Silverlens Galleries makes its maiden appearance at Art Taipei, the Asia-Pacific region's longest-running art fair. At 10 years old, Silverlens has been a frequent participant in prestigious art fairs worldwide, bringing the best of Filipino contemporary art to audiences in new territories. The Manila-based gallery group, which also operates a space at Singapore's Gillman Barracks, has participated in Art Basel Hong Kong, Pulse in Miami and New York and ArtStage Singapore among others. Also slated for November is its return appearance at Paris Photo, the esteemed photography fair held at the French capital. Silverlens is the first and only Philippine gallery to be part of Art Basel.

Art Taipei, now on its 20th edition, is the largest art fair in Taiwan. Last year it saw more than 55,000 visitors walk through its doors. With more than half of the 150 galleries from overseas, it is not only the island's biggest but most international art event. The debut of Silverlens from the Philippines at the four-day event presents as an opportunity for Taiwan-based art followers and international guests to have a top view of the most progressive areas of the contemporary art scene in the Philippines.

"Taipei has a very established audience [for art] within the region," says Isa Lorenzo, director of Silverlens Galleries. "We visited Taipei for the first time in April, and we immediately loved it - the vibe, the art scene. We came back in September to do a solo show at MSAC by artist Hanna Pettyjohn, and the show was sold out even before it opened! For Art Taipei, we are bringing a wide selection of our important artists for our friends in Taiwan to see," says Lorenzo.

Seven artists from Silverlens' current roster of artists will have their works presented at the fair. These gallery artists are Mariano Ching, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Luis Lorenzana, Wawi Navarroza, Hanna Pettyjohn, Maria Taniguchi, Ryan Villamael.

-Silverlens Galleries

Image: © Mariano Ching