The Manila Times

Art in the Park returns after four years

SIXTY exhibitors representing galleries, art collectives, independent art spaces, and student groups are once again gathering today, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati City for the 17th edition of Art in the Park.

Entrance to the country’s most anticipated affordable art fair is free of charge.

A fundraising event, Art in the Park will continue to benefit the Museum Foundation of the Philippines in support of its projects and programs for the National Museum of the Philippines and its network. Since 2006, more than P25 million from Art in the Park has been allocated by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines for its projects.

As in years past, Art in the Park organizers handpicked several artists for special exhibits at the fair. This year’s featured artists are Filipino social realist painter Manny Garibay, interdisciplinary contemporary artist Bjorn Calleja, and mosaic artist Kabunyan de Guia.

Garibay is debuting a series of small works, head studies painted on dibord aluminum. The unexpected ground for these paintings lends his images a ghostly, otherworldly air. While experimental in nature, the pieces also showcase his mastery and control over the oil medium.

Born Calleja’s series of charcoal and graphite portraits and ceramic sculptures in Dirty Hands showcase the artist’s exploration of the relationship between figuration and abstraction.

With gestural strokes and exaggerated forms, Calleja imbues the works with a sense of energy and movement, inviting viewers to engage with the physicality of the creative process. Also on view will be prototypes of lamps, functional art pieces that the artist is currently developing.

Kabunyan de Guia pays tribute to his brother, photographer Kidlat de Guia, who passed away almost exactly one year ago in Madrid, Spain. His installation creates a lightning bolt or “kidlat”-inspired shrine where visitors can light candles to honor his brother’s memory.

Complementing the vibrant day at Art in the Park, motion graphics artist Isaiah Cacnio will be projecting his work Beauty in Chaos, a digital painting featuring infinitely complex patterns, at tPark.

At the Globe Platinum Lounge, NFT works in honor of cartoonist and national artist for the visual arts, Larry Alcala, will be on view.

For those wanting to grab a bite, or even linger over cocktails, a selection of food and drinks will be available, giving fairgoers the chance to partake of their old, reliable favorites or try new fare.

The relaxed and lively vibe of Art in the Park is enhanced by music from Soulful Mood. This continues on into the evening with a flash mob poetry performance by Titik Poetry interspersed with music from Pundaquit Virtuosi from Casa San Miguel in Zambales.

For more information, please visit www.artinthepark.ph.

Arts Awake

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2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/282205130125089

The Manila Times