Ateneo Art Gallery announces the 2022 Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism shortlisted writers

Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) proudly presents the shortlisted writers for the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes in Art Criticism. The announcement of winning writers will be on November 19, 2022, Saturday, at the Ateneo Art Gallery, Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté.

Now in its ninth edition, this year’s Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes in Art Criticism centers around the theme Fresh Winds and New Light: Forecasting Change. Writers were encouraged to submit essays that reflect on exhibitions, programs, projects, other creative expressions, and efforts that aim to imagine a better world in the contexts of the post-pandemic situation, global crises and the transition in national leadership.

From the submitted entries, six writers were shortlisted for the English category and four for the Filipino category. The shortlisted writers are as follows (in alphabetical order):

English Category

• Dondie Casanova - The Forest Fire at the Brutal Beauty: Jinggoy Buensuceso’s KAINGIN
• Francesca Locsin - Non-Fungible Threats
• Kaye O’Yek - The Weight of Incandescence
• Nicole Primero - The Virtual Hug, A Dance
• Nicole Soriano - The Insistence of Hope
• Czyka Tumaliuan - Institutions Are Burning; Load Na Dito!

Filipino Category

• Roy Cagalingan  - Sa Mga Nilisan ng Panlasa
• Gian Carlo Delgado - Mga palagay sa panahon, espasyo, at gunita: Pagturing sa eksibisyong “Gintong Liwayway: Sining ng Progresibong Pagbabago”
• Jord Earving Gadingan - Tao sa Tao
• Vladimeir Gonzales - Teatrong Ergonic sa Panahon ng Pandemya.

The essays will be available on the Vital Points microsite after the announcement of winners.

The PKL shortlist was selected by the following jurors: Jose Dalisay, Jr., Ph.D. and Conchitina Cruz, Ph.D. of the Department of English and Comparative Literature, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman; Scott Garceau, Lifestyle Desk Editor of The Philippine Star; Chloe Chu, Managing Editor of ArtAsiaPacific; Jovino de Guzman Miroy, Ph.D., Department of Philosophy, Ateneo de Manila University; Alvin Yapan, Ph.D., Editor of Katipunan: Journal ng Mga Pag-aaral sa Wika, Panitikan, Sining at Kulturang Pilipino and Associate Professor, Kagawaran ng Filipino, Ateneo de Manila University; Anne Marie Ozaeta, Chair, Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc.; and Ma. Victoria Herrera, Director and Chief Curator of Ateneo Art Gallery.

Two winners will be selected from the English shortlist. The winner of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for ArtAsia Pacific will contribute a total of six articles to the bi-monthly Hong Kong-based publication for a year. The winner of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for The Philippine Star will be awarded a monthly column under ‘Platforms’ in the Arts and Culture section of the paper, with a total of 12 articles for a year.

One winner from the Filipino category will be awarded the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for Katipunan Journal, with the opportunity to contribute a total of two essays to the bi-annual research publication for a year.

In addition to the opportunity to have their written works published, one of the winners will be invited for a month-long writer’s residency by AAA residency partner, Orange Project, a creative hub Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.  The residency will give the winning writer an opportunity to immerse and interact with local art communities in the region.

The Ateneo Art Awards  Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL) Prizes in 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). Purita 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."