On September 16, eight Filipino painters and sculptors were formally recognized in a virtual awarding ceremony and exhibit opening (www.madeartdepot.ph) as awardees of the 37th Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE).
Under the theme, “Spectrum: The Art of Possibilities,” Filipino artists were called “to tap into the expansive realm of creativity and transpose their spectrum of ideas into works that mirror the human experience and reshape the world anew.” MADE continues to be a purveyor of visual arts, amplifying the reach and voice of local talents and visionaries. Since its establishment in 1984, MADE has recognized more than 400 visual artists and design professionals, a majority are now leaving their marks in the local and international art and design scenes.
This year, MADE recorded the highest number of entries in the last 10 years with a record-breaking 701 entries—564 entries for the Oil on Canvas Category; 77 entries for the Water Media on Paper Category; and 60 entries for the Sculpture Recognition Program.
“When our lives were suddenly disrupted by the pandemic, the competition was deferred last year. Now as we are learning to live with the reality of COVID-19, we continue our mission to nurture the potential of young artists and enable them to express their voices freely however restrictive this new normal is,” shares Metrobank Foundation, Inc. president Aniceto Sobrepeña. “The hundreds of entries submitted across the country are a testament to our local artists’ passion to create. They convey visually the heartbeat of a people facing a global disease, the fears, the anger, the sadness and loss, but also the hope, the courage and the tenacity to fight this enemy with kindness, generosity and compassion.”
Lymuel Aguilar Bautista and Ariosto Dale C. Bagtas share the top spot as Grand Awardees of the Painting Recognition Program. A native of San Jose, Calumpit, Bulacan, Bautista’s artwork titled Haunting Wall of Chaos tackles political issues involving red-tagging and the Anti-Terror Law in a wakeup call to society to work and help each other under one roof. A resident of Marilao, Bulacan, Bagtas’ Between Heaven and Earth depicts hardship and triumph on canvas. “We’re in the middle of the pandemic, where we all suffer from sickness, but we can make it through by believing in God. In Him, we will have healing and deliverance, happiness, contentment and a good life.”
Clark S. Manalo, who received Special Citation for his artwork, Uncensored Fallacy of Faith, also talked about faith during this challenging time. “My focal point is that people are overwhelmed with the pandemic and we turn to forget how to nurture our faith. We tend to focus on things we idolize, not necessarily religious images, but on money, and gadgets.”
Dipping into social realism, Mark Anthony P. Laza focuses on the emotion of a given situation for his concepts. For his winning piece, Binyag sa Landas – Apoy, he highlights the burden and struggle of workers and the child’s baptism of fire while posing the question “will those who came later suffer the same fate?”
Crispo D. Mantiquilla’s award-winning piece was culled from the Bible verse ‘There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.’(Lucas 21:11). “I am trying to imply the means of preparedness, being preventive and being faithful. It’s not too late for the world to realize its main purpose. This is His way of showing us that He is bigger than what’s happening now. It’s the right time for us to strengthen our faith, love and cooperate with each other because I believe that He alone can save us,” says Mantiquilla. With the recognition he got from MADE for Lucas 21:11, Mantiquilla, who juggles his time and energy between being an artist and contract worker abroad, believes God has a mission for him: to be a full time artist someday.
It’s Kathleen Sareena D.C. Dagum’s first major win when she garnered the Grand Award for the Sculptor Recognition category. “Winning in MADE gave me a voice as an artist. As a sculptor, I do have a story to tell,” says Dagum. Her winning piece is called Bungkag, a Hiligaynon and Cebuano term for breaking violently or noisily. In her piece, Bungkag depicts a monopolistic system in society wherein certain sectors are deprived of growth and opportunities over favored ones. “Those individuals in the outer layer have more access, unlike others who are restrained in the middle. Left unchecked this can only lead to destruction, thus this system actually favors no one.”
Other sculptures that received Special Citation centered on human mental state and emotion.
An outdoorsy type of person, Carlo P. De Laza suffered from anxiety brought by his confinement at home. Previously, he drew inspiration from hiking and surfing, so his current situation gave De Laza hard time. As a consolation, he focused on his studio work, a conscious decision that eased his mental distress while still dreaming of getting back to his former lifestyle. In his piece, Isang Pangarap ang Managinip, De Leon weighs in on how differently people value their hopes (pangarap) and dreams (panaginip).
Tyrone Dave Espinosa’s Nakakabinging Katahimikan deals with the darker side of the pandemic: depression and suicide. “My piece tells of the shout of every individual, not literally, but a shout of emotion, a shout that’s deafening to people who are sick and this sickness is depression. It has a creepy, morbid image and that is intended to show the pain. You will be aroused to feel the pain and wake up to reality, so you can make amends and make things right.”
Each of the grand awardees in the Painting and Sculpture Recognition Programs received P500,000 cash prize, while those who are listed with Special Citation received P100,000 cash prize each.
All awardees were also given the Mula glass trophy designed by 2009 Metrobank Prize for Achievement in Sculpture (MPAS) awardee Noell El Farol, and automatically became members of the MADE-Network of Winners, the alumni organization of past awardees that implements pay-it-forward projects catering to marginalized sectors.