Makati City, with its history and present-day innovation, has built itself to become a living piece of art from the architecture, the graffiti, the fashion of its dwellers, to the interior housed inside the structures. In the midst of the city are sculptures of Filipino artists depicting some of the country’s timeless cultural heroes, particularly the Ninoy Aquino and Gabriela Silang Monuments along the stretch of Ayala Ave., and the Pio del Pilar and Sultan Kudarat statues situated at the intersection of Makati Ave. and Paseo de Roxas. Makati is also home to other structures developed in collaboration with artists. These picturesque artworks include “Life Is Good Being Together” by Ronaldo Castrillo at Circuit Makati as well as the Greenbelt Chapel’s Cross which was fabricated by Ramon Orlina.
Truly, Makati has developed a charm that incorporates the wisdom of an established man; the creativity of an artist; and energy and youthfulness of a child.
Simultaneously with Makati’s business’ aspect is a bustling art scene with activities happening throughout the year.
The city hosts a number of diverse cultural activities that take place in locations such as Ayala Museum, Yuchengco Museum, The RCBC Theater, OnStage in Greenblet 1, White Space, and Circuit Makati, hosting a variety of exhibits, plays, and other events.
True to epitomizing art, this February, Makati will, once again, be the stage of Art Fair Philippines happening this February 16–19 at the Link Carpark, Ayala Center.
Now on its 5th year, the fair has gained quite a following crossing generations of art lovers and explorers. Instagram has now become an extension of the art fair due to the posts of its enthusiastic millennial following.
This year’s edition will include 34 local participating galleries, and 12 international galleries. These include: 1335 Mabini, Altro Mondo Arté Contemporanea, Archivo 1984, ARNDT, Art Cube Gallery, Artinformal, ART LAB, Art Underground, Art Verite’, Artesan Gallery + Studio, Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, Boston Art Gallery, CANVAS, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Finale Art File, Gajah Gallery, Galería Cayón, Galerie Anna, Galerie Michael Janssen, Galerie Stephanie, Galleria Duemila, Gallery Kogure, Gallery Orange, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, Asian Cultural Council/Leon Gallery, MO_Space, Nunu Fine Art, Paseo Art Gallery, Pinto Art Gallery, ROH Projects, Salcedo Private View, Secret Fresh, Silverlens, TAKSU, The Crucible Gallery, The Drawing Room, Tin-aw Gallery, Underground Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, West Gallery, XuArtspace, Yavuz Gallery, Ysobel Gallery, and YOD Gallery.
Complementing the art fair will be an even bigger art homage, 10 Days of Art (Feb 9-19). The event will incorporate activities outside of The Link including a first ever Silent Disco in the city, a Street Market, Urban Art Installations, Busker Performances within Makati (Feb. 13–19, 12nn and 6pm), and Special Art Fair menu by top Makati establishments including East Café, Museum Café, Chili’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Pappy Bistro, Pablo, Cartel Deli, The Belle and Dragon, 20:20, Finders Keepers, Black Market, XX:XX, Bar Mathilde, Bucky’s, Pura Vida, CU CHI, House of Joe, Tambai, The Wild Poppy and Z Hostel. Use your Mastercard (debit, credit, prepaid) to avail of the special dish or drink in these establishments and get a limited edition Art Fair Philippines 2017 refrigerator magnet.
All sorts of art can be experienced in the Silent Disco, a creative music and headphone gathering set in Makati’s urban oasis – the Ayala Triangle Gardens. On the 18th of February, 9 DJs will compete for a chance to battle it out against 9 local DJs and 9 foreign DJs from Japan, Sweden and Hong Kong during the Silent Disco at the famed Malasimbo Music Festival.
The Silent Disco is an event developed by VUE, the brains behind the said festival.
Alongside the Silent Disco, guests will also be treated to a curated set of gustatory treats from the local scene in the Makati Street Meet in partnership with Salcedo Market (at Ayala Triangle), taking place from 4 to 10pm and performances from local Makati street acts.
Highlighting the list of events will be James Nares’ STREET, a 61-minute slow motion capture of New York City. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Makati, people will be able to witness another metropolitan in the middle of activity, timed in an exponentially gradual pace. Accompanying the video is a score by Thurston Moore, co-founder of Sonic Youth.
Life in the restless city now bears a dream-like quality, dissected from the busyness that it is usually associated with. Seemingly minute emotions are then noticed; movement appears amplified; and zeal is replaced with peace. The renowned video has been displayed at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Wadsworth Museum of Art in Connecticut and Saint Louis Art Museum, and featured in well-known publications such as the New York Times and The New Yorker.
“The film suggests that looking at people their irreducible gait and gesture, or how they leave traces like signatures across the page of public space before they disappear is one of the eternal wellsprings of the creative impulse” (Doug Eklund, Assistant Curator of Photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
James Nares is a recognized British multi-faceted artist (painter, filmmaker, and musician) based in New York. His creation, STREET, will be running at the Ayala Triangle from February 14 to 19, 12–2PM and 5–9PM daily, with its launch happening on February 14.
Filipino artists Dirty Kids South (murals), Pete Jimenez (Sampaguita), Derek Tumala (installation art light installations), Zenas Pineda (re-purposed Christmas decors), Charlie Co (Bombardment), and Xyza Bacani (Humans of Makati) will also make their mark on the streets of Makati, amplifying the living, breathing art piece that Makati already is.
Under the Legazpi underpass, there will be a mural of repeating patterns emulating the existing underpass murals created by Dirty Kids South. In the Legazpi Patio, Pete Jimenez’ Sampaguita installation takes inspiration from the national flower of the Philippines and reimagines old vintage chairs into a large-scale sampaguita piece. His other creation for display, Bumper to Bumper, will showcase reused old bumpers creating something that reminds the artist of metropolis’ traffic.
Greenbelt 5’s Fashion walk will then play host to Charlie Co, an internationally-renowned visual artist known for his surreal interpretation of current events, with Bombardment. Bombardment displays scenes of war, emphasizing on how children suffer the most during these dreaded times.
On the other hand, The Humans of Makati photographs by Xyza Cruz Bacani will deck the length of the Dela Rosa elevated walkway, mapping the diversity of people and the contours of Makati as a city of many faces. In addition to this, light installations from repurposed Christmas decors created Zenas Pineda is set to enhance the walking experience at the Dela Rosa elevated walkway.
The Ayala Center Walkway will serve as the stage of Derek Tumala, Your Color Universe, a site-specific installation that creates an experiential space by means of light and color.
Finally, Allison Wong-David’s Refuge, a portable installation made of two big wooden boxes connected to each other by a narrow passage will stand at the Salcedo Park. By situating the installation in the country’s premiere business district, the artist invites people to take a pause from the daily rush they are usually experiencing.
Art Fair Philippines’s 10 Days of Art is brought together by Ayala Land and Make It Makati, in partnership with the Makati Development Corporation and Mastercard, the Makati Commercial Estate Association and Fuji Film as the official partners for the urban art installations, and Ayala Corporation, Makati Shangri-La Manila and Toby’ Estate as the official partners for the James Nares Street video installation.
Art Fair Philippines Official Hotel Partners: The Raffles and Fairmont Makati and the Holiday Inn and Suites.
Art Fair Philippines Official Media Partners: Summit Media, The Philippine Star, and CNN.
Art Fair Philippines Food and Beverage Partners: Don Papa Rum, Kai, and the Straits Wine Company.
For more information about the city that makes it happen, visit www.makeitmakati.com.