home for only the finest in local art, as well as a ground for Filipino artists to express their artistic talents in a place accessible to everyone – families, office workers, even the younger millennial generation, making more individuals aware of the Philippines’ competitive art scene. We are delighted to have Makati as the Art Fair’s home again this 2017” says Cathy Bengzon, Ayala Land Head of Corporate Marketing.
The Art Fair Philippines will showcase the finest pieces of art from galleries across the country and the region. This year, Art Fair Philippines will also have several talks and activities that will cater not only to art enthusiasts but to the general public as well, making it a world-class platform for exhibiting and selling modern and contemporary art.
The Art Fair Philippines will have 34 local participating galleries, and 12 international galleries. These include: 1335 Mabini, Altro Mondo Arté Contemporanea, Archivo 1984, ARNDT, Art Cube Gallery, Artinformal, ART LAB, Art Underground, Art Verite’, Artesan Gallery + Studio, Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Finale Art File, Gajah Gallery, Galería Cayón, Galerie Anna, Galerie Michael Janssen, Galerie Stephanie, Galleria Duemila, Gallery Kogure, Gallery Orange, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, Asian Cultural Council/Leon Gallery, MO_Space, Nunu Fine Art, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinto Art Gallery, ROH Projects, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, TAKSU, The Crucible Gallery, The Drawing Room, Tin-aw Gallery, Underground Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, West Gallery, XuArtspace, Yavuz Gallery, Ysobel Gallery, and YOD Gallery.
To complement the fair, Art Fair Philippines will launch 10 Days of Art that will happen from February 9 to 19, featuring a series of events around Makati, special exhibits and tours across museums in the metro, with exclusive Art Fair menus and after parties in establishments as the Museum Cafe, Pappy Bistro, Pablo, Cartel Deli, The Belle and Dragon, 20:20, Finder Keepers, Black Market, XX XX, Bar Mathilde, Bucky’s, Pura Vida, and Z Hostel. Mastercard holders are in for a treat during the 10 Days of Art campaign. For every order of the special Art Fair dish or drink at these participating Makati restaurants using their Mastercard, a special Art Fair token will be given.
All forms of art can surely be found in Makati with Silent Disco, the experimental music and headphone gathering set in Makati’s urban oasis – the Ayala Triangle Gardens. On the 18th of February, 6 DJs will compete for a chance to battle it out against 9 local DJs and 9 foreign DJs from Japan, Sweden and Hong Kong during the Silent Disco at Malasimbo Music Festival. Alongside the Silent Disco, guests will also be treated to gustatory treats from the Street Market at Ayala Triangle.
Makati is a living artwork in itself where visual, public art exists in every corner. Art enthusiasts and the Makati community alike will be indulged with urban art installations set across various areas within the city. Under the Legazpi underpass there will be a mural of repeating patterns mirroring the existing underpass murals created by Cavity Collective. In the Legazpi Patio, Pete Jimenez’ Sampaguita installation will give a whole new meaning to art created from scrap materials, as the artist himself is known for turning scrap into whimsical metal sculptures. Greenbelt 5’s Fashion walk will play host to Charlie Co, internationally-renowned visual artist known for his surreal interpretation of current events, with Bombardment.
Art doesn’t solely exist in enclosed spaces for the central business district as there will also be art found in various walkways across the city—the Humans of Makati photographs by Xyza Cruz Bacani that showcases the diverse urban lifestyle and personality of Makati and how it constantly evolves itself, will deck the length of the Dela Rosa elevated walkway. Light installations from repurposed Christmas decors created by Derek Tumala is set to enhance the walking experience at the elevated walkway leading to Glorietta’s Landmark.
Headlining the public art installations around the city is the Southeast Asian premiere of Street by British-born painter and filmmaker, James Nares. Street is a 61-minute slow motion video montage that captures the people of Manhattan, New York as they live life in the city of hustle and bustle, as if they had been caught in a dream.
Street has been shown at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Wadsworth Museum of Art in Connecticut and Saint Louis Art Museum, and featured in well-known publications such as the New York Times and The New Yorker. And this year, James Nares’ world-class masterpiece will play at a specially installed video screen in Ayala Triangle from February 14 to 19, 12 – 2PM and 5 – 9PM daily. The community of Makati can also experience busker performances at the Makati walkways and underpasses happening daily from Feb. 13 – 19, 12nn and 5pm.
It goes without saying that the Art Fair Philippines is at the most appropriate venue, the most fitting enclave to exhibit the best in Philippine contemporary art because in the realm of culture and the arts, Makati is a trailblazer in innovating activities that highlight local art, culture and history. It is definitely the place where it all happens as art pulsates all over the city going beyond the Art Fair at The Link. In Makati, all forms of art has a home.
Art Fair Philippines 2017’s 10 Days of Art campaign is brought together by Ayala Land and Make It Makati, in partnership with the Makati Commercial Estate Association, Ayala Corporation, and Makati Shangri-La Manila as the official hotel partner for the James Nares Street video installation.
Art Fair Philippines Official Hotel Partners: The Raffles and Fairmont Makati and the Holiday Inn and Suites.
Art Fair Philippines Official Media Partners: Summit Media, The Philippine Star, and CNN
Art Fair Philippines Food and Beverage Partners: Don Papa Rum, Kai, and the Straits Wine Company.
For more information about the city that makes it happen, visit www.makeitmakati.com and follow MakeItMakati on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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