Philippine contemporary art thrives despite financial crisis
Online, October 1, 2009 (Newswire.com) - The financial crisis proves a boon for the Philippine arts scene, as local contemporary Philippine paintings and galleries share the limelight with Filipino exporters at the forthcoming Manila F.A.M.E. International.
As the economic crunch takes its toll on the export sector, Manila F.A.M.E., the government led trade platform sees bright spot in the Philippine creative industry, specifically visual arts.
"There are no boundaries, there are no borders now," according to Manuel Duldulao, founding chairman of the Exhibition Center for Contemporary Art and author of "Philippine Art Now", a book on Philippine art history and contemporary art.
He also said that the saleability of Filipino paintings stemmed from the portrayal of distinct Philippine themes. "Filipino paintings on fiesta, landscapes, landmarks, tourist spots-- those are the paintings you can sell because no other countries have them."
A case in point was the high demand for Philippine art in Singapore art galleries, with some of our local art works breaking records in Singapore Sotheby's auction.
In 2005, Creative Economy Report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Philippines is one of the top-10 exporters of visual arts among developing countries. The Philippines exported around $107 million worth of goods in 2005 and creative industries in the country contributed some 4.92 per cent to the gross domestic product and cited as the fifth in the export of sculptures ($102).
"Today, Philippine contemporary art evokes the Filipino spirit such as the protests in the streets, current events, the social responses to political occurrences, and other people," Duldulao added.
"Filipino artists are also romantic by nature, mostly romanticizing their subjects. We are also afraid of spaces so we fill up every space in our paintings. There's no place where the eye can rest," he added.
Another thing that makes Filipino painters from different artists are their use of colors. Duldulao said that most Filipino painters use the Filipino colors, which are glare and striking. He cited the colors used in Pahiyas Festival and the Maskara Festival as an example of what Filipino colors.
Mr. Duldulao will be one of the featured speakers in the Artists' Forum of ART: MNL on October 17 at the World Trade Center. The forum, moderated by Ms. Karen Flores of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will also have as speakers: painter/printmaker Fil dela Cruz, Atty. Louie Calvario of Intellectual Property Philippines and Don Salubayba and Iggy Rodriguez, CCP 13 Artists Awardees. The forum is in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and will focus on art trends, copyright in visual arts, and the future of Philippine art.
ART: MNL, a preview to the Philippine International Art Fair in 2010 is a new feature of Manila F.A.M.E. International meant to showcase the export potentials of the creative industries in the Philippines, particularly visual arts. It is also an exhibition designed to promote awareness and recognition of the works of Filipino artists.
Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, ART: MNL also aims to foster a cultural interaction and exchanges with other art markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
For more information, visit www.manilafame.com/artmnl.