Art Dubai 2016: Marker

Marker is Art Dubai’s curated programme of galleries and art spaces, which focuses in 2016 on the Philippines. This section aims to exemplify the fair’s role as a site of discovery and cross-cultural exchange, and is a feature of Art Dubai’s extensive not-for-profit programming.

Art Dubai has invited Manila-based artist, curator and researcher Ringo Bunoan to create a programme highlighting the dynamic, independent art scene in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This is the first such showcase of the Philippines at any major international fair and the first such exhibition in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Artist-run spaces for Manila will showcase the work around 20 Filipino artists, from modern master Roberto Chabet to a new generation of contemporary artists.

The exhibition will feature, among others, artist-run spaces, 98B Post Gallery, Project 20 and Thousandfold. In the capital, artist-run spaces have long been crucial for the development of Filipino contemporary art, supporting alternative art practices, communities and economies while allowing local artists to create and present works outside the conventional frameworks of museums and commercial galleries.

The wide-ranging multidisciplinary exhibition will include paintings, soft sculptures, works on paper, textiles, photographs and films by a diverse group of contemporary artists in their 20s and 30s. The exhibition presents works that address a diverse range of issues, including form, collaboration, community and economy, offering a sneak.peek into the interests and practices of this new generation of radical artists.

Serving as an anchor to the exhibition is the work of Roberto Chabet (1937.2013), a pioneering Filipino conceptual artist, teacher and curator who played an active role in several artist-run spaces throughout his lifetime, taught for over three decades at the UP College of Fine Arts and was an instrumental part of nurturing young artist throughout his career. Marker 2016 will include a major installation by Chabet.