Philippines' art luminaries are jurors in Sining PSE

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) added prestige and credibility to its first art contest, the Sining PSE: 2012 National Art Competition by tapping the expertise of respected Philippine masters and cultural administrators.

 

No less than two National Artists both conferred in 2006, Hon. Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab) and Hon. Abdulmari  Imao head the panel of judges in painting and sculpture categories respectively.

 

"We are indeed honored and fortunate to have such a distinguished roster of judges in our national art competition which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the PSE as a unified stock exchange and its role in national progress. We thank our distinguished judges for their support in promoting the development of the Philippine capital markets through the various art works that will be generated in this competition," PSE President and Chief Executive Officer Hans B. Sicat said.

 

Hailed as a master of Contemporary Philippine Art, BenCab's career, which now spans 40 years, began immediately after graduating with a Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines. Based in Baguio City since 1986 where has built a world-class museum of Philippine indigenous and contemporary art, BenCab is a prolific painter and printmaker.

 

Joining BenCab in the painting category are Dr. Jaime Laya, Felice Sta.Maria, Raul Isidro, and Alfred Esquillo Jr.

 

Dr. Jaime Laya is a former governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines and former chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He is a known art collector and now chairs Philippine Trust Company or Philtrust Bank.

 

Felice Sta. Maria was a commissioner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and former Vice Chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. An award-winning author of many books, she served as the first Commissioner for Cultural Heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

 

With a career spanning 40 years, Isidro is a well-respected abstract painter specializing in lithography and printmaking. A graduate of UST, he has held important positions such as president of the Printmakers Association of the Philippines (PAP), Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) and as dean of Philippine Women's University College of Fine Arts.

 

A fine arts graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST), Alfred Esquillo Jr. has won almost all major local art contests including the grand prize in the Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards. A recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) 13 Artists Award in 2000, he is part of Kalye Art Collective, an artist group based in Las Pinas exploring indigenous beliefs and expressions.

 

Meanwhile, sculptors Eduardo Castrillo and Jose Mendoza will be with Mr. Imao to judge the sculpture category.

 

A native of Sulu, Imao is an articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture. Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino creations.

 

Eduardo Castrillo is known for his modern interpretation as reflected in his Pieta and Last Supper at the Loyola Memorial Park. He is also credited for the Pinaglabanan Shrine in San Juan and People Power Monument in Quezon City. He was among the first recipients of the CCP 13 Artists awards as well as the Republic Cultural Heritage Award, Araw ng Maynila Centennial Award, Outstanding Makati Resident Award and the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award. He was also the Philippine representative in Sculpture to the Paris Biennial.

 

Like Castrillo, Jose Mendoza is a graduate of UST. One of Mendoza's notable works is the Relief Sculpture of the Map of the Philippines at the Luneta Park. It is also quite apt that some of Jose Mendoza's sculptures such as

Gabriela Silang, Pio del Pilar, and Sultan Kudarat, and Bataan Monument are cornering the Tower One where the PSE Makati trading floor is.

 

The PSE recently extended the deadline for its art competition which marks the bourse's 20th unification anniversary until October 8, 2012.

 

The Sining PSE theme, Nagkakaisang Pilipino Para sa Maunlad at Masigasig na Kalakalan (United Filipino People for Progressive and Active Trade), aims to capture the impact of the unification in the development of business, trade, and livelihood in the Philippines.

 

The competition is open to all non-professional Filipino artists 21 years old and above who have not staged or conducted a solo exhibit prior to June 13, 2012. Participants can submit only one entry per category.

 

They must also present, not later than October 8, 2012 documents such as a valid government-issued identification card, passport, or birth certificate indicating their age and citizenship.

 

Application forms are available at the office of the Project Secretariat, Studio 5 Designs Inc., located at 28 Paseo de Roxas corner Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City, and downloadable at: http://www.pse.com.ph/ and www.facebook.com/siningPSE. 

Inquiries for additional information may also be addressed to the Project Secretariat at 895-3971 or 75. — PSE press release