CEBU City, Philippines – The Art Fair which is credited to have displayed the Philippines' largest abstract painting is back. Now on its second year, the Visayas Art Fair (VAF) 2022 is set to feature 1,500 works from 500 artists back with a bang as it is participated by 33 galleries nationwide and features an all-women exhibit.
Started in 2021, the Visayas Art Fair was a historic undertaking by Cebu Design Week,
Inc. to unite three regions (Regions 6, 7 & 8 ) in the Visayas to
present to the world the identity of the Visayan arts and culture. Part of the VAF exhibition in 2021 was the Philippines' largest abstract painting which covered 230 square meters in surface area. The work was so big that it had to be hung on a billboard near the exhibition area.
Created by Lloyd Tronco in February 2021 and initially displayed in EDSA-Ortigas, Mandaluyong, the giant work "Alab ng Sining" measuring 62 feet by 40 feet was brought to Cebu in November 2021 for Cebuanos to view. It was displayed then along Archbishop Reyes Avenue.
Presented by Cebu Design Week (CDW), the VAF aims to expound the relationship between the visual arts and the creative industries in the Visayas region and showcase the amazing artistic talent of the Visayans.
The second Visayas Art Fair,
will take place on November 24 to 27
at the Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue City.
While the Visayas Art Fair highlights Visayan talent, the fair has gained acceptance in the national art community such that fourteen of the 33 participating galleries in this year’s VAF are coming from the National Capital Region.
This year’s VAF, which follows the theme “Connecting the Islands through Art”, features art talks, workshops, an on-the-spot painting contest, a fashion show, and live performances.
Laurie Boquiren, chairwoman of VAF and a CDW trustee, during a press conference at Sheraton Mactan Cebu Resort on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, said about 1,500 works by more than 500 artists would be displayed and presented during the VAF this year.
Boquiren also said Emmanuel Garibay would be talking about the importance of “Art in the Region.”
Garibay is the artist, writer, and founder of the “Linangan Art Residency Program.”
Cebuano artists, creatives, and art enthusiasts can indulge in the activities lined up for the four-day VAF at Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue City from Nov. 24-27, 2022.
Interesting artists to take note of during this art fair include Dennis 'Sio' Montera who is a Professor at the Fine Arts Program of the University of the Philippines Cebu, Anthony Fermin, Clint Normandia, Ramon de Dios, Bong Francisco, Cocoy Paano, Sherwin Tan, and Lloyd Tronco.
Also to be featured are the works of the Negros Island based artists from the Orange Project which include the highly acclaimed Charlie Co, along with Ann Gaurana, Brandon Braza, Christoph Sagemuller, Dennis Ascalon, Dennis Occeña, IL Kulikowski and Karl Arnaiz.
