Artworks tackling social iniquity, spirituality, and hope and humanity amid adversity dominated the 30th Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) competition.
The Grand Prize in Oil On Canvas was shared by Wilbert Custodio’s “Ang Paraiso Nagsisiksikan at Pinatong-patong” and Sergo Bumatay III’s “The Extraordinary Manifestation of Something Undeniably Possible.”
Custodio’s work is a stark landscape of poor men’s shanties huddled together, a commentary on the artist’s main concern about poverty and homelessness.
Abustan comes from Kalibo, Aklan, and took up Fine Arts from Feati University.
Bumatay’s work tackles the the supernatural and life after death.
Bumatay said he tackled the issues after his father was given a “second lease on life.”
Bumatay is a Fine Arts graduate of University of Santo Tomas.
Special citation was given to Ronson Culibrina for “La Laguna Estigia Interviente: Human Starvation,” a critique on consumerism.
“As an ‘intervention,’ I appropriated [Felix Resurreccion] Hidalgo’s famous painting ‘Laguna Estigia.’ But my rendition shows a darker interpretation of the contemporary ‘Inferno,’” said Culibrina, who took up Fine Arts at Technological University of the Philippines. (He was also First Prize winner in the annual UST on-the-spot painting contest in 2011.)
Illusion created
In the Watercolor on Paper category, the Grand Prize went to John Verlyn Santos for “Pinagtagpi-tagping Kapalaran.”
The work drew its inspiration from the struggle of the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” to rebuild their lives, said Santos, who took up Architecture at Bulacan State University (BSU).
Special citation was given to Don Bryan Michael R. Bunag for “By the River of Fate.” The work is an allegory of the personal crisis facing a fresh graduate.
“I am confronted with the dilemma of choosing between my passion (painting) and getting a regular job to fulfill my responsibility to my family,” said Bunag, who took up Fine Arts at BSU.
In Sculpture, the Grand Prize went to Riyadh-based Natalio Gelisanga Alob Jr. for “Storm Surge.”
Made of terra cotta, the art piece is an interactive globe that gives two different scenarios when turned either left or right. At the top of the globe is the eye of the storm that threatens destruction. When a viewer turns it clockwise, an illusion is created: The tide surges up, swallowing the people.
But when turned counterclockwise, the resilient spirit and the unity of the entire community are shown to emerge from the wave.
Alob is working at the Darnum Publishing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he’s a member of the Filipino artists’ group, Hagod Pinoy. He took up Fine Arts at La Consolacion College in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
Special citation went to Arnel David Garcia for “Facets of Tragedy.” Made of resin, it depicts life through the human body—the face, the torso and other parts which make up a holistic individual.
“I was fascinated with how the human body in different parts of the world adapt to their natural environment and their culture,” said Garcia.
Garcia took up BS Accountancy at Holy Angel University in Pampanga and is a member of the Art Association of the Philippines.
Architecture, interiors
In the Architecture category, participants were asked to design the Manila Arts + Culture Center supposedly to be put up in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The Grand Prize went to “Start.UP” by architects Joel Anthony Ong and Melissa Mateo, who took up their architecture studies from University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City.
Their design was inspired by the earth’s geological formations, on how landforms naturally form the ground, and how they flow from one form to the next.
Special citation was given to Laurence Angelo Angeles and Melissa Seiga with their entry “Bababa ba? Bababa.”
The architects took design inspiration from the Philippines’ pristine beaches and majestic caves.
Arches in waveforms shape the formal structure of the building. Gradient array of lines make the transitions of spaces subtle.
In Interior Design, participants were asked to design the 61st floor of the proposed Metrobank Financial Center, which will serve as observation deck with lounge, souvenir/ snack shops and private gallery.
Grand Prize went to Rowena Garcia for her entry, “Edge of High.”
“The most practical design solution is the minimalist concept through the depiction of clean lines and open spaces to achieve a functional, accessible and effortless design solution,” said Garcia, who studied at the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (Earist).
Special citation was given to Jan Iben Amper for “Bale.”
The entry drew its inspiration from the bale, the Ifugao house, pyramidal in structure and built on four sturdy high posts overlooking the surrounding mountains.
Amper is a professor at USC.
Metrobank founder George S. Ty will lead the formal awarding of winners on Sept. 18 at Le Pavillon in Pasay City.