NCCA Opens ManilArt 2011

The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (Bago) will open ManilArt 2011 on Aug. 24-27 at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

ManilArt 2011, the 3rd Philippine International Art Fair, is the country’s biggest gathering of galleries with diverse and vibrant art expositions.

“Viewers shall witness a groundbreaking launch—the simultaneous opening of various art exhibitions during gala night,” ManilArt 2011 director Delan Lopez Robillos said.

“Exhibitors will not simply be showcasing the works of artists, but each gallery shall be presenting a conceptualized art exhibit,” he added.

The maiden run of ManilArt in 2009 had a painting of a jeepney by Onib Olmedo as its banner piece, while 2010 bared Andres Barrioquinto’s “Crystal Gazer.”

This year, ManilArt is privileged to have the artistry of highly sought painter Elmer Borlongan with his obra “Batang Edsa.”

This year's fair features more than 300 represented artists and hundreds of artworks on display. ManilArt 2011 seeks to merge the visual arts with other disciplines.

Programs will include a modern-dance interpretation of Borlongan’s art by premier contemporary-dance maven and Dance Forum founder, Myra Beltran during the gala.

In conjunction with promoting Philippine art, the art fair’s goals are to compound visitorship and strengthen support from both local and foreign exhibitors.

A series of live sketching sessions will run every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City.

Artists will show how they perceive the same subject as they create their work from scratch. Among the featured artists are NCCA-National Committee on Visual Arts head Nemiranda and artists Al Perez, Jun Martinez, Cee Cadid, and Raul Isidro.

For details, call 5316231 or 0917-8511333, or e-mail info@manilart.com. Visit www.manilart.com.