Eyes wide shut: ManilArt 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Held beside other countries’ art festivals, ManilArt may appear to be the baby of the bunch. Only on its third year, ManilArt aims to celebrate the artistry of the Filipino people, as well as to share these with the general public, and to put Filipino art to the fore. From August 25-27, 2011, art lovers, collectors, and enthusiasts came in droves to the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Although this year’s ManilArt involves less than half of the galleries than the last, it promises a “groundbreaking launch,” where exhibitors were anticipated to mount cohesive, conceptualized shows instead of just a hodgepodge of artists’ works. The intended effect is that you attend 24 exhibit openings all in one go.

Patty Eustaquio for Silverlens Gallery.

This year’s participants are Art Circle, Art Informal, Art Verité, Artes Orientes, Blanc Art Space, Blue Line Gallery, Boston Gallery, Finale Art File, Galerie Francesca, Galerie Joaquin, Galerie Zimmerman Kratochwill, Galleria Duemila, Galleria Quattrocentro, Gallery Big, Leon Gallery, Gallery Nine, Looking for Juan, Manila Contemporary, Pablo Gallery, Paseo Gallery, Renaissance Art Gallery, Silverlens, Village Art Gallery, and West Gallery. With 24 participants, it is still the country’s biggest gathering of galleries.

In light of recent events, the state of art in the Philippines seems highly precarious. The issue of censorship might still be delicate to talk about at this point, but the freedom of each art space to express their perspectives and ideas is definitely in full effect over at ManilArt. As one of art’s main purposes is to be able to communicate ideas and stories, ManilArt has sought to provide the sort of environment in which this sort of open discourse can happen.

The resulting effect is an amalgam of voices, where modern art communes with conceptual art, and both with traditional art, and so on. There are a lot of different perspectives to consider when one steps into the space.

Jose Santos II for art Informal.

Exuding a certain “Filipino-ness” when creating art is very tricky, since there is a danger of falling into obvious representations of barrios, Maria Claras, social commentaries, and so on. However, ManilArt shows that there is more than one way to be a Filipino. There seems to be a somewhat pluralistic approach to nationalism, where one finds different ways to be proud of one’s heritage. Stepping into the presence of 24 galleries, one realizes that these works of art are all stories told by Filipinos, and this is, ultimately, what makes them “Filipino.”

Aside from promoting local art, ManilArt seeks to forge relations with an international audience and to strengthen ties with foreign exhibitors. Among the locals, Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill, based in Austria, makes a comeback this year, providing a wonderful brazenness that Filipinos have barely seen or have tried to communicate.

To facilitate a richer discourse, ManilArt continues with its lecture series, with Oscar V. Campomanes and Gigo Alampay, both of whom are professors in some of the country’s premiere institutions. There are also other talks and activities in which people can participate.

Leeroy new for Manila Contemporary.

Ultimately, ManilArt has been successful in providing a venue for local art to flourish and to communicate with its patrons, admirers, and critics, as well as the art community at large. In a blog post reacting to the reactions to Mideo Cruz’s “blasphemous works,” CJ de Silva wrote that what the country lacked today was a refined appreciation for art. There seems to be a disconnect and a lack of comprehension for what art is trying to communicate, even until now. Hopefully, ManilArt will help foster that appreciation, encouraging every Filipino to really try to understand what art has to say to them.