The 10 galleries that bolted out of the seven-year-old Art Fair Philippines last year will be staging their debut fair a full week ahead of Art Fair. The three-day event, much anticipated by the local art community, has been christened ALT, which isn’t exactly an acronym but, according to writer and one of the gallery curators Steph Frondoso, can be taken to mean different things: an alternative, something that reboots a system (as in when you press CTRL ALT DEL in your computer), a catalyst for healing or change (as in the enzyme ALT which is released in the bloodstream when the heart or liver is damaged).
Opening to the public on February 14, Valentine’s Day (with a vernissage on the 13th) ALT Philippines 2020 will take place at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig. Since this “pioneer collaborative project” is only comprised of the 10 art galleries—Artinformal, Blanc, Finale Art File, Galleria Duemila, MO_Space, The Drawing Room, Underground, Vinyl on Vinyl, West Gallery, and 1335 Mabini—each will have a bigger space to play with, says Frondoso, especially designed to allow every gallery to freely flex their own visions.
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Apart from the artworks display, ALT will be conducting a series of scheduled tours, where visitors are brought around the exhibition spaces and introduced to the art, the artists, and the spaces.
There is also ALT Internship, a five-week program that trains interested individuals to work on art shows and teaches them on-the-job art management.
Curator and art writer Tony Godfrey, former director of Sotheby’s Institute and author of several art books, will be conducting a series of live conversations with 10 artists. “Godfrey’s increasing awareness of how silent the artist’s voice is in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general has led him to organize these interviews,” says the ALT press release. Godfrey, who has been living in the Philippines, believes the exercise is a great opportunity for visitors, local and foreign, to be introduced to the artists in their own words.
Finally, there will also be a dialogue to be conducted by curator Angel Velasco Shaw on art patronage beyond the artist-patron relationship.
Around 150 artists’ works will be on show, with each work especially created for ALT Philippines 2020. Frondoso also adds that the fair will be more flexible in the following years in that it doesn't always have to be at the SMX Convention Center and it can be scheduled in months other than February.
Tickets are now available at https://smtickets.com or at any SM Ticket outlets. A regular day pass is P250.00. Student price is P150 (available over the counter only, with valid student ID). There is a 5 percent discount for BDO credit card users. Senior citizen and PWD discounts are honored.
ALT Philippines 2020 will be held on February 14 - 16, 2020 at the SMX Convention Center Aura, SM Aura Premier, 26th Street Corner McKinley Pkwy Taguig