A date with art is always a good one
Why are there so many romantic scenes in films set in museums? There is the movie “Hitch” with characters portrayed by Will Smith and Eva Mendes on a date in Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Another is the 1979 film “Manhattan,” which is Woody Allen’s self-described “love letter to New York,” featuring the city’s museums MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, and the Met.
It is undeniable that dates with art involved prove to be the best way to go. Not only do lovers breathe in culture together, art also gives them topics for conversation, especially when butterflies start coming in. And if you’re planning to have an artistic and romantic Valentine weekend this time, then set a date with Galerie Stephanie.
The gallery is opening its third and most comprehensive run of International Contemporary Art Fest (ICAF) with a roster of 27 remarkable artists from 14 countries.
“Since 2015, Galerie Stephanie has been ardent in showcasing the rigor and variability of art at a global crosscut,” the gallery says. “For the last two years, ICAF has been its cynosure. Charged with the belief that the practice and thought of art know neither borders nor creed, a thoroughly cosmopolitan hospitality, Galerie Stephanie has worked through and beyond its international artist program, artist residencies, and avid participation in art fairs local and abroad.”
In its continuing bid to open an inclusive and international palate, ICAF 2021 spans a diverse range of expressions. High-minded and to a world-class standard, the styles presented in this annual affair have been tried and tested on the global stage and remain unique and exemplary, still. Compassing the contemplative and unapologetic, the precocious and ripe, the sharply real and those as tenuous as dreams, ICAF exhibits these, together, in a venue open to all.
Beloved artists returning for this yearly affair are Anton Subiyanto (Indonesia), debutant of the gallery’s international artist program in 2015; former artist-residents Noor Bahjat (Syria), Roby Dwi Antono (Indonesia), Cristina Gamón (Spain), and Nunzio Paci (Italy); past collaborators Meghan Hildebrand (Canada), Hideo Tanaka, and Keiko Yokoyama (Japan), Dan Barry (USA), Imam Santoso (Indonesia); and Vincent de Pio and Aileen Lanuza (Philippines).
Fresh entrants to ICAF are Julie Liger Belair (Canada), Akira Miyamoto and Atsuko Yamagata (Japan), Chayanin Kwangkaew (Taiwan), Liew Mei Toong (Malaysia), Hae Ryun (South Korea), and Philippines-based artists Renz Baluyot, Alexander Calceta, Anton del Castillo, Shannah Orencio, Gabby Prado, Reybert Ramos, Juan Sajid Imao, Dexter Sy, and sculptress Ciane Xavier (Brazil).
ICAF: International Contemporary Art Fest 2021 shall be on exhibit by Feb. 13, 2021 at the Shangri-la Plaza East Wing, Midlevel Atrium.