MANILA, Philippines -- This year's ManilArt has seemingly lived up to its promise of bringing in more diversity and less fluff artwork-wise despite the reduced number of art galleries represented in the annual international art fair.
For one, exhibitions appeared to have been curated accordingly with some galleries opting to showcase a cohesive and thematic show instead of coming up with discombobulated booths. There are not more than five pieces per artist in the fair, ensuring that all exhibitors are given a fair share of space in their respective areas. Some galleries chose to only represent one artist and his works while others displayed one or two characteristic works of their roster of visual artists.
For an art junkie like me, the fair was a piquant maze of both familiar and surprising art pieces. There were paintings and sculptures I immediately recognized, particularly those which bear the artist's signature style; and there were others that made me succumb to reading the artwork captions just so I may know who fashioned them.
Some pieces I easily recognized were those of Romulo Olazo, Ramon Orlina, José Tence Ruiz, Patricia Eustaquio, Zean Cabangis, Michael Cacnio, Luis Lorenzana, Leslie de Chavez, CJ Tañedo, Andres Barrioquinto, Olan Ventura, Soler and Mona Santos, Carlo Magno, Cesare Syjuco, Maria Cruz, Gus Albor, Shoko Mafune, Emmanuel Garibay, Leeroy New, Jason Montinola, Ivan Roxas, Melvin Culaba, Dominic Rubio, and Lao Lianben, to name a few.
Of course, I didn't miss Elmer Borlongan's pieces along with his wife Plet Bolipata's wistful installation and prints in the Boston Gallery space as well as Borlongan's collaboration with playwright, writer, poet, teacher, and essayist Vim Nadera in the Looking for Juan Gallery area.
There are several exhibits in this year's art fair that have definitely caught my attention-most probably because I deemed them quirky, fresh, and engaging. One go-to exhibit in this year's ManilArt is the ''RIZALpabeto'' collaboration between Borlongan and Nadera. Here, Borlongan has veered from his traditional media of oil and canvas and made digital art in the typical Letras Y Figuras using his iPad's applications to bring life to Nadera's poems about the life and legacy of Dr. José Rizal.
Curated by J. Pacena, the exhibit also showcases a brief footage of Borlongan and Nadera explaining the impetus of their collaboration. The artworks and poems are presented in two ways-one in the traditional exhibition format and the other in the interactive medium. Following the traditional, Borlongan's pieces were displayed in a glass case and Nadera's tanaga (a poem consisting of four lines with seven syllables each) were printed as wall text. The interactive medium, meanwhile, uses several mounted iPads-enabling viewers to listen to Nadera's poetry while watching an almost three-minute slideshow of Borlongan's works.
Another booth that caught and tickled my fancy is Boston Gallery's enchanting exhibit of Plet Bolipata's latest works. It features an installation-cum-sculptural work of a huge cello case that has been made into a makeshift patio set in steel, cement, and broken tiles. Titled ''Sweet Dreams and the Cello Case'', the mosaic work is enveloped with the words ''Sleep, daddy, sleep. Sweet, daddy, sweet.'' It is a tribute to Bolipata's father. Along with this piece is a scrolling LED electronic gadget that spews one of William Wordsworth's poems titled ''A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal''.
There were several students from the University of Santo Tomas' College of Fine Arts and Design in the fair when I had visited it last Thursday. With their DSLRs in tow, the students hovered around the more modern set of artworks. I, too, saw myself hanging out in Manila Contemporary's booth, where New's alien-looking sculptures-glass globes as heads with trippy and colorful protrusions inside. I, too, found myself looking closely at Winner Jumalon's work-a grim painting with mismatched figurines of cherubs, crosses and whatnot attached on it.
The masters were also represented well in the art fair. Displayed in the Leon Gallery are romantic and classical paintings of Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian dela Rosa, and Vicente Manansala in ornate and gilded frames.
Truth be told, I can hardly wait for next year's art tripping.
