PURITA KALAW-LEDESMA PRIZES IN ART CRITICISM 2024

The 11th year of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism welcomes entries on the theme of ‘Fluctuation.’

In the 1974 book The Struggle for Philippine Art, Purita Kalaw-Ledesma and Amadis Ma. Guerrero described the Philippine art scene of the time as “a fluctuating, flexible and wide-open field” where diverse trends were concurrently explored by the artists. Kalaw-Ledesma emphasized that an artist should “never [be] in a fixed state of mind” and should always experiment with new ideas and approaches as life continues to shift beyond one’s control and expectations.

In this state of fluctuation, Kalaw-Ledesma affirmed the essential role of criticism, for it points out the significance of the artist’s work and efforts in experimentation to both the viewer and the artist. She stated that, without criticism, the art movement in the Philippines would not develop.

Prompted by Kalaw-Ledesma’s perception of fluctuation as a realm of possibility, we seek entries anchored as criticism about artists, art works, exhibitions, projects, practices, or events that take a cue from irregular and unexpectable changes. Fluctuation alludes to the sense of unpredictability prevalent today, as intensified by war, inflation, environmental crises, technological developments, and divisive public opinions. Concentrating on fluctuation may create opportunities to reconsider the importance of art and, therefore, the role of criticism in the face of uncertainty.

The Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism will have English and Filipino categories. A panel of jurors will shortlist a maximum of six (6) writers from each category. From these lists, winners will be selected by the editors of the partner publications. Winners will be announced during the awarding ceremony scheduled in November 2024.

Two winners will be selected from the English category. The winner of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for The Philippine Star will be awarded a regular column under ‘Platforms’ in the Arts and Culture section of the paper, to be published once a month with a total of 12 articles for a year. The winner of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for ArtAsiaPacific will be contributing to the bi-monthly publication, with a total of six (6) articles for a year.

One winner selected from the Filipino category will be awarded the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for Katipunan Journal and will be contributing to the bi-annual research publication, with a total of two (2) articles for a year.

In addition to the opportunity to have their written works published, one of the winners will be selected and offered a month-long writer’s residency with Orange Project in Bacolod City, one of our local residency partners. The residency will give the winning writer an opportunity to immerse and interact with the local art community.

The Ateneo Art Awards-Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes for Art Criticism was launched in 2014 by Ateneo Art Gallery and Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc. (KLFI). It was named in honor of Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, art patron and founder of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP). Kalaw-Ledesma believed in art criticism’s “vital role in the development of culture,” citing its capacity to “guide both artists towards new directions and public taste towards the best in past and current artistic output.”

QUALIFICATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS

Employees, whether full-time or contractual, of the Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo de Manila University, or Kalaw Ledesma-Foundation, Inc., are not allowed to participate.

Must be based in the Philippines.

To avoid conflicts of interest, participants must not have a regular column and must not hold an editorial post in any broadsheet or local/international magazine. Regular columnists are not allowed to join but contributors, defined as any person whose written work is published with a byline but not identified as a columnist, may join.

Bloggers defined as writers of online journals, websites, or whose written work is published in electronic social media may join.

Past winners of the PKL Prize are not eligible to participate.

Writers who have been shortlisted in the past for the PKL Prize may still submit an entry.

MECHANICS FOR ENTRIES

Entries should be essays with no more than 1,000 words.

Entries must reflect the theme of the Program. This year’s theme is Fluctuation, inviting entries anchored as criticism about artists, art works, exhibitions, projects, practices, or events that take a cue from irregular and unexpectable changes. Fluctuation alludes to the sense of unpredictability prevalent today, as intensified by war, inflation, environmental crises, technological developments, and divisive public opinions.

The entry must be written on A4-sized paper. The font should be Arial, Times New Roman, or Book Antiqua, font size 12.

Entries must be submitted digitally as both Word and PDF file attachments with no indication of the identity of the writer on the documents.

Only one original entry is allowed per participant.

The essay should not have been published before on any printed or online platform.
Any entry that has been submitted for consideration in any other writing contest before 30 November 2024 will be disqualified.

Entries must be collated in an accessible Google Drive and submitted at go.ateneo.net/PKL2024Entry with the following file formats with the writer’s last name and title of the entry (ex. Dela Cruz - Essay Title) as filename:

Entry in Word document format (ex. Dela Cruz - Essay Title.docx)
Entry in PDF format (ex. Dela Cruz - Essay Title.pdf)

The deadline for submission of entries will be on 30 June 2024 (Sunday), 11:59 PM.

Copyright of entries of the shortlisted writers (including the winners) shall be held by the writer jointly with AAG and KLFI. All shortlisted and winning essays will be published online in Vital Points after the awarding.

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I miss the cold breeze on my face. The air from the mountainside was always refreshing before a face mask and face shield blocked it. Our connections and communities are like this now, as filtered as the air we breathe. The art world has taken for granted the energetic crowd in exhibit openings, spirited debates in workshops, and lively conversations in conferences. We even crave mundane things, such as drinks, food, and chitchat. We’ve had countless online exhibitions, Zoom talks, and digital content to keep the art world going. Necessary, but are they enough? What else is there now?

Project Space Pilipinas (PSP) and Lucban Artist Guild (LAG) are artist groups and collaborations that created a path forward in Lucban, Quezon. PSP takes an outward approach and forms connections locally and globally. They invite contemporary artists to exhibit and construct programs for the community. Historical revisionism, extrajudicial killings, environmental issues, and economic struggles are some points of discourse that they encouraged in their space. On the other hand, LAG is the latest iteration of a continually evolving art group in Lucban. They have always worked towards establishing a space for local artists to create and exhibit. The question of support and sustainability is a vital point for the survival of local artists who are outside the mainstream art world.

The two groups forged a distinct art world by the mountainside. The lockdown brought about by the global pandemic enhanced their existing practices. In the early days of the pandemic, Project Space Pilipinas launched Quarantined Lives and invited artists to send in a 1-minute video of their experiences and interpretations of the lockdown. The submissions ranged from a slice of life to surrealist imaginings of what would become the new normal. Zeny Recidoro’s script for the video compilation reflected the strangeness that Quarantined Lives would transcribe to real life. PSP continued to expand art practice in Lucban, situating contemporary artists in the locality. They published the call and artworks online through Facebook. When the restrictions eased, they invited the people back.

Lucban Artist Guild instigated LAGdown: Sining sa Quarantine Online Art Exhibit during the Pahiyas Festival 2020. Before the pandemic, the local government typically grants a space for exhibition during the festival along with the tiangge. The Pahiyas, typical of festivals and fiestas in the Philippines, is the socio-cultural highlight of the town, and this translates to higher sales and economic activities as well. During the lockdown, LAG carried on digitally carving a space for their artworks and finding a market for artists at a time of extreme instability. Pahiyas, farming, and local life are some themes in the online exhibit, along with individual expressions of the participating artists. They remain consistent with their intention to make art, exhibit to the local audience, and sell to the market.

Going online and creating digital content were necessary actions in the past year. But Project Space Pilipinas and Lucban Artist Guild did not continue with the events for their own sake. They focused on their primary concern: the Lucbanin community. PSP has always challenged and continued to expand the notion and expressions of art. They situated it in the community of Lucban, already rich in creative practices such as Pahiyas Festival and Semana Santa. Even with the pandemic, the conversations happened in and with the community of Lucban. Meanwhile, LAG has never ceased in its search for a space to create and exhibit within the town. They shifted their content online as necessary but continued to assert for an art space. The LGU gave them a gallery space in the old building of the public high school years before, but this had to close because of safety concerns. By May 2021, they partnered with Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) for an exhibition space. This is another starting point for continuing artistic production and practice. Though the challenge to find a consistent and sustainable market continues, the path is clearer.

Project Space Pilipinas and Lucban Artist Guild collaborated in Paimbulog to end 2020 and begin 2021. The exhibit was to process the year that was and to look forward to the year ahead. It was also to honor the passing of Ariel Teope, a founding member of LAG and an important personality in the Lucban art world. His passing was a somber end to a difficult year. Though members of the two groups often cooperated with each other’s projects, they collaborated and gave equal attribution for the tribute. Paimbulog was aptly titled as it translates to upward movement, in this case to the heavens and new heights even as the pandemic raged on. PSP and LAG mourned the loss and continued the struggle for art, together with the community of Lucban.

2021 saw more group and solo exhibits from Project Space Pilipinas and Lucban Artist Guild. They posted their artworks and content online, much like everyone else in the art world. When the restrictions eased, LAG mounted Likhang Marikit, a physical exhibition in the town plaza for Pahiyas Festival 2021. When the community pantries came into existence, LAG followed suit, providing food and basic goods. The Lucbanins received help from the pantry, at the same time experienced LAG’s artworks and installations. PSP took a similar approach to LAG and opened their space to an on-site solo exhibit entitled Sa Araw-Araw na Ginawa ng Diyos by Bianca Ysabel Rabe, a Lucbanin graduating student from the Philippine High School for the Arts. Both groups forged connections and engagements with the community beyond what the online world offers.

The art world continues to discuss and debate the path and relevance of art amidst the pandemic. Project Space Pilipinas and Lucban Artist Guild presented the simplicity of going back to basics and reconnecting with the community. It does not sound groundbreaking, yet the questions of meaning, relevance, and sustainability of art have always been there. The pandemic forced stakeholders to act on these issues, and for PSP and LAG, the answer has always been about molding space for art and community to thrive. Going online was a necessary intervention but it was always about collaboration. When PSP opened To Ride a Jetski and Plant a Flag last June 12, Lucbanins including lolas and children are back in the space, socially distanced and masked. This refreshing scene is the cold mountain breeze that our masked faces are currently missing.