Ateneo Art Gallery Presents Winning Writers and Unveils Return Exhibition of the Ateneo Art Awards 2024

The Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) announced this year’s winning writers for the Ateneo Art Awards 2024 Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes in Art Criticism during the Awarding Ceremony held last Sunday, November 24. From a shortlist of eight (8) writers, two (2) winners were selected from the English category, and one (1) winner from the Filipino category. This coincided with the opening of the Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Return Exhibition, featuring past winners Keb Cerda, Ronson Culibrina, KoloWn, and Christina Lopez.

The 2024 AAA - PKL Prizes in Art Criticism, co-presented with the Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc., centers on the theme of “Fluctuation.” Six (6) shortlisted entries were selected for the English Category, and two (2) were selected for the Filipino Category. All Shortlisted Essays are available for browsing at the Vital Points Microsite at https://pkl.ateneoartgallery.com

From the English category, Levi Masuli bags the PKL Prize in Art Criticism for The Philippine Star with his essay “All That Is Useful Lends Itself to Waste: Inside Jose Olarte’s Gyre Dominion.” Masuli will be awarded a monthly column for a year under ‘Platforms’ in the Arts and Culture section of The Philippine Star.

Chesca Santiago was selected for the PKL Prize in Art Criticism for ArtAsiaPacific, with her essay “Against Community as Moral Currency.” Santiago will be given the opportunity to contribute six (6) articles to the bimonthly Hong Kong-based publication for a year. She is also the recipient of a month-long writer’s residency at Orange Project Naranja Residency.

Ryan Cezar O. Alcarde from the Filipino category was awarded the PKL Prize for Art Criticism for the Katipunan Journal for his essay “Line of sight: Ilang tanaw sa paggawa ng sining sa mga laylayan ng lunsod.” Alcarde will have the chance to contribute a total of two (2) articles to the bi-annual research publication for a year.

The Ateneo Art Gallery also welcomes The White House, Ateneo Art Awards’ new Writer’s Residency Partner who have selected Masuli and Alcarde as its first recipients for the month-long writer’s residency located in San Antonio, Zambales.

Following the awarding ceremony, the opening of this year’s Return Exhibition presented works from past winners of the Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art who completed art residencies between 2019 to 2023. Namely, Keb Cerda (AAA 2019, with Liverpool Hope University, UK), Ronson Culibrina (AAA 2018, with Liverpool Hope University, UK), KoloWn (AAA 2018, with La Trobe University, Aus), and Christina Lopez (AAA 2021, with Project Space Pilipinas, Lucban, Quezon and No Space Residency, Baguio City). The Ateneo Art Awards 2024 is on view until 8 March 2025 at the third floor galleries, Ateneo Art Gallery.

The Ateneo Art Awards 2024 is a program of the Ateneo Art Gallery and co-presented with the Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation Inc. and The Philippine Star. Other program partners include ArtAsiaPacific and the Katipunan Journal for the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes for Art Criticism and the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines for the biennial Fernando Zobél Prizes for Visual Art. Residency partners include Orange Project (Bacolod, Negros Occidental), The White House (San Antonio, Zambales), ABungalow (Talisay, Negros Occidental), CASA San Miguel (San Antonio Zambales), No Space Residency (Baguio, Benguet), Project Space Pilipinas (Lucban, Quezon); and international residency partners La Trobe University (Bendigo, Australia), Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, UK), OCAD University (Toronto, Canada), and Artesan Studio (Singapore).