ESQUIRE | You Shouldn't Miss the Sex-Themed Exhibit at Art Fair Philippines 2020

2020-02-21

You Shouldn't Miss the Sex-Themed Exhibit at Art Fair Philippines 2020

Images and text by: Paolo Chua

The gallery asked participating artists what sex means to them.

At this year's Art Fair Philippines 2020, we saw an assortment of great worksfrom different artists and galleries. Not to mention, a Manny Montelibano art piece that's elicited diverse reactions. There were certainly other highlights such as Erwin Romulo's film component and photographs from the Julius Baer section. Among all these, however, one of the definite standouts was Tin-Aw Art Gallery's themed group exhibition.

The gallery turned its booth into what looked like an artistic sex den—in the best way possible. Upon entering, it's Francis Commeyne's "Hanging Meat" and "Delicatessen" that first catches your eye. Both works feature wood carved in the shape of hotdogs, with a whole variety of pop culture references including the infamous Art Basel banana.
Other artists in the exhibition are Faye Abantao, Ambie Abaño, Mike Adrao, Leo Abaya, Pope Bacay, Renato Barja Jr., Cian Dayrit, Winner Jumalon, Julie Lluch, Noli Principe Manalang, Leeroy New, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Ricky Villabona, and Jezzel Wee.

To come up with the selection, Tin-Aw Art Gallery put together artists that have been known to use the theme of sex in their works. The most recognizable, of course, is Julie Lluch's "Georgia on my Mind"—a three-dimension terra-cotta piece in the shape of a vagina or flower. The gallery also commissioned different artists to create new works to fit the exhibition theme.

Perhaps, one of the works that got the most reaction was Cian Dayrit's "Ego," a very straightforward piece that presents semen on paper notes.

Source: ESQUIRE: “You Shouldn’t Miss the Sex-Themed Exhibit at Art Fair Philippines 2020”

https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/books-and-art/art-fair-philippines-2020-tin-aw-art-gallery-sex- exhibition-a00297-20200221