INDEPENDENT contemporary art gallery and art consultancy Modeka Art will put up a sizeable group exhibition featuring 27 visual artists this weekend at Xavier Art Fest (XAF) 2023. This year’s edition of the annual event will run from January 27 to 29 at the Xavier San Juan Sports Center and Quadrangle.
Modeka’s showcase will offer a plethora of distinctive styles set to capture the imagination of viewers with engaging emotions through various media.
Renato “Jojo” Barja’s somber surrealism, for one, delivers a curious brand of melancholy in Taong Bahay. Here, we gaze at a subject wearing a striped shirt and a bird house for a head, lifeless in a resigned pose, yet holding flowers that seem to be the only element alive in the frame. Meanwhile, Alee Garibay’s oil painting, titled Mother’s Day, blossoms with an embrace of love in full color.
Also part of Modeka’s XAF exhibition are Frances Abrigo, Miguel Aquilizan, Buboy Canafranca, Jesse Camacho, 13 Lucky Monkey, Jay-r Delleva, Bembol Dela Cruz, Michael Delmo, Ranelle Dial, Jessica Dorizac, Erin Asuncion-Dionisio, and Kiko Escora. Part of the fold as well are Rymnd Gev, David Ignacio, Thom Jopson, Golda King, Romeo Lee, Carl Modelo, Kiko Moran, Isha Naguiat, Jon Red, Wataru Sakuma, Arvin Santos, and TG Villanueva.
XAF 2023 slots as the sixth edition of the annual showcase, carrying the theme “Stronger Together: The Art of Possibilities.”
Aside from the exhibitions of established galleries, this year’s festival will feature physical and digital artworks submitted through a month-long contest that was launched in December.
The “XAF 2023 Art-for-a-Cause Contest” welcomed entries from the students, faculty, staff, and alumni from the Xavier School San Juan and Nuvali communities.
The submitted artworks will be exhibited and sold to raise funds for the Fr. Zuloaga Faculty Emergency Medical Fund, Para Kay ‘Cher Fund, Xavier Educational Trust, and other causes.
Another highlight of XAF 2023 is the participation of the Philippine Digital Asset Exchange (PDAX), which will preview a collection of NFTs set to be released on its mobile app next month. PDAX will also have a booth at the festival, where visitors can learn more about NFTs.
More information about Xavier Art Fest 2023 is available at www.facebook.com/xsartfest.