Ateneo Art Awards 2023 Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art – Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism

Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) presents the Shortlisted Artists and Writers for the 2023 Ateneo Art Awards (AAA) Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art and Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism, ON-VIEW from September 11 – December 2, 2023. Visitors may also vote for their favorite exhibition through the People’s Choice poll.

ATENEO ART AWARDS 2023 – PURITA KALAW-LEDESMA PRIZES IN ART CRITICISM

Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, the 2023 Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes in Art Criticism centers around the theme of “Risks.” Essays are framed as critiques about artists, artworks, exhibitions, projects, or art events that reflect on “Risks,” construed broadly. “Risks” call to mind danger or peril. On the other hand, it also alludes to possibilities.

This year’s Shortlisted Writers for the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism, in alphabetical order, are:

English Category

• Allyn Canja - Green Papaya Art Projects: Growing Where They Are Planted
• Sean Carballo - Object Impermanence
• Sam Del Castillo - The Artist as Artificer: Santiago Bose's Self-Made Worlds
• Jasmin Pandi - Mebuyan's Colony: The Monstrous and Feminine Cycle of Hope
• Madeleine O. Teh - Yeo Kaa Gives Us Strength at Art Fair Philippines 2023 – And Online

Filipino Category

• Noji Bajet - Ang Pagong sa Kalye Pergolese
• Jonathan Vergara Geronimo - Pagtatagpo at Pakikipagtunggali sa Bingit: Samo’t Saring Engkuwentro sa “Bulto Series 2022” ng Prints Para sa Bayan
• Mark Raywin Tome - Ang Paghuhulma ng Takot

For the PKL Prize, two winners were selected from the English category: Sean Carballo for his essay “Object Impermanence” for the PKL Prize for The Philippine Star, and Sam Del Castillo for her essay “The Artist as Artificer: Santiago Bose’s Self-Made Worlds'' for the PKL Prize for ArtAsiaPacific Magazine. From the Filipino category, Noji Bajet has been awarded the PKL Prize for Katipunan Journal for his essay “Ang Pagong sa Kalye Pergolese.” Bajet is also the selected recipient of the Orange Project Residency Grant. Each of the winners will be given the opportunity by our publication partners to have their written works published.

ATENEO ART AWARDS 2023 – FERNANDO ZOBEL PRIZES FOR VISUAL ART

To further promote contemporary art practice and enrich the Philippine cultural landscape, the Ateneo Art Gallery and its partners continue to give recognition and opportunities to Filipino visual artists below the age of 36 through the Ateneo Art Awards - Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art. This year, we commemorate 20 years of celebrating outstanding works and exhibitions by young, Filipino contemporary visual artists. Furthermore, the Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art is now a biennial program covering two exhibition cycles between May 2021-2022, and May 2022-2023.

In alphabetical order, the twelve (12) shortlisted artists for the 2023 Ateneo Art Awards - Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art are:

• Jan Balquin - the difference of what is & what is not (West Gallery)
• Mars Bugaoan - Touch, Move (Pintô Art Museum)
• Rocky Cajigan - Place of Origin (The Drawing Room)
• Cian Dayrit - The Austere Enclave (MONO8 Gallery)
• Doktor Karayom - Sariling Sulok (Art Fair Philippines 2022)
• Veronica Lazo - William F***ing Morris (MONO8 Gallery)
• Celine Lee - The Brightest Part (MO_Space)
• Veronica Peralejo - Collecting Fragments (MO_Space)
• Luis Antonio Santos - Threshold (Silverlens Gallery)
• Artistic Duo Joey Alexis Singh & Jim Jasper Lumbera - The Black Dog Which Causes Cholera and the Two Memorials of Plague (Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, Singapore)
• Tekla Tamoria - Kiliti ng Taong Nakaupo sa Tabi (Underground Gallery)
• Vien Valencia - your age, my age, and the age of the river (Sampaguita Projects)

In keeping with the shift to a biennial schedule, a fourth winner was announced to be added from this year and onwards for the Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art. Out of the shortlist of twelve (12) artists, the four (4) winners of the AAA Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art, in no particular order, are Doktor Karayom, Luis Antonio Santos, Tekla Tamoria, and Vien Valencia.

The winners were also selected for local and foreign residency grants funded by the Ateneo Art Gallery and its residency partners. Doktor Karayom took home a total of four residency grants from Liverpool Hope University, La Trobe University, Project Space Pilipinas, and OCAD University, Ateneo Art Gallery’s latest residency partner. Luis Antonio Santos is the recipient of the Casa San Miguel Residency Grant, Tekla Tamoria for the No Space Residency Grant, and Vien Valencia for the ABungalow Residency Grant.

Luis Antonio Santos is also the selected Shortlisted Artist for the Embassy of Italy Purchase Prize presented by H.E. Ambassador Marco Clemente and Madame Maria Rosario Brizi. For the People’s Choice Poll, Jan Balquin garnered the most number of votes for her exhibition, the difference of what is & what is not.

Visitors may still vote for their favorite exhibition through the People’s Choice poll, with the most voted exhibition to be announced in December after the exhibition closes.

The Ateneo Art Awards 2023 is co-presented by Ateneo Art Gallery, Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation Inc., and The Philippine Star; in partnership with ArtAsiaPacific, Katipunan Journal, and the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines; venue partner Shangri-La Plaza; residency partners Orange Project, Bacolod, ABungalow, CASA San Miguel, No Space, Project Space Pilipinas, La Trobe University, OCAD University, Liverpool Hope University, and Artesan Gallery + Studio.