With over 150 emerging and well-known artists, ALT Philippines 2020, showcases ten galleries that home all types of artistic endeavors striving for an entrancing collection of art.
Photo by John Michael Santos
On the first day of ALT Philippines’ run at the SMX Convention Center yesterday, Feb. 14, Artinformal founder and gallerist Tina Fernandez shared that its theme of “Materials of the Artists” aims to educate its audiences by letting them see through the artists’ point of view.
“As a collective, we are responsible for increasing the collector base by showing works that may not be necessarily pretty all the time and may not be necessarily appealing; but because these clients come to our galleries, our focus more is to educate and to show them what they’ve never seen before and how to see.” Fernandez said in an interview with The Benildean.
By expanding views of people through immersing them into the artwork experience, she then explained that people would have a broader understanding of the world of contemporary art.
Photo by John Michael Santos
Dynamic Collaboration
To start off, the Finale Art File gallery (1983) provides a venue for new Filipino artists the freedom to express themselves. The gallery showcases multiple oil paintings, video installation, and sculptures that soar through the ordinary and brings great expectations to its viewers.
The Underground gallery, known for its riskier and bolder type of aesthetic, emphasizes Valerie Chua’s works that are inspired from the sculptures of the Classical to the Renaissance era; putting them into unusual locations that examines the “glitches” of the human memory and its capabilities of fallibility.
Moving on, The Drawing Room gallery, established two decades ago, features multiple artists that depicts the collection of realities that make a multi-layered society. Giving credit to their talented artists, they offer them great exposure and support in any artistic venture they come to choose. Also, Derek Tumala’s video installation “Pure Impermanence” is displayed showing hundreds of images representing the unending cycle of human networking.
Founded by the gallerist herself, Tina Fernandez, Artinformal gallery (2004) aims to broaden the knowledge of the community while getting to know the artist’s point of view—may it be through sculpture, painting, pottery, installation, multimedia, performance or anything under the spectrum of creativity.
As the longest running commercial gallery in the Philippines, Galleria Duemila, highlights a diverse pool of multi-talented artists of all ages and backgrounds by letting them push boundaries of the contemporary art world.
On the other hand, Blanc Gallery (2006) is a place of fearless innovation and exploration in the practice of our Filipino artists. Through paintings, sculptures, sound and video installations and their critically acclaimed exhibition programs, their artists have all found a home at Blanc, and supports any contemporary art endeavors they have in motion.
Established in 2007, an artist-centered and artist-run gallery, MO_Space has homed the innovative works of Manila’s most dynamic contemporary artists. By supporting their artist’s works, they have provided free exhibition spaces for them in conquering the Philippine Art.
Moreover, the youngest art gallery in ALT Philippines, 1335MABINI (2013) explores Filipino and non-Filipino practices of mobility, history, and critical engagement with its collective memory and politics; through concepts of independence in globalization and articulating harmonies and discordances from human connection.
Vinyl on Vinyl features artists seeking progress and liberal innovation by showcasing new and unconventional art forms. The gallery then focuses on surrealism, after-modernism, underground and street art, along with other unexplored genres.
Lastly, West Gallery, established in 1989, encourages collectors to invest in the works of their promising young artists and their well-known veterans—to help recognize the contemporary Filipino art scene by growing into established personalities in the industry.
Overall, ALT Philippines 2020 continues to break boundaries and reform the ever-growing local art scene with the galleries’ featured works in the Contemporary world. Viewers get to decipher every artist’s message through this meaningful immersive experience.
Tickets are available at any SM ticket outlets with Regular (P250) or Students/Seniors/PWD (P150).
ALT Philippines 2020 is open to the public until February 16 2020, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, BGC, Taguig City.
