Illustrating change in three-day fair

Metro Manila, Philippines – Illustrations can go beyond aesthetics and serve as powerful media for connection, conversation, and social impact, panelists in a roundtable discussion said on Friday, Sept. 12.

Held at the UP Fine Arts Gallery in UP Diliman, the opening of the three-day Manila Illustration Fair (MIF) - with the theme, “Make Space,” grouped illustrators and designers who reflected on simplifying complex ideas and making them more accessible to the public through illustration.

Dan Matutina, a Directors Club Young Guns awardee, said illustration bridges abstract concepts and lived realities.

“I feel like illustration as a medium is very much bringing abstract ideas into the world,” he said.

Discussions also emphasized the importance of community in creative practice.

“I think illustration is a very powerful medium… people can relate with [it] more.” said Liza Florez, adding that illustrations allow audiences to connect with ideas that might seem complex.

The MIF features exhibitions, talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, and a community built around a shared passion for illustration.

The fair runs from Sept. 12 to 14, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

NewsWatch Plus intern Nadine Felismino contributed to this report.