Art in the Park: A junction of vibrant worlds
Fashion show director Robby Carmona was ecstatic over finding another Marissa Lopa piece, having bought one of her sketches a couple of years ago.
“I’m just so happy,” he said. “And I met Marissa Lopa herself! It’s such a special day for me today.”
It was just as special for the artist herself. “We’re both so kilig with each other,” said Lopa, who has been joining Art in the Park for the past 14 years.
There were a lot of well-known faces among the throng of people visiting the pocket park in Salcedo Village, Makati, on that sunny yet breezy Sunday.
Featured artist himself AR Manalo appeared to be awestruck when Lifestyle came up to him at the Special Exhibits tent. Only moments earlier, he was chatting with Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See. And in the few hours since the event opened, he got to meet a few other who’s who in society, including Ayala Corp. chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.
But celebrity or not, everyone there had a shared purpose, asserted Carmona: to appreciate art and support the artists.
Last March 23, artists and art lovers came together for that one-day-a-year (12 hours, to be exact) event to celebrate art in all its glory at Jaime Velasquez Park. Already on its 19th year, Art in the Park has become a mecca of sorts for anyone who has even a glancing appreciation for the arts.
Still, after years of wild success, the event has managed to remain true to its quaint and lovely self: a casual and open atmosphere, a vibrant exchange of creativity, an exciting cultural connection, and a deep love for the community distilled in one fleeting event.
The beauty of Art in the Park is it belongs not only to creators and collectors. One need not be a buyer to be able to stroll along the paths strewn with paintings, prints, pottery, poetry, and publications.
Connecting people
“Even though you’re not a collector, even though you won’t buy, just to look around to see what’s available, to see what a Filipino can do—for me, that’s the most important thing,” said Lopa.
“It connects people,” added Manalo, describing art as a universal language. “The connection of art and the people, it gives hope.”
“It’s amazing how people really look forward to it,” Art in the Park cofounder Trickie Lopa told Lifestyle. She also marveled at how this year’s featured artists took their first crack at exhibiting commercially years ago at Art in the Park. “Their first taste of having art as, I guess, a lifetime profession is Art in the Park. It gave them the courage to continue.
“And for collectors also, everybody says the first time they dipped into art acquisitions was really at Art in the Park,” she added. “So it’s so heartening that after all these years, you can still find it’s the place to really discover. It’s a treasure hunt, that’s what it is.”
Sixty-one exhibitors representing galleries, collectives, and independent art spaces were featured in this edition of Art in the Park, with special exhibitions from multimedia artist Manalo, designer and visual artist Carlo Tanseco, and multimedia visual artist TRNZ.
There were numerous food stalls, and an invited musician played in the background.
For Karen Ocampo Flores of the UP Artists’ Circle sorority, Art in the Park gives her and the other members an opportunity to reunite and catch up with each other. “It’s a meeting point. Not only do our artworks get to meet, we also get to meet as our ideas converge together at Art in the Park.”
Breaking down walls
Flores applauded the effort of making art this public. “Making it more accessible to a larger public raises awareness. So artists benefit, but also a lot of people benefit from the knowledge and the experience.”
Weeks ago, during the press launch, cofounder Lisa Periquet describe the point of the whole event as being able to break down the white walls of galleries. But it’s interesting to note that while the festival has been successful in that regard, it was also able to elevate other forms of art previously regarded as not as lofty.
Art in the Park became a junction where fine arts and crafts existed equally on the same plane—where ceramics, comics, and amigurumi were found alongside elegant oil paintings and abstract sculptures.
When renowned potter EJ Espiritu Jr. of Cornerstone Potter Farm started joining Art in the Park some years ago, there were only a handful of ceramic artists like him. But slowly, appreciation for the art form grew. Now, he continues to make it a point to participate. “The community of people appreciating arts is growing. It’s amazing,” he said.
Kevin Eric Raymundo, creator of the popular comics “Tarantadong Kalbo,” experienced a bit of a culture shock when he first participated three years ago as part of the Komiket booth. Art in the Park offered the comic artist a more art-centric environment. He said they didn’t know what would happen going in, half-expecting to be completely ignored.
But his experience with the fair has been really good, he added. “In the next few years, I’d bring out original artworks like a painting, and surprisingly, a lot of people would purchase.”
He jokingly said that the bougie and “sosyal” setting of Art in the Park forces him to elevate his artworks. “But it’s okay. I can handle those things.”
Because Raymundo’s choice of medium is already quite accessible, he didn’t think anybody in the artsy side of town would take notice of his works. “But three years on, and we’re still here.”
