Luneta Art Fair connects up-and-coming artists to a wider market

ART will once again fill the sunny open spaces of the historic Rizal Park in Manila next February.

Galleries, art collectives, student groups, and individual artists will showcase their diverse artworks at the 2nd edition of the Luneta Art Fair on Feb. 1 and 2, 2025. Among the participating artists are Glenn Martinez, Badz Palacio, Odangputik, Nelz Yumul, Kenny Tai, Kaila Patricia Ang, and the Aint (Art in Things) collective.

Aside from entrance to the fair being free and open to the public, the event aims to showcase artists, groups, and organizations that are relatively young in their artistic journeys.

“We welcome everyone who wants to participate and sell their works, but we especially want to nurture the ones who are just starting out,” said Luneta Art Fair organizer Benjamin Canapi in a virtual interview with BusinessWorld.

After the success of the inaugural edition earlier this year, Puesto Manila — the creative events agency behind the fair — seeks to further its potential.

“We’ve been doing WE ART markets in different parts of Manila. These feature mainly college students who do arts and crafts like stickers, prints, zines, crochet, candles, and jewelry. From that, we see there’s a huge pool of young, creative people who need a big platform,” Mr. Canapi said.

“Luneta Art Fair is a step above the pop-ups, designed to give these artists a chance to level up what they’re doing, to sell not just stickers and the like, but also full-on artworks to a lucrative market.”

PUBLIC ART IN MANILAA major draw of the fair is its location, in one of the most historic sites and public parks in Manila that has since struggled to maintain its previously beautiful image.

Mr. Canapi, also the head tour guide of WanderManila, explained that putting up an art fair in Luneta was a matter of convenience at first, thanks to their ties with the National Parks Development Committee.

“Now, a precious goal is to help promote public spaces in Manila. A lot of people are still unaware that Luneta is a far better place than it used to be over 10 years ago. It’s a means to reintroduce Rizal Park to a wider audience, to showcase the possibilities of doing events here,” he said.

Proof of the gradual improvement of the public spaces in Manila is the increase in the number of foreigners walking around in areas like Binondo and Quiapo, which in turn has forced the hand of the local government to better manage and police these areas.

It is high time to “reintroduce Manila,” Mr. Canapi told BusinessWorld. “A huge chunk of the local market still thinks it’s a confusing, confounding, chaotic, and dirty city. One way of proving that wrong is showcasing what activities you can do in the space.”

“Tourism, culture, art go hand-in-hand. At Puesto, we do our part by staging art fairs and art markets.”

TRANSITION POINTThe presence of lucrative venues like Art Fair Philippines, Art in the Park, Cubao Expo, and even Komiket shows the improving accessibility of art, according to Mr. Canapi.

“With these platforms being so open to the public, it means more people can know that you don’t have to go to a gallery for art,” he added. “They’re made aware that there are so many artists out there.”

The Luneta Art Fair will exhibit a wide array of works — paintings, sketches, sculptures (both handmade and 3D-printed), collages, photography, and even digital pieces.  Alongside booths, there will be free workshops and demos on a variety of art mediums.

Compared to other venues, it aims to be “the transition point between starting out as a young artist with collectibles and merch, and artworks for more traditional art fairs.”

“It’s an opportunity for these young artists to explore beyond their usual arts and crafts,” Mr. Canapi said.

Artists, galleries, collectives, and art groups can still register to participate in the Luneta Art Fair, but only until Dec. 31. The event will take place at Rizal Park from Feb. 1 to 2, 2025. — Brontë H. Lacsamana