Everything is more innovative, more beautiful, more interesting – everything is just MORE

The recently concluded ManilART ’22 is a masterclass in art curation. It was like walking in a museum. Each avenue, every corner, has a story to tell. Nothing was out of place.

ManilART ’22 was also a visual overload—in the best way possible. Paintings, sculptures, fantastic shapes, colors, and twisting lines. I was hoping to see how the art world is faring after the Covid-19 lockdowns, it turns out they are hungry to show the world their artistry and what they can do. If there is such a thing as “revenge spending,” the works seen at ManilART ’22 is “art vengeance” from the two years of being cooped up in their studios, workshops, and ateliers.

This proves that our artists were not idle during the two years of lockdowns. They brewed, simmered, felt angry, honed, and experimented with their artistry. Thus, released their evolved oeuvres in ManilART ’22.

“They came back with revenge,” said exhibit curator Danny Rayos de Sol, when speaking with MB Lifestyle. “A lot of the pieces you see here are a products of their sabbatical during the pandemic.”

“Our theme for this year’s ManiART is ‘Forging Futures.’ It’s basically embracing uncertainty, especially because of what happened during the pandemic. But you know, we discovered that even during the lockdowns, art is one of the more resilient industries that survived. And we even flourished,” continued Rayos de Sol who is also an artist known for his ostrich egg sculptures.

Everything is more
He then explained how artists improved and evolved their craft during the lockdowns. For example, because of the strict pandemic measures in the past two years, materials where hard to come by. This necessitated our artists to flex their ingenuity and adaptation skills.

“I noticed, especially with the pieces we have here. Everything is more innovative, more beautiful, more interesting—everything is just more. I have a friend who used annatto as red pigment (seeds of the achiote tree), because pigments where hard to come by during the pandemic. There’s also one who uses squid ink for pigments for painting. And also turmeric.”

“You cannot jail the mind of an artist,” he added. “We would use anything, even garbage, just to express our artistry.”

The old and the new
The highlight of ManilART ’22 is the introduction of NFT and phygital (physical plus digital) art. This marks the first time such artworks are featured in the 14 -year-old visual arts fair. Danny, who confesses himself to be skeptical of the newfangled art movement, admits that NFT or digital artworks are the wave of the future±that the tides of art is slowly going digital.

“But of course we need to look at the future, we need to look at where the art movement is going. And that is where it’s going, but I’m not there yet,” jested Rayos de Sol with a heart good-natured laugh.

The “phygital” exhibit garnered a lot of spectators. Physical artworks were on display together with their digital counterparts. Augmented reality installations are also seen at the exhibit, as well as booths from Binance, encouraging guests to participate in digital finance.

Galleries that participated this year are 371 Art Space, AC 388, Annual Sculpture Review, Art For Space, Artes Orientes, AT Art Gallery, Dry Brush, Espacio Manila, Galerie Artes, Galerie Du Soleil, Galerie Francesca, Galerie Raphael, Galleria Nicolas, G9 Online, Gallery Nine, Historia Arts, M Gallery MNL, Museo de Pacis, Pugad ni Art, Renaissance Gallery, The Artologist, Village Art Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery.

Photos by Noel Pabalate