12 August 2014 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, recently announced the Philippine participation in the 2015 Venice Biennale through an open call for curatorial proposals.
Senator Loren Legarda said she is looking forward to the Philippines’ participation in the 56th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 2015 following a 50-year hiatus.
“It has been 50 years since we last joined this prestigious contemporary art exhibition. We have many talented Filipino artists worthy to be given the chance to showcase their craft in this event and we should also use this as a platform to engage the international community on the cultural level. I am confident that our artistry and culture would leave other nations in awe,” said Senator Legarda.
The Philippines’ first national pavilion was in the 32nd International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 1964. Jose Joya and Napoleon Abueva were chosen to represent the country.
The NCCA said that the Philippines’ participation in the 56th Venice Biennale, which will be held in Venice, Italy from May 9 to November 22, 2015, marks the country’s significant return to this kind of platform and further pursues an engagement in the dynamic process of defining and shaping contemporary art.
The Coordinating Committee, which is Chaired by NCCA, is accepting curatorial proposals from Filipino curators and artists residing in the Philippines and abroad until August 28, 2014.
The curator must be a Filipino citizen, has curated international contemporary art exhibitions and has sufficient grasp of contemporary art discourse and practice; while the artists must be Filipino citizens and must have participated in one major national exhibition.
Submitted proposals will be reviewed by a distinguished panel in the field of contemporary art. Only one proposal will be selected and will be mounted at the Philippine pavilion in Venice. END