Whatever you do, don’t call it an “art fair.”

After months of speculation, a near news blackout, and an over-dramatization by the media of their differences with the more established Art Fair Philippines, the so-called “breakaway 10” galleries finally launched ALT Philippines 2020 in a big reveal at the SMX Convention Center at SM Aura Premier in Bonifacio Global City.

At the vernissage before the Valentine’s Day opening, each participating gallery had its own label of convenience for what ALT Philippines aspired to be, if not an art fair.

“We call it an art show,” says Cesar Villalon Jr. of The Drawing Room. “It can take on different iterations. It doesn’t always have to be like this. We’re very flexible.”

“I consider it a group show of group shows,” says Mawen Ong of MO_Space. “It’s a group show by a group of galleries who are friends. When you go to a fair, because of the large number of galleries and high foot traffic, things are run in a very different way. Whereas if 10 galleries get together and we have very similar objectives, we can’t really call ourselves a fair.”

Alternative platform?

An alternative art platform, then?

“We just want to do something different, change the format and have a really good show,” says Evita Sarenas of Finale Art File. “We want the artists to be proud of being part of this.”

“The galleries that got together to organize this event comprise the core of the art scene in the Philippines,” says Tina Fernandez of Artinformal.

The artists they collectively represent are the trailblazers in Philippine contemporary art, and their client base consists of serious art collectors who purchase most of the art locally, she adds.

“I would like to think that art has become part of the culture of Filipinos,” she says. “To widen the audience, we have the Art Fair to do that. But we also want to present an alternative way of viewing art. This is quite focused on contemporary art in the country today. We are presenting something that is totally different from what the Art Fair is doing.”

Old school psychonauts used to talk about “set and setting”: how mindset and the environment determined the quality of the experience. The collective behind ALT Philippines seemed to have designed the space with this in mind.

Main difference

“The main difference between this and the art fair is that art fairs are open to all,” says Stephanie Frondoso, curator of Artinformal’s exhibit. “This is not open for applications, the 10 galleries just gathered to put up a show. The second difference is that they organized it all together—they collaborated on the visuals, the graphic design, the booth design.”The cavernous interior on the third level of SM Aura in Taguig was configured into a honeycomb of hive-like spaces for each of the 10 members of the collective: Artinformal, Blanc, Finale Art File, Galleria Duemila, MO_Space, The Drawing Room, Underground, Vinyl on Vinyl, West Gallery and 1335 Mabini.

The artists on exhibit represent a healthy cross-section of the contemporary art scene ca. 2020: established names in mid-career, rising young art stars, a smattering of foreign and expatriate Filipino artists, and the usual suspects. (Many of them have hedged their bets and will also be showing in next week’s Art Fair Philippines.)

One of the gripes the galleries had with the art fair, with more than 60 galleries packed in four floors of the car park venue, was the cramped spaces. No such problem here. Each “hive” had more than twice the floor space, and almost unlimited headroom, allowing for larger works and more “breathing room” in between pieces.

“It’s more immersive because you have to enter the hives,” adds Frondoso. “The spaces are bigger so you can make a better thesis of your space.”

“It’s more relaxed,” notes Manny de Castro of Underground. “We have a bigger space to work with, more control over how we are going to present the works. It’s not the salon type, you have more negative space, the works can breathe.”

60 galleries

The sheer scale of Art Fair Philippines, with over 60 participating galleries, not to mention special exhibits, talks and workshops, booths for sales and concessions, and 30,000 visitors over three days provides a very different energy. With so much going on, the vibe is more frenetic, the pace quicker, the experience more in your face. The visitor is more prone to visual overload, and bouts of Fomo (fear of missing out on anything worthwhile, hence the compulsion to see everything.)

ALT Philippines offers a somewhat mellower vibe. With only 10 galleries, it’s a much more relaxed viewing experience, visitors can spend more time to connect with each artwork.

“It could be a reaction to visual overload,” says MO_Space’s Ong. “We’re looking for something that calms our minds, art as meditation.”

Although she was referring to some of the more minimalistic, monochromatic works on exhibit, it could also apply to the viewing experience.

Where Art Fair Philippines seeks to widen the audience for contemporary art, ALT Philippines seeks to deepen it.

In any case, there’s no point in comparing the two—hardcore art buffs and collectors will go to both events and relish both experiences. Artists are happy to have one more platform to show their work.

“I think in general it’s good for the art community, artists have more exposure,” says Alfredo Aquilizan who is exhibiting with wife Isabel and son Miguel in The Drawing Room hive.

“Having two or three different art fairs means they need to start rethinking their platforms, and that’s also healthy,” he adds.

“It’s quite interesting, what’s happening now compared to 10 years ago: art now needs to be an event, hindi katulad noon….People just come over to be seen, or to have their selfies. Okay lang ‘yon kasi at least pumupunta sila, and at the next level, hopefully they will begin to understand what art is all about and what it is telling us. At the end of the day, it’s good for the audience also. You have to educate your audience, that’s the main responsibility of the artist also, not just making work to cater to the market.”

“In the end you come back to yourself,” says Isabel Aquilizan. “It will come out in your work anyway, how true you remain, that honesty, who you really are and what you want to talk about.”

ALT Philippines 2020 runs until today, Feb. 16, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura, Taguig. Tickets (P250 general admission, P150 student price) are available at smtickets.com. Gates open at 11 a.m.