Sining Filipina: Pioneering all-female art tilt is back
The call for local female artists to pick up their brushes and join the first-ever all-female nationwide art competition has sounded for the second time.
Following the success of last year’s launch of Sining Filipina, the pioneering competition that highlights the Filipino woman’s perspective communicated through art continues to allow Filipinas to take up significant space in the art world.
Despite the tight three-week deadline, more than 730 entries were submitted during last year’s competition. “We’ll triple that!” said Fidel Sarmiento, president of the Art Association of the Philippines, which was founded in 1948 by Purita Kalaw Ledesma, adding that he had been inundated by queries ever since he posted about the contest on his social media accounts.
As it enters its sophomore year, Sining Filipina continues its mission to amplify the “voices and visions of women in the realm of art” by providing an even bigger platform for showcasing their artistic expressions.
“What we have learned is this competition provided a lot of confidence and hope to aspiring Filipina artists. It gave a lot of hope to those who believe they have a talent but may not have the opportunity to be recognized,” said Sining Filipina committee chair Stella Cabalatungan during the press launch at SM Aura.
Power
Zonta Club of Makati and Environs (ZCME) president Joanne Zapanta-Andrada, who came to the launch despite recent surgery, expressed pride at how Sining Filipina has already borne fruit after only its first edition. “We knew that Filipino women have so much power, have so much vision, and have so much to say, but they did not have a platform in which to express their human experiences,” she said, adding that the contest has helped launch the careers of Filipina artists such as as Hannah Joy Sayam and Maria Gemma San Jose, respective winners of last year’s figurative and non-figurative categories.
“Last year, we had almost 600 from Luzon, about 130 from Visayas, and about 90 to 95 from Mindanao,” she added. “We hope we will get more from Visayas and Mindanao now that we have raised awareness.”
The brainchild of Zapanta-Andrada, Sining Filipina encourages Filipino women to share their unique viewpoints on future-proofing the world they live in through this year’s theme, “Her Earth, Her Future: Women at the Forefront of Sustainability.”
Open to all females of any age and status with Philippine citizenship currently in the country, the contest has expanded its scope from only oil and acrylic to include mixed media like collages, fabric and metal—“as long as it is confined in the prescribed size of the canvas” (which is either 3×3 or 2×3 feet stretch canvas or exhibit stretch, either landscape of portrait; no frame for easy transportation, and signed at the back for anonymity). However, digital alteration or Photoshopping of the painting merits an automatic disqualification from the competition.
Each contestant can only submit one entry, which she has worked on only within the duration of the contest (photographic proof of the artist at work during various stages of accomplishment, including proof of date, is a requirement). This means old works cannot be submitted as these might give others undue advantage.
Best of the best
For this year’s edition, the categories were scrapped so both figurative and non-figurative pieces will be judged together. “What we have done is to mix everyone so that we get the best of the best,” explained Cabalatungan.
The deadline for submission of entries via email (siningfilipina.secretarial@gmail.com) is Feb. 13. Further information on competition rules and regulations as well as official entry forms are available at zontaclubme.com.
The winners will be announced at the opening of the Sining Filipina exhibit at SM Aura, which will run from March 27 to April 3, where works from finalists will be displayed and offered to donors.
Ten winners will be awarded this time around, with the grand prize winner receiving P250,000 and a trophy; second place, P150,000 and a trophy; third place, P100,000 and a trophy; fourth place, P75,000 and a plaque; fifth place, P50,000 and a plaque; and sixth to 10th placers each get P15,000 and a plaque.
Presented by SM Supermalls and ChinaBank, with the support of Airspeed (which will help transport submissions from distant areas), Sining Filipina is also held for the benefit of ZCME, which will receive donations from the sale of the artworks. ZCME has initiated various programs to help advance the status of women in the community.
