THE ART OF JEF CABLOG

Sunday, April 7, 2013

AFFORDABLE ART FAIR HONG KONG

Written by: Wrachelle Cablog

Last month, Jef and I went on our first trip outside the Philippines to attend the Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong which was held last March 15-17, 2013 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was our first time to attend an international art event this big so we were ecstatic. Galerie Francesca, the gallery representing Jef’s work here in the Philippines, was one of the three galleries in the Philippines—with Galerie Nicolas and Quattrocento—which applied and got slots to participate in the said event.

HISTORY: The Affordable Art Fair was created by British arts patron Will Ramsay in London in 1999 with the aim of breaking down perceived barriers in the art world, like expense and lack of knowledge, offering a comprehensive introduction into the joys of owning contemporary art. Since then the fair expanded to various cities around the world like Amsterdam, Bristol, Brussels, Hamburg, New York, Mexico City, Milan, Rome, Seattle, Singapore, Stockholm and for the first time this year, in Hong Kong. The fair includes contemporary art by both emerging and established living artists (local and international), retailed between HK $1,000 and HK $100,000, with 75% of the art under HK $75,000 and offers diversity from paintings to prints, sculptures and photography.

The VIP/Private View Night (by-invitation only) opened last March 14 from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. Here are some photos we’ve taken that evening:

works above by Carlo Magno, below by Roel Obemio

works by Jef Cablog and Migs Villanueva (paintings) and sculptures by Jinggoy Salcedo

Hall 3G Entrance

Back: "EMERGE" and "GLIMPSE" and and four of Jef's Figured Obscurity Series

at the 3rd floor lobby

with Susanne Tiausas, owner of Galerie Francesca (beside me) and gallery representatives Precy and Loddy

with Susanne Tiausas and artist Sir Carlo Magno (with three of his works at our back, above our heads and on the upper left hand side)

We were overwhelmed by the support given by the people in Hong Kong to the Art Fair. We even met some visitors who are avid collectors of Philippine Contemporary Art and told us that our participating galleries showcased a varied array of styles, some they’ve never seen before. Having shown his work in Hong Kong for the first time, Jef and I were also overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown by local and foreign nationals alike towards his work.

Here are some pictures taken with Jef and his collectors:

Jef with collectors of "EMERGE", Omar Moufti (Syrian) with his fiance Angele Charioni (French)

Jef with collectors of "FIGURED OBSCURITY 57", Shi Hong from Hong Kong

we also got the chance to meet couple Fabrice Figaret (French) and Kristy Cho (Korean), collectors of "GLIMPSE"

Having seen a wide variety of art styles from all over the world, Jef is more inspired to do even better with his art. We enjoyed our first trip abroad and would love to go back to Hong Kong one day. This trip inspired us to travel and discover/learn more about other cultures. Who knows, Jef’s new inspiration or subject may just be another trip away. After all, as Seneca once said, “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

OBSERVATIONS OF HONG KONG:

Here's a list of what we observed on our first trip so far. Hope this would be helpful to first time visitors too.

-Some buildings don’t have 4th, 14^th, 24^th floor, and so on. After asking around, we found out that the Chinese have a general dislike for the number four since it sounds like “death” in Cantonese.

-As part of their escalator etiquette, always stay on the right hand side. The left hand side is for people who are in a hurry who want to save up a few seconds. We also noticed that their escalators move faster than normal so always hold the handrail.

-People move faster than normal so they look like they’re are always on the rush. But when you eat out, the good thing is, it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes for them to process your order/s. And speaking of food, eating at McDo and KFC is cheaper than Chinese restaurants.

-No one eats nor drinks in the MTR or other public transports. They also impose strict penalties for littering and spitting (HKD1,500) and smoking in public or in designated no-smoking areas (HKD1,500).

-Some supermarkets or convenience stores do not provide plastic bags for the items you bought so it is advisable to bring your own shopping bag. Otherwise, you have to pay for the plastic bag. Also, some locals say shopping at Wellcome is far cheaper than other supermarkets or convenience stores.

-The MTR is a very convenient means of transportation around the city. Instructions at the entrance and exits are very visible and destinations are color coded so you will not get lost. It is advisable to buy an Octopus card if you’re planning to take the MTR often so you won’t always have to queue, carry coins or pay in exact fees. You can also use your Octopus card in convenience stores or restaurants.

-Almost all public restrooms are clean and have toilet papers, hand soap or sanitizers.

-Money changers are in almost every corner but the banks usually offer the best rates.

Friday, February 1, 2013

JEF CABLOG: COVER and FEATURED IN PRACTIQUE DES ARTS ISSUE 108

Written by Wrachelle Calderon-Cablog

About a month ago, Jef received an unexpected email from someone who works for a major French magazine for art enthusiasts and informed us of their editor's interest to feature Jef’s work and even have one of his works in the cover of their next issue in January 2013. We were completely blown away with this news. Aside from a feature, to be on the cover of the magazine seemed too good to be true. We read the e-mail all over again and noticed that aside from not including any contact details, neither phone/fax nor a link to their website, they asked us to immediately send high resolution photos of Jef’s work as their deadline for the next issue is fast approaching. At the back our minds was, “Is this really true or just one of the Spams/Scams we often receive in our inbox?” What if this is a SCAM and these high resolution photos get to the wrong hands and maybe reproduce them for profit? We suddenly felt the urge to verify the authenticity of the said e-mail. In this case, we had to be vigilant so I started to Google and search for some clues and information which would give us more light to this French art magazine. When I visited their site, aside from the pictures of artworks, the articles and tabs were all in French so it was really difficult to make sense of its contents. Good thing google translate came in handy so I was able to make sense of some of the contents of the site. I found that it was indeed an art magazine. Second, I started to verify if the person who contacted us really worked for the magazine. I thought, “Where else can you find professionals?” Again, the internet came in handy . So having seen his profile at Linkedin, I was able to atleast verify that he is indeed working for the said magazine. I also searched for some reviews and even searched if there are scams related to the said magazine. I haven’t found any negative articles so that was a good sign.

Having been featured in a US-based art magazine back in 2010, Jef and I already have an idea of the requirements normally requested for a feature/publication. We then asked the person who contacted us how their editor came across Jef’s work, asked if he can tell us more of what their magazine is about and the theme of the issue wherein Jef will be featured on, asked for a Release form/ Royalty Waiver Form,-basically allowing the magazine to publish Jef’s work, a checklist of the requirements and interview questions. A day or two have passed and no reply. On the fifth day, we received another message from the same person along with file attachments we requested. We then immediately sent the requirements along with a scanned copy of the Royalty Waiver Form after a day or two. We then received a confirmation that they have already received all the requirements and are working on the article to be submitted to their editor before their deadline of publication at the beginning of January 2013.

On the 25^th of January, we checked their website and , as scheduled, the magazine was formally out on circulation. Jef and I realized that sometimes you also need to have faith in people and to take some risks to be able to take advantage of the opportunities the internet has to offer. But of course, always be skeptic and when in doubt, always take extra effort to research and know more about the person/organization/company who contacted you.

Jef and I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Editor and staff of Practique des Arts Magazine for the 6-page feature and for all the opportunities that may come after this feature. We hope that one day we can visit France and thank you all personally. Merci beaucoup!