2017 Ateneo Art Awards Winners Revealed
Fernando Zobel Prizes for Visual Art winners pose with Ms. Millet Mananquil and Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, SJ
On its 14th year, the Ateneo Art Awards recognized a new breed of visual artists and art critics, naming 3 visual artists and 2 art critics as grand winners. The ceremony was held on October 1, 2017 at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University’s new creative hub.
Winners for the Fernando Zobel Prizes for Visual Art were Cian Dayrit for Expositon , Gale Encarnacion for Blow Me and Constantino Zicarelli for Prelude to a Billion Years. The 3 were chosen from a shortlist of 12 entries.
Dayrit was awarded a residency grant from the Le Trobe University Visual Arts Centre in Australia. For her thesis exhibition, Encarnacion won a grant from the Artesan Gallery + Studio in Singapore. The Liverpool Hope University- Creative campus residency grant was given to Zicarelli.
Meanwhile, the winners for the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism were Arianna Mercado and Josephine V. Roque. The winners were selected from a shortlist of 6 entries.
For her work Dalena’s Curtain Call, Mercado was accorded the Purita Kalaw- Ledesma Prize- Philippine Star. The award includes a bimonthly column in the newspaper’s Arts & Culture section for a year.
Purita Kalaw Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism winner Arianna Mercado (second from left) with Ms. Mananquil, Fr. Villarin and Ms. Ada Ledesma- Mabilangan
Roque, with her entry Transits of Meaning, was named the Winner of the Purita Kalaw- Ledesma ArtAsiaPacific magazine. She will also contribute to the magazine for one year.
Purita Kalaw Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism winner Josephine Roque (third from left) with Ms. Mananquil, Fr. Villarin, Ms. Mabilangan and Ms. Debbie Tan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J. emphasized the importance of arts.
“I do believe that art is a veritable lens through which we can discover ourselves, through which we can discover the truth. I hope that in discovering ourselves, in rediscovering our shred of humanity, we can contribute to some kind of transformation that is needed in the world today.”
University president Fr. Villarin
The works of the winners and shortlisted artists can be viewed at the Ateneo Art Gallery’s newest home in Arete from October 1 to December 2, 2017.
This article originally appeared on www.ateneo.edu.