Supreme’s guide to Manila art

MANILA, Philippines - I haved posted a lot about art shows and exhibits on my blog. Two of the most frequently asked questions I get are “How do you know where to go?” and “How do you know when these exhibits open?”

I’ve been going to shows since I was a toddler, owing to my parents being artists themselves. However, all hope is not lost for you, if you want to immerse yourself in local art. Here are a few ways to inject a little bit more local culture in your life.

Let galleries know that you want to know

Since this is the era of the Internet, most galleries have their own website. They will probably have a Facebook account at the very least. If you chance upon a gallery whose roster of artists you really, really like, sign up for their newsletters or like their page. There are a bunch of galleries who update frequently and actually utilize the Internet to promote their shows.

When you do go to a gallery, make sure to sign their guestbook and leave your e-mail address, too. That way, you are alerted to their new shows when they send out invites. Poke around that guestbook area to see if other artists have left invites to their own shows.

Do your research

Spend enough time on whatever social media platform and you are bound to find artists whose work you like. These artists usually promote their work and their future shows on Instagram, in their web portfolios or blogs, and their tweets.

If your favorite artist is disconnected from the Internet, check your favorite museum for upcoming events. There are also newspapers and magazines. This is a little tricky because they don’t get to feature everything and sometimes a show will have ended before you get a chance to see it.

Go to websites like Planting Rice (http://www.facebook.com/editor.plantingrice), which is a good resource for art events, especially those that are just about to happen. You can monitor the events, and show up on opening day, in the middle of all the action! Most exhibits are open to the public and don’t charge an entrance fee. Museums sometimes charge a small amount for the upkeep of their establishment.

To narrow everything down, try to check art blogs like Manila Art Blogger (http://www.manilaartblogger.com/), the now-defunct Sudden School (http://suddenschool.wordpress.com/), and blogs like Radikal Chick (http://www.radikalchick.com/) who post about culture for your art fix. I haven’t in a while, but I used to post a lot about local art exhibits (http://nothingspaces.com/blog/category/exhibits/). Try online periodicals for exhibits you might have missed, too.

Familiarizing yourself with the kind of art that you like will guide you to the places where they usually show and maybe to other artists whose work you’d like to follow.

Make friends

Venturing out into art shows alone can be a little intimidating, but if you just keep showing up, you’re bound to get to know some people. Not all artists are scary, and most will appreciate you coming to their show. You can always introduce yourself to the gallery staff or the owners, too. Most of them will be excited to see a person newly interested in local art.

Go to art fairs

Art fairs are basically a gathering of different galleries in one venue, where they exhibit some of the artists that currently show their work in their gallery’s spaces. These are cool because you get to sample a little bit of everything and gauge what kind of art you want to follow and see more of. Proceed with caution, however, as these can be a little overwhelming, too.

The galleries also usually have some sort of way you can contact them, so you don’t need to lose touch and get lost in the sea of artists ever again.

Tag along

Do you have friends who are more inclined to art than you are? Then, tag along! This is, by far, the easiest way to get somewhere you have never traveled. Also, you don’t have to stand around awkwardly sipping your beer, hoping to have an illuminating and profound conversation with a broody stranger.

This is a great way to narrow down your choices, as there is honestly a lot going on in the art scene here in the Philippines.

There you have it — five easy ways to wriggle your way into the iron gates of the local art scene. Just kidding: It’s not really all that hard to get into. Just figure out where to go and then show up.

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