Ateneo Art Gallery announces the winning Artists and Writers of the Ateneo Art Awards 2023

Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) officially announced the Winning Artists and Writers for the Ateneo Art Awards (AAA) 2023 Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art and Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism (PKL). The Awarding Ceremony was held at the Suthira B Zalamea Lobby, Areté, last September 24, Sunday.

L-R: Mark Raywin Tome (Shortlisted Writer, Filipino Category), Allyn Canja (Shortlisted Writer, English Category), Sean Carballo (Winner, PKL Prize for The Philippine Star), Samantha Del Castillo (Winner, PKL Prize for ArtAsiaPacific), Noji Bajet (Winner, PKL Prize for the Katipunan Journal; Orange Project Residency Grant Recipient), Madeleine O. Teh (Shortlisted Writer, English Category); Shortlisted Artists Mars Bugaoan, Jan Balquin, Veronica Peralejo, Veronica Lazo, Cian Dayrit, Celine Lee, Winning Artists Doktor Karayom, and Vien Valencia. Not in picture: Shortlisted Writer Jonathan Vergara Geronimo (Filipino Category), Shortlisted Artists Joey Alexis Singh, Jim Jasper Lumbera, and Rocky Cajigan, and Winning Artist Tekla Tamoria.

For the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism, 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.

L-R: Samantha Del Castillo (Winner, PKL Prize for ArtAsiaPacific), Sean Carballo (Winner, PKL Prize for The Philippine Star),and Noji Bajet (Winner, PKL Prize for the Katipunan Journal; Orange Project Residency Grant Recipient)

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 - Sariling Sulok (Art Fair Philippines 2022)
• Luis Antonio Santos - Threshold (Silverlens Gallery)
• Tekla Tamoria - Kiliti Ng Taong Nakaupo Sa May Tabi (Underground Gallery)
• Vien Valencia - your age, my age, and the age of the river (Sampaguita Projects)

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.

L-R: Ma. Victoria T. Herrera (Director and Chief Curator, Ateneo Art Gallery), Cesar Villalon Jr. (The Drawing Room), Isa Lorenzo (Founder, Silverlens Gallery), Visual Artist Jurors Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Jose John Santos III, Eric Zamuco; Shortlisted Artist Celine Lee, Tekla Tamoria (Winner, FZA Prize for Visual Art), Veronica Peralejo, Veronica Lazo, Gwen Bautista (Director, MONO8 Gallery); Doktor Karayom (Winner, FZA Prize for Visual Art), Shortlisted Artists Mars Bugaoan, Jan Balquin, Cian Dayrit, and Vien Valencia (Winner, FZA Prize for Visual Art). Not in picture: Shortlisted Artists Rocky Cajigan, Joey Alexis Singh, Jim Jasper Lumbera, Luis Antonio Santos, and Juror Kristine Guzman (Independent Curator and Film Commissioner of the Castilla y León Film Commission, Spain).

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 Awarding Ceremony also highlighted the 20th anniversary of the Ateneo Art Awards, as well as the 10th anniversary of the PKL Prizes.

The Ateneo Art Awards 2023 is currently on-view at the Fredesvinda Almeda Consunji Gallery, Ambeth R Ocampo Gallery, Elizabeth Gokongwei Gallery and the Alicia P Lorenzo Gallery, 3F Ateneo Art Gallery, Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. Open Mondays to Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Shortlisted and winning essays may also be browsed at https://pkl.ateneoartgallery.com.

This program is co-presented with 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. For further information, visit ateneoartgallery.com or email aag@ateneo.edu.