by Kat Limchoc, ECD of blackpencil
Today, our agency had a whole lot of art for lunch. The whole team went to Art Fair Philippines, walking from our building to The Link carpark, Ayala Center. Just as we did last year, we marvelled at the audacity of turning two floors of a parking lot into this seamless and comfortably cooled space filled with galleries arranged side by side and artwork installed in open spaces. For the price of a cup of designer coffee, we could each take in as much art as we could before our next meeting.
Creatives, accounts, interns and even our coordinator explored the 33 galleries at our own pace. When we met up again, most of us had a story and of course a photo of our favorite pieces. Many of us loved the work of Marc Aran Reyes who created huge paintings of vast white emptiness punctuated by a melancholic female figure (main image). They were so moving. Popular with the group also was the work of Egg Fiasco (left), paintings of technicolor dreamscapes imbedded in a wall, framed with what looked like melting colors. Then there were the Alice in Wonderland-inspired sculptures of Daniel dela Cruz that everyone also loved.
But if there was an artist that truly rocked the agency’s collective soul, it was Gabriel Barredo. His exhibition, called “Opera” is displayed in Silverlens Galleries in tandem with the Art Fair. Upon entering, we found ourselves immersed in the beautiful and the macabre. In this exploration of mortality and the decay of the body, there was Barredo’s trademark moving scupltures now with eyeballs and a forensic pathologist’s tools. There were fetus sculptures inside translucent wombs dangling throughout the space. There were walls made with hundreds of miniature masks of pained expressions. It was great to watch the team exploring the galleries and seeing their awestruck faces as they took in this dark and complicated yet wondrous art.
In the agency, we call these “Feed the Muse” trips. Because while inspiration can come from anywhere, sometimes you have to make a conscious effort to take in new stimuli. The Art Fair Philippines is wonderful because it makes it so easy for anybody to get their fill of contemporary Filipino art. And it’s a pretty good way to spend a lunch break.
