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MANILA, Philippines – Wondering where you can catch the latest works of local artists? Check out the “biggest art show south of Metro Manila” – the Manila’Bang Show.
The Manila’Bang Show is an annual art event organized by Contemporary Artfairs ManilaPH (CAMP) every December. Its third annual run will happen in Festival Mall, Alabang, from December 7 to 10. Admission is free, so anyone with an interest in the local art scene can drop by.
The four-day fair will feature works from 30 galleries and 26 featured artists, covering a wide range of mediums, including paintings, sculpture, performance art, and new media.
Participants can also join a number of activities, like live performances from local artists, exhibition walkthroughs, and art talks.
This year’s theme is “Everything is Contemporary,” which reflects the Manila’Bang Show’s bold assertion that technology has broken down the barriers defining movements in art history. The past is brought to the present as “muses for our time.”
“It shows that art is a moving thing. It never stands still. The same thing with contemporary now,” CAMP President Leonides David told Rappler.
“You cannot just say it only involves today, what is here now, because developments in technologies, information technology, and video conferencing allows us to bring in even the past in the now,” he said during an interview at the fair’s media launch.
Fairs like these create a place for artists to make a name for themselves, and it’s especially helpful for emerging artists who might otherwise be shuttered out of more “elitist” spaces.
“If your art fair becomes relevant, then they look forward to seeing it. In the process, because of the collective presence of several galleries in the art fair, they bring in their own collectors. So it becomes a melting pot of every interested party in art,” David told Rappler.
For gallery owners who are just starting out, like Leah Cortina of Life N Arts, fairs like this can bring you in a network that supports the country’s blooming art scene.
“We met a lot of artists here kahit last year lang kami nag-join (even if we just joined last year),” Cortina told Rappler.
“Masaya rin na na-expose kami in different forms of arts. Marami kaming nakita na hindi pa namin na-explore sa gallery,” she said.
(It’s been fun since we were exposed to different forms of art. We saw many things that we haven’t explored yet in the gallery.)
Here is the full list of participating galleries and artists.
Participating exhibitors:
- Alfred Galvez and Rie Martin
- Art Anton
- Arte Bettina
- Art Elaan
- Artienda Art Gallery
- Art Point Gallery PH
- Art Portal Cebu
- Art Toys PH
- ART / SPACE* Galeria Bañez
- Cebu Artists Inc.
- Daloy Likha Art Gallery
- drybrush Gallery
- Florentino’s Art Gallery
- Galerie Anna
- Galerie Artes
- Galerie Francesca
- Ides Contemporary Art
- Ilocos Sur Livelihood Museum
- Jef Albea Arts
Featured artists:
- Julius Redillas
- Daniel Dela Cruz
- Shireen Co
- Klaris
- Carlo Andrada Cacho
- Beejay Esber
- Orley Ypon
- Otto Neri
- Jesse Camacho
- Randolf Karl Novis
- Bell Sison
- Kris Soguilon
- Anton Del Castillo
- Rene Cuvos
- Ferdinand Cacnio
- Niccolo Jose
- Rene Cuvos
- Ferdinand Cacnio
- Joshua Palisoc
- Tiny Nuyda
- Charlie Co
- Nune Alvarado
- Ombok Villamor
- Reynard Borillo
- Allain Hablo
- Louie Ignacio
- Marge Organo
Art and technology
The Manila’Bang Show 2023 will also explore the links between art and technology, as the shockwave of disruption begins to shake the art scene too.
The fair features a “live minting session” of NFT artwork and a panel discussion on art and digital technology.
For gallery owner Cortina, artificial intelligence and NFTs remain an interesting possibility that they have yet to fully explore. Growing up in a family of conservative artists – with her mother being a traditional painter – Cortina said that their gallery has so far stuck with traditional art, sculptures, and paintings.
“It can be controversial because there are some ways to scam when it comes to NFTs. So we’re really conservative with that,” she told Rappler.
Meanwhile, CAMP president David embraces the advent of artificial intelligence in the art world, as the disruptive rise of NFT artworks has already primed the industry for change. Contrary to some fears, he believes that artists are in no immediate danger of being replaced by AI.
“Will they replace artists? We do not believe that. Collectors will run after the name, the human factor in it. If it is basically just mechanically prepared, I don’t think that will do,” he told Rappler. – Rappler.com
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