Masterpieces by local artists are now on display as Tubo Cebu Art Fair launches an eight-day online event to continue to nurture the art community in Cebu during these challenging times.
The Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. partners with Fablab UP Cebu and the University of the Philippines for this online art fair that runs from November 13 to 20, 2021.
Tubo Cebu Art Fair, an 8-day online art fair| Photo: Tubo Cebu Art Fair
Tubo Cebu Art Fair started in 2018 with the vision of promoting cultural consciousness and heritage preservation among Cebuanos. It provides a platform for visual artists, collectors, and students to interact, educate, and grow art appreciation.
With its third installation and its first year of going digital, it continues to be a dedicated space for regional art trade; an event for buyers, dealers, and artists to connect; an exposition for art production, exhibition, and commissions; and an art sale with inclusive price ranges for both starting and serious collectors.
Dr. Vivina Chiu Yrastorza, President of the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc., welcomed guests during the online fair’s official launch and expressed her appreciation for the people who made the event possible, especially the artists who showcased their artistic wealth.
With the theme “Unfold,” Tubo Cebu Art Fair aims to take art fairs to a whole new level by exploring new realms of art and artmaking as it emerges online, providing an accessible platform for regional creatives.
Tubo Cebu Art Fair continues to be an avenue for creative minds to convene with their curated collections furthering historical value and investment in art like Anyag, a collection of works by an all-female line up of artists, curated and presented by the Zonta Club of Cebu. People can also look forward to other curated collections like Ablaze, Natural Charm, Outward, and the Signature Collection.
Allen Tan, Fair Director of Tubo Cebu Art Fair, hoped for everyone to enjoy the art fair now that they embrace going digital.
According to Allen Tan, Fair Director of Tubo Cebu Art Fair, embracing the digital platform keeps the community safe and thriving as it also provides a wider reach to represent artists from the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
“This is the third year that we are presenting an art fair in Cebu and we have grown each year from the size and scope when we started. However, acknowledging the worldwide situation this year, we pivot and embrace fully the digital fair. Having always been a highly interactive physical fair with performances, workshops, and talks, we wanted to keep everyone’s safety as our foremost concern,” says Tan.
The art fair features curated collections with over 400 pieces of artwork from their first NFT collection.
Tan is encouraging guests to start their holiday shopping by browsing the online catalog for their art collections and other merchandise. He said that aside from buying masterpieces, their clients will also be helping a worthy cause.
Tubo Cebu Art Fair’s official website and online catalog, bit.ly/tuboartsite, will be up for the entire week for art lovers to access. And aside from sharing their curated collections, they will also be posting stimulating art talks starting with a roundtable discussion on society-charged art. Schedules of the talks are also posted on their website.
For reservations or inquiries, email hello.tuboart@gmail.com.
Maris Holopainen, Art to the Front Initiator and Qube Gallery Director, expressed her gratitude to everyone who supported the initiative of helping the frontliners.
The Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. and Fablab UP Cebu managed to build a significant relationship during the start of the pandemic in 2020. By working hand in hand with various organizations, they were able to produce thousands of PPEs and face shields which they distributed to frontliners and health workers in Cebu.
“We identified the immediate need of our frontliners by increasing the availability of PPEs. Thus, we decided to raise funds for Fablab UP Cebu to purchase machinery and materials to create protective gear necessary for the safety of those servicing on the actual front lines,” says Maris Holopainen, Art to the Front Initiator and Qube Gallery Director.
Holopainen said they conceptualized Art to the Front, an online art auction, immediately after the first lockdown commenced and started to mobilize their network in order to come up with a weeklong online auction. She thanked all the artists who joined the auction by generously donating artworks.
In exchange for their generosity, they created the Puhon Relief Fund, an emergency fund for local artists who supported the 2021 Tubo Cebu Art Fair.
“Puhon speaks of being hopeful for something better in the future even if the current circumstances are not ideal. Our goal is that this small sum may provide relief to artists who might need to get over a speed bump and be able to move forward again,” Tan said.
The fund will provide a one-time financial assistance for the hospitalization of 50 artists per year.
A guide on how to avail of the emergency assistance will be posted on the Art to the Front and Tubo Cebu Art Fair social media.