After shifting online for the past two years, the local art scene has returned with various events staged throughout the country. Art enthusiasts eagerly flocked to different locations to support established and upcoming artists and to bask in the culture.
Before the year ends, art lovers can appreciate Manila-inspired contemporary art at the Manila’Bang Show in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
Compared to its previous show last year, the 2022 Manila’Bang Show hopes to fill over 2,500 square meters of space with curated pieces, exhibitions, and partnerships with over 20 galleries. Alain Zedrick Camiling leads the show as its artistic director, with Contemporary ArtFairs ManilaPH as the organizer.
It follows the theme “Contemporary Art: The Manila Way.”
Besides eye-catching pieces from known local artists and galleries, the Manila’Bang Show 2022 will also feature seminars on issues and opportunities surrounding the local art scene. Among them is the Art Talks, which hopes to dissect cases, perspectives, concerns, and frameworks on contemporary art, collecting, and management.
Other talks will begin from December 9 until December 11.
By December 9, guests can attend “Art Handling and Collections Management for Collectors,” from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with Aprille P. Tijam (Ayala Museum) and Gari Apolonio (Gateway Gallery), and “Authentication and Provenance of Artworks,” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with Peter John Natividad and Gravity Art Space.
The following day, Izealist (Malaysia), Rafi Abdullah (Singapore), and Jopet Arias (Philippines) will lead the “NFTs and the Digital Sphere” talk from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Afterward, Raymond Ty (Founder of Art Toys PH) and Jed Estanislao (Art Toy Collector) will discuss “Art Toys in the Philippines” from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Lastly, Load Na Dito, Linangan Art Residency, and Green Papaya Art Projects will discuss “Art of Now: Contemporary Art and Art Collectives” from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
On the last day, December 11, there’s “What did I just see?: Contemporary Art and Visual Culture” from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. with Con Cabrera (Visual Artist and Independent Curator) and Mark Louie Lugue (UP Diliman Department of Art Studies). It will end with the “Who Reads Art and Culture Policy?” from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with Attorney Marc Jonnel Ching and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
Moreover, the Manila’Bang Show has a special solo show by Mark Salvatus, curated by Camiling, and a group show by Jan Balquin, Joseph Gabriel, Christina Lopez, Ev Yu, and Vik Laugo, curated by Carlos Quijon Jr.
Several local galleries will also participate in the art fair, including Arte Bettina, Secret Fresh, Altro Mondo, Art For Space, Big and Small, and R Gallery, among other establishments.
Art enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to see emerging Filipino artists through the New Wave exhibit as they establish a foothold in the local industry.
The Manila’Bang Show launches on December 8 and will be open to the public from December 9 to 11 at Festival Mall. Admission is free.