• Art Home
• What's On
• Features
• 
• 
• Bookmark this site

A fascinating art festival has quietly kicked off in the city, bringing attention to an often under-exposed group of Hong Kong-based artists. The Third Philippine Arts Festival begins with a large group show at the Peak Galleria (showing until Sunday 22) featuring the works of 40 contemporary Filipino artists living in Hong Kong. This fortnight, yet more exhibitions are opening, offering a rare insight into the talent that resides in the city.

The festival is the brainchild of Rex Aguado, who by day is the publisher of monthly magazine Review Asia, and for years has been building his own collection of contemporary Filipino art. He explains that despite the tireless work of John Batten, whose Peel Street gallery was one of the few city galleries to feature Filipino artists in the 1990s, Aguado saw that the artists in the city were having trouble showcasing their work. “Everything was there already, but the problem was there is no branding to it. So we thought we’re the biggest minority group in Hong Kong, why not push for something like this.”

The resulting festival includes more than a dozen events ranging from art and photography exhibitions, to drama workshops and performance art. Take Five opens on Thursday 19 at Asia Fine Art in Wan Chai, showcasing five painters, including renowned painter Jun Cambel. Osage Soho is showing Chronicles of Pain Coloured including two of the city’s pioneering artists the 3D animator and visual artist Justo Cascante III and Arnel S. Agawin. On Thursday 26, the Karin Weber Gallery opens a solo show with Noel de Guzman. The festival closes with a fascinating family show by another pioneer Joel Ferraris, who is showing his paintings alongside more than 20 relatives in “It Runs In The Blood” at the Sera Sene Gallery in Lan Kwai Fong.

“It’s a very organic festival,” says Aguada. “The idea here is Filipino artists expressing themselves and sharing it with the community. It’s more a celebration of our culture and art.” Indeed, it’s high time this talented sector of the community was given a proper platform to express itself. Clare Morin

www.philartsfesthk.com