FOR THE past 12 years, the annual Art in the Park fair has been turning one lazy summer Sunday into an artsy affair where expansive — but inexpensive — art from galleries, independent spaces, and art schools are up for sale. This year is no different.
But it takes a bit more than art to sustain people as they search through all the booths for that one (or two or three) painting which captures their heart. So Art in the Park has been featuring chefs and their versions of delectable street food for the past two years with the aim of complementing and satisfying people on the hunt for an affordable piece of art.
On April 15, Art in the Park, held at the Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati City, will have food by Margarita Forés, named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016. To complete the experience, the group Soulful Mood will provide jazz music during the day, while guest performer Bea Lorenzo will showcase her kalimba (a wooden musical instrument) and soulful singing skills during the evening. The art affair runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
FEATURED ARTISTS
And of course, there’s the art. The featured upcoming artists for this year are Tekla Tamoria and her beehive installation, which she calls Colony, and Jacob Lindo and his collage which he calls Did You See The Words #4.
Ms. Tamoria, whose passion is wearable art, will adorn the park’s trees with her colorful paper installations shaped as hexagons which form beehives.
A multimedia artist who works with painting, sculpture, and collage, Mr. Lindo’s installation for the fair are reassembled found objects he will install to form a whimsical piece of art.
One of the event organizers, Trickie Lopa, told BusinessWorld that when they choose the featured artists it is always “arbitrary,” “swak (fitting),” with them always banking on the “unusual” and fresh.
This year’s Art in the Park will have 59 galleries, art collectives, and student groups participating, with a cap price of P50,000 for the works on sale.
A portion of the proceeds benefits the Museum Foundation of the Philippines.
The participants are: 1335 Mabini, Altro Mondo Gallery, Ang I.N.K, Archivo 1984, Arnold Art Collection, ART4S Gallery, Artepintura Gallery, Artery Art Space, ART Lab, Art Underground, Art Verite Gallery, Art Wednesday, the Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, CANVAS, Cevio Art Haus, District Gallery, Dito: Bahay ng sining, Famous Artists, FEATI University School of Fine Arts, Far Eastern University, Finale Art File, Galeria de las Islas, Galeri Anna, Galeri Artes, Galerie Stephanie, Gallery Orange, International School of Manila, J Studio, Kaida Contemporary, KASIBULAN, Kulay Art Group, L’Arc en Ciel Gallery, MAG, Maria Closa, Metro Gallery, Nineveh Artspace, Nova Gallery, Parokyano ng Found Objects Gallery, Sheerjoy, Silverlens, Obra, The Mighty Bhutens, The Photography Zone, The Thursday Group, Tin-Aw Art Gallery, Transwing Art Gallery, TUP Fine Arts, Vinyl on Vinyl, vMeme Contemporary Art Gallery, VIVA ExCon, Wood You Look at That, and Ysobel Art Gallery.
For more information, visit www.artinthepark.ph. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

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