Art Fair Philippines has long established itself as the premier platform for exhibiting and selling modern and contemporary Philippine art within the nation’s borders. Founded in 2013 by Lisa Ongpin-Periquet, the fair’s goal is to showcase the best of Philippine contemporary and modern art to an audience that grows wider annually. The fair has historically been held at the same venue: The Link in Makati City. If you’re not familiar with The Link, it’s a carpark. And as a venue, it is one of the characteristics of Art Fair Philippines that set it apart and made it unique globally.
However, that characteristic was always a little bit of a double-edged sword. As visitor flow increased and more gallery space was needed, the carpark started to feel its limits. In 2025 the fair has decided to take a step into the future, out of the dark car park, and into the sunlight of Ayala Triangle Gardens, a park in the center of Makati’s Central Business District. As far as city parks go, Ayala Triangle is relatively small, but large enough to accommodate the series of tents that house the event’s over 50 participating galleries.
Here’s some of our favorite works we found while exploring the 2025 fair, selected to show the diversity on display.
Nostalgia Always Hits
If you had a friend who visited the Art Fair, you would inevitably have caught a glimpse of Carlo Tanseco’s sculptural works in their instagram stories. Blowing up familiar household snacks such as clover chips, instant noodles, and candies, Tanseco pop-art renditions rewrite the text on the products to tongue-in-cheek messages that further communicate our shared experiences as a culture, finding the connections through the most approachable form of comedy: puns.
Rising star Rachel Cu exhibited at Art Underground’s booth. Cu’s hyper realistic renditions of knit or crochet stuffed children’s toys jump off the wall. At a distance, the oil paintings appear strikingly like studio photographs, conveying moments and feelings captured from a time where toys are animated by our young imaginations. Up close, the intricate and meticulous strokes tell a story of time and the long journey back to who we used to be.
The exhibit is called “Menagerie,” which google defines as ” a collection of wild animals, kept in captivity for exhibition.” Cu certainly provides both a display of artistic skill and the ability to serve up food for thought.
Familiar Faces
Yeokaa is a staple at Art Fair Philippines, with previous years featuring large installations, and sculptural works scattered around the venue. We always seek out the street artist’s Art Fair works as they always give both a sense of the familiar and a sense of journey she goes on, developing over the years. In 2025, the artist’s presence was less visible, but if you searched for it, you found it. Yeokaa is inevitable.
Similarly, Filipino art scene veteran Manny Garibay continues his avante garde exploration of socio-political themes, and the unfortunate religious ties that they have formed in our culture. His Art Fair show, “Dambana: A Critical Reflection on Belief, Power, and Memory” derives its name from the Filipino word that refers to an altar or shrine. The series of works challenge the viewer, forcing uncomfortable questions to be asked.
Welcome Growth
In its new venue, Art Fair Philippines saw a shift in both venue and focus. Yes, a high concentration of reputable galleries still remains the beating heart of Art Fair, but the organizers managed this by strengthening the “Projects” section of the fair, featuring diverse exhibitions from local and international artists, including digital art. The fair aims to be a complete representation of the local Filipino art scene, increase art accessibility to more buyers, and — through all that — support Filipino art practitioners. While the new venue presents its own sets of challenges, there seems to be consensus with the general public that this change is a welcome one.
