Featured artwork by Max Balatbat courtesy of Art Fair Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines — The season of art has come upon us again! Art Fair Philippines 2026 officially opened its doors today at Circuit Makati.
Transforming six floors of the Circuit Corporate Center One, this year’s edition brought leading galleries from across the Philippines alongside exhibitors from France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Spain, reinforcing Manila’s role as a premiere hub in the international art market.
ArtFairPH/Projects. Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines.
A major highlight of the fair, ArtFairPH/Projects broke new ground for established and emerging artists. Leading the lineup is Imelda Cajipe Endaya, whose work explores domesticity, migration, and women’s empowerment.
Joining her are visionaries including Ambie Abaño, Max Balatbat, Ged Unson Merino, and ceramic pioneers Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn.
Artwork by Ambie Abaño. Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines.
Brenda Fajardo, a pioneer of feminist social realism, is celebrated for her Tarot Card series that re-examines Philippine history through folk aesthetics. She is joined by Constancio Bernardo, a protégé of Josef Albers and a pioneer of Geometric Abstraction known for his disciplined “hard-edge” lines.
The section also highlights Solomon Saprid, iconic for his Brutalist bronze sculptures and jaggedly welded Tikbalang figures, and Romeo Tabuena, a post-war Neorealist beloved for his ethereal, stylized depictions of rural Philippine life.
Artwork by Constancio Bernardo. Image courtesy of Art Fair Philippines.
The fair also continues its exploration of technology in ArtFairPH/Digital, featuring painter and graphic artist TRNZ, who debuts an animated short film titled “The Keeper” in collaboration with Fleet Studios. Joining him is the TLYR Collective, whose “digital alchemy” presentation uses generative art and augmented reality to challenge the boundaries of identity in virtual spaces.
Consistent with its mission to develop audiences, the fair also presents ArtFairPH/Talks in partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery and the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, offering daily sessions that dive deep into the evolving art landscape.
Furthermore, the ArtFairPH/Residencies program officially opened applications, with New York-based curator Anne-Laure Lemaitre leading the residency grant to facilitate a global exchange of ideas.
Art Fair Philippines is co-presented by Ayala Land Inc, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Globe.
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