Please don’t touch the art.
These five words echo in the hallowed halls of galleries and museums worldwide. And, for good reason.
Touching art risks transferring the oil and grime from our hands onto hundred-year-old objects. It also means an increased likelihood of accidentally hitting or knocking something over. Or worse: malicious vandalism. To ensure the safety of these works, the command “Please don’t touch the art” creates an invisible barrier between the viewer and the work.
Even if the primary way to appreciate art is through looking — it’s called the visual arts — the process of creation is tactile. Sculptors play with clay, bend metal, and mold plastic. Similarly, painters experiment with different paint-to-water ratios with acrylic and watercolors. Experiencing how materials work is vital to understanding art. But, how can we do so when we shouldn’t touch the art?
Art In The Park offers an avenue that makes art-touching happen.
For its eighteenth edition this year, AITP took place on Sunday, March 17 at the Jaime C. Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati. You could peruse and purchase work from 60 exhibitors, ranging from established galleries to young art collectives to individual artists. Entrance to AITP is also free. And, the organizers put a price cap of PHP 70,000 (USD 1,250) on all items, up from PHP 50,000 (USD 890) in previous years. These qualities lower the barrier of entry to art appreciation and collecting.
The fair was founded by the Art Foundation in 2006 by Art Foundation, which also founded Art Fair Philippines in 2013. AITP offers emerging collectives and galleries to a platform to test the waters before joining larger fairs, like Art Fair Philippines. Additionally, a portion of AITP’s proceeds go to the Museum Foundation of the Philippines.
What sets AITP apart, though, is its casual atmosphere. Exhibitors set up shop in tents. They display paintings in piles and stacks, instead of on white walls. Oh, and most of the artwork is sealed under layers of bubble wrap. If you want to look at something, you need to touch it. But, if you didn’t touch the art this time around – no worries. Here’s a list of highlights from AITP:
Looking For Gems
AITP’s price cap allows collectors to buy high-quality work that could increase in value down the line. Our very own Dr. Anthony Marc Ancheta credits purchasing from the fair as one of his best decisions as an art collector. The experience of searching for a piece trains collectors to observe the construction of and technique used in the work. And, the possibility of finding a gem, like this unsigned artwork from Filipino master BenCab, draws art lovers every year.
The exhibitors offered visitors a smorgasbord of work to choose from. Galerie Anna showcased exquisite sketches by painter Lydia Velasco. Art Fair Philippines regulars Orange Project and MONO8 and AITP veteran Tin-aw Art Gallery mounted eye-catching displays.
A handful of collectives also shined at AITP. Artist-run space Kalawakan SpaceTime had a selection that was equal parts experimental, effervescent, and eclectic. Some paintings and sculptures reference digital image motifs, such as the transparent PNG grid. Ang Ilustrador Ng Kabataan (Ang INK), the Philippines’s first and only organization for children’s illustration, showcased beautiful watercolors and some cheeky pamaypays. Lastly, Sheer Joy Collective featured warm works that could live in one’s home.
Making Art Part Of Daily Life
In addition to encouraging the handling of fine art, AITP also hosted exhibitors who specialize in functional art and design. Looking For Juan had puzzles, activity books, and art prints with designs from Filipino artists like BenCab. Komiket, Manila’s main convention organizer, showed comic books, original illustrations, and limited-edition prints. Archivo 1984, a gallery that specializes in vintage publications had a gorgeous flatlay. You could also purchase handmade pottery from Sierra Madre Pottery Studio, Cornerstone Pottery Farm, and Pettyjohn Pottery.
These art objects not only make great gifts but also let us engage with art in a more personal way. A BenCab puzzle set compels us to study the artist’s compositions more closely, at our own time. A beautifully glazed mug could make our morning coffees a little sweeter.
Special Exhibits And Installations
In every edition of AITP, the organizers select a few artists for special exhibits. This year, painters Demi Padua, Clarence Chun, and Pepe Delfin mounted their works in the Art Foundation tent, curated by Gwen Bautista, which followed the traditional gallery format. Delfin along with digital artist and musician Jon Deniega prepared site-specific installations.
Delfin’s installation, “Someday We’ll Be Encased In Amber,” is an inventive expansion of her practice to include audience participation. The artist is known for paintings of geometric cityscapes inspired by Josef and Anni Albers, who were associated with the Bauhaus. For “Someday We’ll Be Encased In Amber,” Delfin shows a mural of a black-and-white skyline. Visitors could get green, red, blue, pink, orange, and yellow circles and stick them onto the mural. The dots allow visitors to situate themselves within Delfin’s world while also co-creating a new, layered composition.
Next to Delfin’s work was Deniega’s multimedia video installation, “The Primary of Consciousness.” Here, Deniega projects videos of abstracted Rorschach patterns on a configuration of cubes. The work speaks to how our subconscious affects our perception of the world around us. Deniaga’s practice also focuses on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which allow digital-based artists to create a unique ID for their work. His special project at AITP also marked the fair’s continued exploration of NFTs, which started back in 2022.
Works In Progress
AITP also celebrated the creative process by giving space for works in progress. Globe Telecom’s lifestyle arm, 0917, collaborated with contemporary gallery Vinyl on Vinyl to produce a mural onsite. Vinyl on Vinyl tapped three of its artists, Mimaaaaaaaaw, Seeweirdo, and Mark Weigh, to collaborate around the theme “Go.” The artists worked throughout the day — yes, in Manila’s early summer heat — on a composition that features three characters on a bicycle. Seeing an artist work live is the best way to grasp the process of bringing a piece to life.
Making art isn’t limited to professional creatives. Kids got a taste of the process through My Tiny Canvas, an artist-run pop-up studio helmed by artist Nikki Ocean that offers art lessons. In the booth, kids drew designs on paper butterfly cut-outs. Upon finishing a drawing, My Tiny Canvas pinned these butterflies on the wall, next to work from their artist roster. Putting children’s drawings along with those of experienced artists celebrates the uninhibited pursuit of wonder and play across all ages.
That’s A Wrap
This year’s edition of, arguably, Manila’s most accessible art fair ended on a high note. Art In The Park did what it does best: cultivating a light-hearted atmosphere of experimentation and engagement. Being able to handle the works, glimpse into the process, and make art gives visitors a stronger understanding of the visual arts and its role today. The conventional gallery and museum formats allow us to meditate on art, but Art In The Park allows us to get in the weeds and have fun.
Amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders of the past few years, the phrase “touch grass” emerged. To touch grass means to go outside and get out of your head. The same could be said about how much we rationalize and intellectualize bursts of artistry. So, the next time you go to Jaime C. Velasquez Park on the third Sunday of March, go touch some grass. But, don’t forget to touch some art as well.
