Art Fair Philippines 2017
a) Some of the artists that I personally liked are artists from the West Gallery named: Geraldine Javier (Rise to Heaven, Fall the Sky, or Hover in Between), Ayka Go (I Wrote My Dreams on the Stars, Paper boats, and Gruiformes), Juan Alcazaren (Drink, Paint, and Die), Raffy Napay (Man and Leaves), and Mark Andy Garcia (Yesterday Morning). I also liked Demet Dela Cruz for his LuxZOOrious in Boston Gallery, Kayo Nishinomiya (Daruma Cat- The Sun) and Osamu Watanabe (Heaven) from YOD x Kogure. Elaine Navas and her work titled The Earth is Upheld by a Cow of Blue Color (After Roni Horn)(diptych) and Raffy Napay on his work titled Space Between in a gallery named Silverlens. Overall my favorite gallery would be the West Gallery, followed by LuxZOOrious and YOD x Kogure.
The reason why I chose West Gallery as my favorite is because it felt more relaxing than other galleries that I have visited. The ambiance and vibe is more relaxed than busy which might be attributed to some of the artworks posted there. The painting that I liked the most in that gallery would be Rise to Heaven, Fall the Sky, or Hover Between by Geraldine Javier. It is first painting you will see before entering the gallery and it is such an attention getter because of its size and of course the beautiful painting shown. As it is the first thing you will see before entering, it somehow calms you and tells you that you can stay and admire the scenes inside, like entering a forest of different pieces with different people. As busy as it may seem, the atmosphere is relaxed. Other galleries would be too full of people to even enter and you have to really exert effort in order to see all of the paintings. Although the paintings and artworks are also beautiful in other galleries, I liked how different the atmosphere is in the West Gallery. I could not identify the central theme being shown in the gallery due to the variance of artworks being shown, but I saw a lot of nature and life inspired paintings mounted on the wall. I guess the theme would be human life and nature, based on my observations; I could be wrong but it is only based on what I saw.
My second pick would be LuxZOOrious by Demet Dela Cruz (Boston Gallery). I liked how their theme is somehow an issue and really different from others. Their theme is how humans use animals to make bags and accessories. Different from my first Gallery (West Gallery) in a way that although there are only a few people inside the gallery, there was a heavy atmosphere. It was quite disturbing and eerie at the same time. This was because of the paintings showcased in the gallery. Many powerful and rich people have visited and will surely visit the place, and then they will see the artworks there and realize how true the issue was. They will be affected because they have patronized expensive goods that are produced by animal skin. I say this the artworks there mostly depicts pictures of really expensive bags such as Louis Vuitton and other brands that only privileged people can afford. Overall, what I really liked in this gallery is the message conveyed by the paintings and figurines. Unlike other galleries which tackles on the common themes such as love, it depicts an issue that is becoming more and more serious now.
My last pick would be YOD x Kogure. Its difference with my first two is that this a theme that is more easily understood the moment you stepped onto the gallery- death and horror. I say that because of the first paintings that you can actually see before going inside is a picture of a girl with a decapitated head on a plate. Although it is quite similar with other galleries, it was the most memorable among all others with similar theme. Most, if not all, artists are Japanese that is also maybe why it was scary for me. I already have a mindset that when it comes to scary things, Japanese do it best. Their horror movies and stories have mostly contributed to that, other factors that affected my perception would be my knowledge of the country. Through my relatives and friends living there, I have learned that they have a quiet atmosphere, similar to the horror movies that I have watched. That is why when I saw the paintings and the artworks in the gallery, I can imagine them as something real, I can imagine them walking in the streets holding heads and scythe. The gallery made my imaginations run wild, and it made me scared.
b) Among all the galleries I have visited, I chose three artworks from LuxZOOrious, West Gallery, and YOD x Kogure.
These 3 artworks from the West Gallery are my chosen pieces for the reflection:
Rise to Heaven, Fall the Sky, or Hover in Between
This painting is the first to really get my attention. Aside from its huge size, the art itself speaks to me. How the girl in the painting feels the earth, the nature is somehow telling us that we need to stop and appreciate what is around us. Because of our busy life, duties, and responsibilities we sometimes forget how to live. We spend our time in order to do what was asked of us but we don’t do what we really want. I think what the painting conveys is really important for all of us because we only live once, it is better to spend it without any regrets and lingering what ifs. We can only see the beauty of the earth when we stop being distracted by other things and take just a little moment to love how the morning chirps of the birds are a lullaby, how the rain cleans the atmosphere and gives a calming vibe, and how the sun that always seemed so hot but somehow its beautiful rays gives a hopeful gleam.
Drink, Paint, and Die
In comparison to the first painting I chose from the West Gallery, this is not as an attention getter. This artwork is comprised of 3 sets of bottles with labels Drink, Paint, and Die. This was the last art that I noticed in the gallery because there are many painting surrounding it that made it less noticeable. I think that this conveys how artists and aspiring ones live. I just imagine that whenever they hit rock bottom while they are constructing ideas on how to make their next masterpiece, they would go out or stay in to drink a few bottles. Once they are over that phase, they would paint to finish the piece, and then later do another piece and the cycle repeats until they die. That is why I think there is perception that artists are loners because they are thought of as living in their own worlds only until the day they die. But according to some artists that I know, that is not the case at all. Although it is true that sometimes they want to spend time by themselves, they also like to interact with other people and see how they live. That is where they get inspiration to do art. So I think this art speaks how we used to view how artists live.
Yesterday Morning 1 & Yesterday Morning 2
These painting is a set of two paintings with similar theme and title but different ambiance. The first painting is very similar to the second but with a more whitish background, the second painting’s background has a more yellowish-like-sunrise vibe. I chose these 2 paintings because I really think it’s a beautiful depiction of morning scenery. How the colors come together in order to portray a forest with different scenery. The way blots of colors seem to look unimportant when seen individually but comes out beautifully when seen as a whole is very captivating. Today, our environment is threatened by man-made disasters and calamities which destroy the nature. I think the painting is also reminding us that whenever we get up in the morning, we want to see this beautiful scene of morning. We want to wake up in the sound of the birds and see the morning dew sliding down the leaves of growing plants. We want to appreciate the calming ambiance and picturesque art of what we call the nature whenever we walk down the street. We don’t want to imagine a morning waking up in an almost destroyed planet that once called the most beautiful of all. This is a reminder of what we have that we can still salvage. This is a reminder that we should preserve the nature for the future generation and for our remaining days on earth as well. So that we would have something to look back when we are old and waiting for “that” time to come.
For the second gallery which is Boston Gallery (LuxZOOrious by Demet Dela Cruz) I chose these 3 artworks with similar theme:
I believe that these three paintings tell us how we see and use animals as something to provide us with our insatiable wants. But beyond the luxuries and the needs that we want to obtain is the care we should be providing for these animals. We are considered as a higher beings that can think and grow continuously so it becomes our responsibility to take care of them, and not only see them as a commodity or something we can take advantage of. People only realize their importance once they are on the brink of extinction or completely gone. This is telling us how we see animals as, as an object. I think that this is a constant reminder to live simply, protect what we can, and preserve while we still have time because we only have ourselves to blame for the consequences.
For my last three choices, I chose these three artworks from YOD x Kogure.
I chose these three works because I liked how it was made. The painting at the left is downright scary in such a way that the girl holding a head is something out of a horror movie. Someone once told me that people love watching horror movies because the thrill we get is the same as what we get when falling in love; so love is scary then? This painting has no title so it is a little difficult to interpret what it wants to convey. But I believe that it tells the visitors that we are welcome to enter and experience the the feel of each artwork, the thrill of seeing them one by one. And because the artists are Japanese, I think their culture is somehow incorporated into the art. The artwork at the center is beautiful but at the same time creepy. No matter what position I am in, it feels like it is looking at me. I think that this is meant to be a good luck charm for the people entering the gallery. From its title Daruma Cat- The Sun, Daruma is a symbol of perseverance and good luck, likewise cat is believed to bring good luck and other positive results. And I believe the sun is a symbol for cosmic power. From all of this, I think that different from other works in the gallery this one wants the people to just enjoy the artworks, to bring good luck and happiness to those who want to visit. Since the gallery is seemingly dark as the motif, it is a beautiful piece to complement and give a bright and cheerful feeling. The artwork at the right is an image of a death god but made with beautiful flowers and bright colors. I think that it tells us that how death can still be beautiful, but people see it as something scary. It is because we don’t know where we will go after our journey on earth has ended. People try to embrace death by thinking that there will finally be peace and heaven after the long suffering. But we are all on equal footing, we don’t really know what will happen to us after all of this and that is why we paint death with beautiful pictures to give us a sense of relief that we will attain heaven after life on earth.
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2. For the Contemporary Filipino Artists, I chose Jose Tence Ruiz and WSK.
The works of Jose Tence Ruiz are the chairs and tank displayed at the center of 6th floor. His works are really noticeable because they are placed at the center and people can touch and use the art. People who are tired or curious tried sitting on the chairs, many took photos and some observed how the chairs are made. Many people liked the way they are positioned in the venue because they can take a break and sit at the chairs while at the same time, admire the whole event and the works of Jose Tence Ruiz. The chairs looked like something out of a cult book, but upon closer look portrays an even deeper meaning. According to the description of his works, Langue Lounge is about the attitude toward complacency and ease towards violence and death; about how people have become victims to the cult of tongue, the cult of the talker, the cult of the glib- and the comfort of death. First is the comfort of death; I think the artworks portray how people embrace death. Different chairs pertain to the different social status of people; no matter what status you are in, everyone is equal in the face of death. Everyone will die. The eeriness of the pieces is not much evident due to the number of people and the noise around. But if you stop and take a while to take in the message it wants to convey, it surely is not as happy as the people smiling and taking a picture while sitting in it. I think that the cult of tongue, the cult of the talker, the cult of the glib says how people easily believe others so long as they have influence or a smooth-talker and people have been chained by this. This is really true nowadays. News and gossip travel fast through social media, and readers or viewer sometimes do not bother to check if it’s true and follow the bandwagon that says it is true. While there are some who really check the credibility of the information, many blindly believe false information. Politicians convince people to vote for them using their platforms and promises of a better future, to stop violence and to improve the economy. But then, nothing really has changed for the better, and every promises has only become a lip service. Overall, I think his work is difficult to interpret, because of how many things can be said about it. But truly, it is a masterpiece.
The second is the WSK (pronounced as wasak)which is located at the same floor but quite far from the works of Ruiz. Only ten people at a time are allowed inside the gallery, but while waiting outside you can see a speaker and hear a static sound coming from the walls. When you touch the wall, it produces a different sound or the sound disappears. It is quite a unique way to experiment on sounds. Inside the gallery you will see different artworks which produces sounds such as the pictures below. There are no beautiful music produced by the artworks, only simple sounds of static recorded voices. I believe they want to portray the beauty of sound itself, without the great musical instruments of powerful vocals, but only the simple sound produced by things. Today, people are listening to different genres of music like rock, pop, classical, ballad, or jazz, whether there are vocals or not. We appreciate music that are pleasing to the ears or music that has very meaningful lyrics. But beyond the beautiful lyrics coupled with stunning vocals and sound effects, we have yet to appreciate the simpleness of the sounds itself. Before combining the sounds of different instruments, just appreciating the individually produced sounds makes a difference. The feel is different than listening to the modern music. Like listening to a piece of incomplete yet independent piece of art, yet without which there would be nothing like what we like to call music. There is another interpretation on the works of WSK, it is that these works are based on a sex tape of Ferdinand Marcos and Dovie Beams. They said that this is supported by the fact that if you want to produce sounds while touching the wall, you need to have two people. Moreover, inside the gallery there are two screens which projects a man and a woman conveying a love scene in a monotonous manner. You will also see crumpled-like tapes on the wall. While this interpretation may be true, I would like to believe the former in which this artworks are produced in order to make people appreciate sound itself, absent the beautiful melody and other effects.
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3. During the art fair it there was a lot of people. A lot. we came at about 2 pm and it was already bustling with people with different agendas. I think it’s because it is a weekend that is why there’s a lot of people than during the weekdays. Most people are there to take pictures of the art being showcased, others are there to look for artworks to purchase, a few a there to appreciate and interpret the meanings behind the lovely pieces. There were many artworks with different styles, techniques in terms of being made, different feel and ambiance, and of course with different meanings. One of the galleries that I chose named West Gallery, for example, has a more relaxing vibe than others because the paintings show a theme of nature and simplicity. I loved how even though the spaces for the pieces seemed small, it relaxes you in a place full of people. Another example of a gallery with a different ambiance than the others is the LuxZOOrious by Demet Dela Cruz in which they show art that tells about how humans made bags and other accessories using animals. There were also other galleries that showed interesting art but these two are one of my favorites.
In comparison to the national museum which caters to Filipino by showing art about history, martyrdom, nudity and religion, the art fair shows a more broad concept of art especially in the messages being conveyed. In the National Museum you would see sculptures of heroes, presidents and other human figures, you would also see paintings of renowned Filipino artists as well as notable artworks such a the spolarium. The ambiance is also a lot different such that the National Museum has more of a peaceful, quiet ambiance and touching the artworks is a big no no. In the art fair, they are more lenient towards people touching the art, mostly because they are selling them so they would want people to feel and enjoy the art. The artists varies from Filipinos to foreigners and the messages may be personal or the common topics among the societies. Love, hate, negativity, life, and nature are some of the themes that the galleries are showing. I think the biggest difference is the purpose. If the National Museum wants people to understand Filipino culture and history, the art fair is more of showcasing the arts of various artists in order to sell them at an auction. Overall, I can’t really compare to which place is better, both has good sides and I really enjoyed both trips.
Overall, I would say that my visit to the art fair is really meaningful and enjoyable. I never liked places with too many people, but maybe because the place is really inviting and the artworks are really beautiful I didn’t really hate that it was bustling with people. The fact that many people came for similar, or maybe a little different, reasons made it more enjoyable since although we are all strangers with each other we can converse and understand the joy of being in that place. I would really say that I would like to come back for the next art fair, this time I would take my time to enjoy and really appreciate the art being displayed. And if any opportunity poses itself, I maybe able to buy one of the artworks.
