MANILA – January 8, 2013 – Artists, art-lovers, collectors, and basically anyone with pesos to spare are invited to join ART is FAIR, an artist-led art fair that aims to "democratize art" by selling pieces that everyone–even those living on a shoestring budget–can afford.
The fair, which will run from January 11 to 15 at Kanto Artist Run Space at The Collective in Makati, will feature over a hundred affordable pieces from mostly young and underrepresented artists, though some established artists will also be showing their works. The pieces will span various artistic disciplines and visual styles.
"The event hopes to engage everyone to rethink that art is not only for those with deep pockets. Art connects us all and is a vehicle for personal and cultural transformation and therefore its access should not be priced prohibitively," Kanto said on Facebook.
"ART is FAIR is an event that goes beyond trade fairs and is where selling becomes the point of dialogue that hopes to engage the art community and the public to rethink art distribution beyond the commercial court of traditional art trade," it said.
Artists are invited to submit their work until 9 p.m. of January 9, for a participation fee of P200.
Each artist can submit two large artworks (painting, oil on canvas, sculptures, etc.) with a maximum size of 5×5 ft. (any medium), and any number of small works (paper works, photographs, etc) with a maximum size of 24 inches.
Kanto noted that not all artworks will be mounted on the gallery wall, and encouraged participants to bring extra easels so they can still showcase their work at the venue.
For small works, Kanto will be accepting framed or unframed pieces, but advised participants to put protective covers on their work as they can be fragile.
Participants can also sell art merchandise, and are encouraged to bring small tables, easels, or mats for presentability.
Kanto also encouraged participating artists to be present at the fair so they can interact with people interested in their work.
