Philippine Art Awards 2013 winners announced in a celebration of the ‘quest for quality’

The finalists and winners of the Philippine Art Awards 2013-14, a visual arts competition held bi-annually since 1994, were announced in a simple ceremony on February 26 at the Yuchengco Museum in Makati.
 

The jury recognized 40 visual artists—ten each from Metro Manila, wider Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Arturo Sanchez, Jr. of Angono, Rizal won the grand prize for his work “In The Hour of Darkness, There Is Always Light.” Two artists were conferred the juror’s choice of excellence prize, Marvin Natural and Raffy Napay.

Five were conferred the juror’s choice of merit prize, namely Jan Olympus de la Cruz, Jonathan Salvatierra, Roedil Geraldo, Karlo “Kaloy” Olavides, and Rodolfo Torres, Jr. All of these special awardees were conferred substantial cash prizes.

The jury for this edition included Dr. Patrick Flores of the UP Vargas Museum, Yael Buencamino of the Ateneo Art Gallery, Mercedes Lopez-Vargas of the Lopez Museum and Library, and independent art writer and critic Cid Reyes.

In an essay written for the program, Flores noted that changes in the visual arts landscape “harness the sensibilities of artists to seize the prospects to create art in a truly interdisciplinary and cross-cultural atmosphere.”
 

Following the conferral of the awards, the organizers launched a special exhibit called “The Quest for Quality” at the Museum. The exhibition features works by the 40 winners of the Philippine Art Awards, and is slated to run until the end of this month. — VC, GMA News