The 3rd Visayas Art Fair (VAF) — presented by Cebu Design Week, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Oakridge Business Park, the City of Mandaue, DTI, Airspeed, and The Company — was recently held from Nov. 23 to 26, 2023, at Oakridge Business Park.
Laurie Boquiren, event chairperson, generously shared the interesting history of how this now yearly event came to be and outlined the highlights for this year’s run. She began by recounting that during its conception, the primary goal of the VAF was to connect different artists and galleries, with the hope that more people would appreciate the depth of talent in the Visayas. Additionally, it aimed to provide a platform for struggling artists to monetize their art by aligning themselves with reputable galleries that could genuinely assist them. With the existing infrastructure in place, Cebu (a UNESCO City of Design) was the unequivocal choice as the art destination in the Central Visayas.
The inaugural year of staging the VAF proved to be challenging as it unfolded at the tail end of the pandemic.
Montebello Villa Hotel’s racquetball court, in a state of disrepair, needed refurbishing in time for the 2021 opening, accomplished with the assistance of the Sacred Heart School Batch 85 Foundation through Artabang. Boquiren initially harbored concerns about generating much interest at such a critical time, but the event was a phenomenal success! Anticipating a modest attendance of a hundred, the foot traffic exceeded a thousand in a day.
Last year’s VAF found a new home in the Oakridge Business Park, and it appears they have found the perfect partnership. This year, the paintings, sculptures and other artwork are housed on the 12th floor of the Oakridge Studio, while the Bodega Design Center in the Pavilion hosts the fashion show and other designer booths, curated by Kenneth Cobonpue himself. This layout eliminates distractions as visitors move seamlessly from booth to booth, offering more space for interaction. The revelation that Filipino talent appears to be truly on par with the best in the world (if not better) left a lasting impression.
Another positive development is the presence of galleries from Luzon and Mindanao, evidence that the VAF has expanded its circle, welcoming more talented individuals into its fold. Luzon was represented by Art Underground, Daloy Likha, Espacio Manila, Fil Arts, Galerie Francesca, Life N Arts, Mono6, Nami, Quadro Art & Village Art.
One notable booth was that of 32-year-old Joel Chavez, whose solo exhibition, “A Race Against Time,” was visually stunning yet coherent, selling out even before the event opened to the public.
Visayan exhibitors included Fernando Kabigting, Florentino’s Art, Raphael, JessesJungalow, Leyte Group, Manila Art Frames, Orange Project, Orley Ypon, Qube Gallery, Art Portal, Universities, Mariyah, Villacin & Woman’s Booth. From Mindanao came selections from the Mindanao Art Fair, and two international booths — Gallery Tony & Happy Pig. Price ranges varied from affordable to investment-level, acknowledging the diverse preferences of buyers and collectors. A highlight of such events is listening to artists describe the process of creating their pieces to visitors in their booths.
Another sight to behold were the red Octopus and orange Dinosaur sculptures by Meliss Yeung Yap (Luzon Art Fair) in the Atrium as children merrily played around them. The very colorful and elegant Oakridge Crocheted Christmas Tree is also an attention-grabber, a unique design created by 36 women of the Cebu Crochet Group in collaboration with VAF and the Zonta Club of Cebu II, who crocheted 1200 granny squares to complete this masterpiece—a true labor of love.