Thrillers from Manila: Filipino art

As interest in South-East Asian art grows, with a continuing Chinese influence, demand for art from the Philippines is on the rise. Local galleries are exhibiting an increasing number of works, so it’s no surprise that Filipino art is becoming a prominent contributor to our creative landscape. Next month, the Singapore Art Museum and Asian Civilisations Museum will be holding major exhibitions dedicated to Filipino art and culture, scheduled to be opened by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she graces our shores for the APEC summit. But this trend isn’t confined to Singapore.

Globally, both the creative and commercial art worlds seem to have their eye on the Philippines. In August, San Francisco held the Pistahan Festival, which celebrated Filipino art and cuisine with a festive parade. That same month, the Haraya Visual and Media Arts Society, a group of Hong Kong-based Filipino creatives, held its first major exhibition at Hong Kong Cultural Centre. So what is it about Filipino work that has captured the world’s imagination? What lends it the narrative qualities, figurative leanings and rich imagery? And in the light of showcases like ARTSingapore opening this month, what does the future of art from the Philippines hold for investors, art lovers and artists?

According to Valentine Willie, who runs galleries regionally, one reason Filipino art is so rich in imagery is the fact that the Philippines has had a long tradition of freedom of speech. ‘This has resulted in a rich diversity of cultural practices reflecting both its traditions and its social political conditions,’ Willie says. ‘Their unique blend of Christian and folkloric traditions has also served to enrich contemporary art practice.’ In the upcoming year, Willie’s Singapore gallery will present ‘Art Focus: Philippines’, one of a proposed series of boutique showcases from leading art spaces in the Philippines.

If the past few years are anything to go by, sales will be more than healthy. Michele Goh from Larasati, the first Asian auction house in Singapore to dedicate a section to Filipino art back in 2007, says numerous Filipino artists they’ve shown, such as Ronald Ventura and Rodel Tapaya, have become new icons of South-East Asian contemporary art. ‘Filipino artwork has always been on par in terms of quality, uniqueness and creativity, with other Asian giants. However, in the past it lacked exposure,’ Goh says. ‘Lately, with the spur of art fairs, biennales and auction houses featuring Filipino works, it’s getting more exposure than ever.’

Cris Villanueva Jr, grand-prize winner of the 2005 Philip Morris Award, would probably agree. When he visited Singapore in 1990 in search of venues to show his work, he met with no response. Fifteen years later however, he found himself meeting Pwee Keng Hock, owner of Utterly Art, who subsequently showed his work. Other Filipino artists associated with Utterly include Leo Abaya and John Santos, both of whom will be exhibiting there next month. Santos explains why summarising Filipino art is so difficult: ‘It is due partly to being under foreign rule a few times in the course of our history as a country. These cultures, and their effect on us, are probably big factors.’ He also believes that the country’s receptiveness to new culture and technologies is in part responsible for the richness that we see in contemporary Filipino art.

With overtly political messages being slowly replaced by personal perspectives – reactions to globalisation, urbanisation, a changing relationship with religion and, in many cases, basic self-expression – perhaps Filipino art has found that much-needed middle ground between commercial and creative. Villanueva suggests that it is not necessarily a unique Filipino trait that’s pushing its art to the forefront of regional culture, and sums the phenomenon up with a single, succinct, suggestion: ‘All peoples have the tendency to go through a cycle in their development as a nation, and we have reached a point where there is only one way to go – up. That means a struggle to claim our place under the sun.’