๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ข features some 40 contemporary works by winners of the Philippine Art Awards through the years at the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art, Iloilo City.
Patubas in Hiligaynon refers to โharvestโ โ a bountiful harvest of works by artists from the Visayas (Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas), in particular.
From the collection of Edwin V. Valencia, some works on exhibit by PAA winners are not necessarily the works that have won the Philippine Art Awards.
๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ
Included are works by Philippine Art Award Grand Prize winners such as Jirah Labanza (2022), Melvin Celiz Guirhem (2020), Marina Cruz (2008), Ambie Abaรฑo (2006), Arturo Sanchez Jr (2014), and Alfred Esquillo Jr, ASEAN Art Awards 1995.ย
Seasoned artists and their formidable impact on the Visayan art scene include Nunelucio Alvarado (b.1950, Sagay, Negros Occidental) and Charlie Co (b. 1960, Bacolod City. Alvarado is a recipient of Philippine Art Awards 1997 and 1999, Jurorโs Choice. His work on display is Isda sa Dughan, 2010. Co, a recipient of PAA 1999, Jurorโs Choice, displays his Art Circuit, 2012 and Antipas Delotavo (1970-2025, Iloilo), PAA 2000, Jurorโs Choice with The Bag Lady, 2013.
๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ
Works of young visual artists from Western Visayas include the following:
๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ณ๐: (b. 1995, Dingle, Iloilo) She was the Grand Prize winner of PAA 2022-2023 with Ways (not part of this exhibit). Pillar 2 is her work on exhibit. An architecture graduate of Iloilo Science and Technology University, she has been using the impasto technique, its thick oil paint mixed with uhot or rice straw in many of her works. She is a member of Sigahum Artist Group and Hubon Ilonggo.
๐๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ:ย Originally from Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, he was raised in Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City. A self-taught artist from a family of furniture makers, he learned woodcarving from his parents early on.ย
He is well known for his โsawaliโ relief sculptures in hardwood; in his sculptural wood creations, he uses repurposed wood byproducts such as sawdust, wood shavings, and wood offcuts. A regional winner of the Visayas Art Awards 2013 and 2017, his work is Insignia, 2016.
๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ณ: (b. 1981, Oton, Iloilo) A farmerโs son, a life of hardship only made him strive harder in all his endeavors. Working odd jobs, he supported himself as a grocery bagger while studying architectural drafting at ISATU.ย
A regional winner of the Visayas Art Awards 2013, his work, Mayo Uno, 2013, honors the struggles and determination of workers around the world.
Intricate and dense scenarios filled with people is his signature style; he often fills his work with farmers and workers without whom our โcomfortable lifeโ as we know it would cease to exist.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ก๐๐ฆ: (b. 1980, Oton, Iloilo). His work Failed Reconciliation won the 25th PAA Grand Prize in 2020. His huge work (13x 8 ft) of textile and thread on canvas titled Irong-Irong Banwang Pinalangga, 2026 centers the exhibition.
He has been using fabric as collage on canvas and hand-embroidered along the edges as his medium, as a nod to his grandmother who was a seamstress.
Guirhem studied civil engineering at the Western Institute of Technology and architecture at the University of San Agustin. He established Puluy-an Art Gallery in 2022 in Oton with his wife. His 14th solo exhibition is titled Aswang ng Loob as part of his 2026 residency at the Eskinita Art Farm in Tanauan, Batangas.
๐๐จ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐จ: (b. 1969, Negros Occidental) With an art practice that includes drawing, painting, wood carving, and sculpture, he studied fine arts in La Consolacion College-Bacolod. A recipient of PAA 2014, Jurorโs Choice Award of Merit, his terracotta sculpture on display is Sabak, 2007.
An active member of the Art Association of Bacolod, Art Association of Talisay, and Signus art group in Negros, he has opened his studio to the public, named Geraldo Art Space in Talisay, Negros Occidental, as a platform for emerging artists.ย
๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐
The Philippine Art Awards is a national visual art competition that supports the development of Philippine contemporary art and โto increase national and regional exposure for Philippine art and artists.โ
First held in 1994 as part of the ASEAN Art Awards for ten years, the Philippine competition in 2005 continued on its own and renamed as Philippine Art Awards (PPA). It provided an opportunity for emerging artists from the archipelago to display their artistic capabilities. Two years later in 2007, PPA became a two-tiered biannual event involving four regional competitions in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Initially, 10 equal winners are selected from each regional area; a total of 40 regional winners competed at the national level.ย
In PAA 2025-2026, five regional winners each are selected from the four regional areas; a total of 20 regional winners compete at the national level. From the 20 regional winners, PAA proclaims one Grand Prize, two Jurorโs Choice of Excellence, and two Jurorโs Choice of Merit.