FOR its fifth year, the Ortigas Art Festival (OAF) expands beyond the visual arts and highlights artist-led galleries. The festival will last until August 7 at Estancia Malls, Pasig City.
The Ortigas Art Festival was launched in 2018 with the goal of making art accessible to all. It featured more than 60 Filipino artists in its first run. Since then, more than 200 artists – including international artists from Southeast Asia, America, and Europe – have participated. Despite the restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, OAF continued to hold both physical and online activity in its 2020 and 2021 editions.
“This year’s festival paints a broader picture of Philippine art where we encompass more art forms, from visual art, film, dance, and even pottery,” said the artist and chief curator of OAF Renato “Mang Ato” R. Habulan in a statement. “We want to showcase the diversity of talents in the many disciplines that Filipino artists have and we are honored to showcase all of that through this year’s exhibit and festivities.”
“We believe that art has the power to connect with people and stimulate their spirits especially in trying times,” Renee Bacani, Vice President of Ortigas Malls, said in a statement. “We proved that when we ran the festival for two years under pandemic. Now that we are slowly rising up and embracing the new normal, we believe that there is no better time to show that Philippine art is alive and well and should be enjoyed by all. ”
EXHIBITIONS, COMPETITIONS, AND WORKSHOP
This year’s festival includes workshops and exhibitions in painting, sculpture, photography, and fashion, a film competition, and music performances.
For this year’s list of exhibitors, Mr. Habulan proposed to showcase artist -run spaces.
“By making a festival centered on artist -run venues, we support artist initiatives, and in the process, we also support artists,” Mr. Habulan said. Business world shortly after the launch on July 7th.
Mr. Habulan – who is the founder of the gallery Agos Studios participating in the festival – said, “In places run by artists, what is important to us is that the art is good and relevant, and should reflect the state of our time. . . ”
Sa second and third floors of The Estancia East Wing will feature participating artist -run galleries: Agos Studios, Bastedor Art Project, Vmeme Contemporary Art Gallery, Linangan Art Residency, Red Lab Gallery, Thombayan Art Space, and Makiling Art Studio. The festival also features works by visual artists Rita Bustamante and Rico Lascano.
Meanwhile, the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines mounted designs in the mall’s exhibition spaces. National Artist for Music Ramon Santos also has a special exhibit on folk music.
The various art workshops offered were Design-It-Yourself 3D Art on July 23; Paper Sculpture, Sketching from Life, and Wood Carving on July 30; and Oil Pastel Drawing for Beginners and Live Portraiture Sketching on July 31st.
For film and photo, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and film organization Born in Film will host retrospectives and late-night screenings of restored films and films in the Philippines by National Artists.
FDCP will also hold its second Vertical Cinema Contest during the festival. Film entries (in any genre) fit the theme: “How are you? ” (How are you?). They must be shot on a smartphone with an aspect ratio of 9:16. The length of the film should not exceed two minutes. They may be in English or Filipino, and subtitles are required for other languages. The deadline for submission of entries is July 31. Ten Finalists will be selected from which the Top 3 will receive P15,000 (first prize); P10,000 (second prize); and P5,000 (third prize). The Top 7 will receive P2,000 each. For competition mechanics, visit www.facebook.com/ortigasartfestival/photos/1008100676550288.
Born in Film will host workshops on Creative Visual Storyline and Mobile Photography on July 16; while FDCP will hold workshops on Storytelling on July 24 and Screen Writing on July 30.
The Ortigas Art Festival runs until August 7 at Estancia East Wing, Capitol Commons, Pasig City. Admission is free. For the full festival schedule, follow the Ortigas Art Festival on Facebook and visit ortigasmalls.com. To participate in activities, register for the Ortigas Community Card through the Ortigas Malls App. – Michelle Anne P. Soliman
