3RD PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR THIS AUGUST

Manila Art 11, the 3rd Philippine International Art Fair, will be held on August 25-27 at the NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, Metro Manila. It is the country’s biggest gathering of art galleries. According to Delan Lopez Robillos, ManilArt 2011 director, “Viewers shall witness a groundbreaking launch—the simultaneous opening of various art exhibitions during gala night. Exhibitors will not simply be showcasing the works of artists they represent but each gallery shall be presenting a conceptualized art exhibit.” ManilArt 2011 also seeks to merge the visual arts with other disciplines.The following will be the highlights of the fair:

• Featured artwork “Batang Edsa” by highly sought painter Elmer Borlongan
• Modern-dance interpretation of Borlongan’s art by premier contemporary-dance maven and Dance Forum founder, Myra Beltran during the gala night
• Celebration of the University of Santo Tomas’s Quadricentennial milestone during the art fair.  Thomasian performances is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27, with a ceremony honoring outstanding Thomasian visual artists.
• ManilArt lecture series which will include the following (among others): “Semiotics in Visual Art” by Oscar V. Campomanes; and “How We Turn Paintings into Bicycles: Lessons in Art, Law, and the Internet,” by Gigo Alampay.
• A talk by award-winning poet, fictionist, playwright, and essayist Vim Nadera titled “Visuals on Rizal Today” in commemoration of National Hero José Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary. 
• Storybook reading hour at the lecture room for children.“The Rocking Horse,” which features paintings by Elmer Borlongan will be told aloud by Carisse Escueta, a former preschool teacher who is now executive director of RepubLikha. Radio and TV personalities, Gang Badoy of Rock Ed Philippines and Ramon Bautista, have also been invited to read. Artists in Residence, Inc. (AIR) will give a lecture on basic drawing.

ManilArt 2011 is presented by the Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (Bago) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA). For details, call (632) 5316231 or 0917-8511333, or e-mail info@manilart.com. Visit www.manilart.com.