“THE goal is to help the visual artists. Profit is only our second priority.”
This was how business partners and art enthusiasts Jon Gotiong and Maris Holopainen-Hadaway addressed questions about what made them open a second branch of Qube Gallery in the city.
Gotiong said they believe in Cebuano creativity and that opening the Qube art gallery would serve as a venue to all Cebuano artists to showcase their craft.
“This is just a start of something fruitful for Cebuano artists. We are providing them the venue where they can have all of their visual arts exhibited,” said Gotiong.
“We wanted to professionalize the fine art industry at the same time raise the standards of contemporary art exhibition.”
Qube Gallery first opened at the Persimmon in Mabolo. It showcased works of emerging Cebuano artists. The success of their first art gallery prompted them to open a second one located at The Henry Hotel in Paseo Saturnino, Maria Luisa Road in Banilad. It will exhibit paintings, sculptures, prints and photography of established artists from the Visayas and Mindanao.
The gallery has over 1,500 artworks.
“The goal is to help the industry. To tap the collectors market of Cebu, or those people who enjoy art. We want the market to be aware that acquiring paintings is also a form of investment, aside from the fact that it’s a way to help artists survive,” Gotiong said.
While the market for visual art is in the high-end segment, he said the Qube Gallery will also tie up with various universities here to further promote visual arts in the mainstream market, particularly to the young generation.
They also plan to expand their presence in Manila and Bacolod so they can feature the artists from the Visayas and Mindanao. “We want these pieces to be showcased and at the same time be accessible to the market,” he said.
The opening of the Qube Galleries here, Gotiong said, is also a big boost to the creative industry of Cebu, after the British Council declared it a “Creative City.”
The Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu Provincial Office and private stakeholders such as the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry are also aggressive in pushing Cebu to become the “creative capital” of the Philippines.
A program is now being implemented in collaboration with the Creative Council of Cebu to bring together the visual artists here and come up with a database of their contacts and artworks.
To attract both local and foreign enthusiasts, Gotiong said they will also tie-up with the travel agencies to include Qube Gallery in their tour itineraries.
