Know That Platform: AITP Exhibitor Spotlight

For its 15th year, Art in the Park 2021 came dropping in with a 60-strong exhibitor loadout. An offering of over 6,000 artworks is an insane amount, and you can bet that these galleries, collectives, schools, and art groups have their best foot put forward. Expect a high-caliber array of paintings, pottery, prints, photographs, and mixed media —not one of which goes beyond the 50,000 PHP cap. To boot, right along with are artist spotlights and featured events every 5:30 PM. 

Art in the Park continues until February 28, online. This is the time when crowds of people congregate and score major grabs, spot the next sexy thing, and become proud collectors of unique pieces by exceptional, homegrown talents, all at a couple clicks of a button. But what happens when someone beats you to the punch? Or when the timing just isn’t right: your belt’s been kept tight, and it’s not money, but lint that lines your pockets? Drat.

Considering art smartly does not always involve a trigger finger or money, thankfully. Do as collectors do, as they say. Keep tabs on the galleries and groups that feature sensibilities and approaches you resonate with. Because, at the base of it, what has kept events like Art in the Park going for 15 years is that artists continue and continue to make. Their styles refine over time, while their works are always first seen at shows in the platforms where they exhibit. There’s no greater pull toward art (and, if possible for you, collecting) than seeing the shows of artists you like regularly. The rapport, rather than the first impression, can sometimes be enough to help decide between an immediate buy and a hard sell. So, when it comes to where you’re heading next after the 28th, why not continue to ride the AITP high and pay some of its exhibitors a visit? 

Below is a picture reel of artworks exclusively on offer at Art in the Park, listed according to a trimmed number of exhibitors (several of whom are the team’s usual haunts). To visit the event, click here.

Association of Pinoy Printmakers

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When it comes to works on paper, there’s no better group. The Association of Pinoyprintmakers (AP, for short) recently concluded Thrive, a group exhibition at Gallery C of Conrad Hotel Manila. Before that, they worked closely with CCPVAMD for the release of their 20/30 limited edition print portfolio. They hold an annual year-ender called Art by the Bay, which showcases the latest developments in their practices, complete with programs and workshops to introduce people to their respected discipline.

Vinyl on Vinyl

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Dedicated to pushing the envelope with all things pop culture, particularly its distortion, Vinyl on Vinyl is unique in its devotion to promoting emerging genres. Currently on view at their space is Fiat Lux, a group show of works by Reen Barrera, Dennis Bato, Anton Belardo, Anjo Bolarda, Miguel Paolo Borja, Teo Esguerra, Tyang Karyel, Roger Mond, Gabriel Tiongson, TRNZ, Ciane Xavier, and Chalk Zaldivar.

On exhibit, too, is a solo show of A.Lien titled Trash Talk, which upcycles discarded material and refuse to make dynamic wall-bound pieces with sculptural qualities; there’s also a two-person exhibition titled What We Are with Pauline Reynolds and August Espino, surrounding clashing aspects of identity; finally, there’s Hope and Dreams in Open Fields, a solo of the wry and playful abstract art of Alexander Lim.

Artery Art Space

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An alternative, artist-run space in a refashioned apartment complex along P. Tuazon, Cubao, Artery Art Space hosts tasteful solo and group exhibitions, often mixing the emerging and precocious with more established, mid-career artists. Their bookshop is equally excellent. On view now is Resilient Impressions, a group show featuring the works of Art Tavera, Mikko Baladjay, Danna Espinosa, and Julieanne Ng celebrating their fresh approaches to abstract art. A case in point are the works of Art Tavera, whose crude strokes and use of vibrant colors have been described as a mark of his abstract and graffiti influences, while his canvas meanwhile express tension, deception, and vulnerability, as if amid a meltdown of sorts. 

Galerie Stephanie

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With its eyes set on the international stage, Galerie Stephanie has been moving about the global crosscut for the past four years, exhibiting both local and foreign artists abroad as well as at the home turf. Their recently concluded International Contemporary Art Fest is an annual affair, which serves as a yearly capstone to these efforts. Upcoming at their gallery is a solo show by Italian artist, Nunzio Paci.

Silverlens

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With its artist representations, institutional collaborations, and exhibitions, there is none more astute than Silverlens. Nor, likely, as rigorous with positioning its artists in a wider contemporary dialogue. Upcoming for Silverlens is its participation in South South Veza, with Martha Athienza, Norberto Roldan, and Pow Martinez representing. South South Veza is a selling event and the official launch key of SOUTH SOUTH, a new online art repository and aggregator of works pertinent to the Global South. Ongoing, meanwhile, are two solo exhibitions, Exoskeleton and Flux by returning artists Nicole Coson and Frank Callaghan, respectively.

Art Underground

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Shy to no medium nor exhibition type, Art Underground features a range of artists with their creativity undergirding. They had just recently concluded The Hypnotist, a solo exhibition by self-taught artist Jefkin Bienes. Bienes belongs to the Neo Angono Artists Collective; his works present a surrealist take on the universal value of time.

Modeka Art Online

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A curated collection by Modeka Art, Modeka Art Online is vested in supporting the arts community via the online sale of works by Filipino, Asian, and international artists alike. Modeka Art, meanwhile, has a partnership with Gajah Gallery for The Philosophy of Color, an upcoming group show featuring the works of Nasser Lubay, Peter Yuill, Rosit Mulyadi, and Dini Nur Aghnia. Alongside will be two shows: The Cracks That Bind Us curated by Stephanie Frondoso, which signals artist Aleth Ocampo’s return to painting; and Lexikon, a solo show by Gabby Prado. These are all slated for launch on February 27.

All images courtesy of its respective artists and represented galleries.