MANILA, July 4 — Igorot sculptor Gilbert “Gano” Alberto bagged the two major prizes at the 2013 Symposium International de Sculpture held from June 5 to 16 in Morges, Switzerland.
He bested 31 other participants from 16 countries from around the world.
Alberto’s winning piece, “Swiss Wind,” a wooden version of the Swiss traditional musical instrument, alphorn, was chosen from among the works of fellow sculptors from Europe, the United States, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
His entry got the “Prix du Public 2013-Bois,” an award voted upon by the public through printed ballot, and the “Prix des Artistes 2013,” which was voted upon by the participating artists through secret balloting.
The other two awards, “Prix du Public-2013-Pierre” and “Prix des Artistes” went to Swiss artist Harriet Daniel and Spanish artist Patout Ariane, respectively.
All participating sculptors were each given the same size of their preferred medium with no particular theme. Each sculptor was given the liberty to work on the subject of his choice. Alberto chose the alphorn for its similarity in sound with the traditional instrument of the mountain people in northern Philippines.
In 2011, Alberto also won two awards in the same competition, using stone as his medium of work.
Alberto is a self-taught artist and believes in the spiritual world as a means to effect social change. He prefers to use environment-friendly materials, such as driftwood, for his sculptures.
(DFA)
