The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has encouraged curators and artists to submit curatorial proposals to be chosen for the Philippines’ participation at the 56th Venice Biennale which will take place on the 9th of May until 22nd of November 2015.
The country will join the prestigious international event 50 years after Jose Joya and Napoleon Abueva represented the country in the 1964 Venice Biennale. Both men now hold the title of National Artist.
NCCA Chairman Felipe M. De Leon, Jr. said this open call can serve as a medium in which artists and curators can collaborate, exchange ideas, and have an open dialogue on the direction of Philippine contemporary art today.
To realize this enormous task of putting up a Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, three major agencies have cooperated, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.
The country’s participation in the 2015 Venice Biennale is significant in highlighting the Filipino’s outstanding creativity in the field of contemporary arts despite the very limited resources as well as the challenging and catastrophic experiences that our nation has faced through the years. The exceptional achievements of our artists remain an inspiration and strength of our nation. And our involvement in the 56th Venice Biennale is a strong affirmation not only for the creative sector but for all the Filipinos locally and internationally.
NCCA has previously released an open call for curatorial proposals and has invited curators and artists to participate. Curatorial guidelines, application forms, and images of the exhibition space can be accessed via www.ncca.gov.ph. For information or inquiries, interested parties can contact the Coordinating Committee via NCCA landline 527-2206 or its [email protected] email. All submitted proposals will be rigorously deliberated by a panel of judges who are all knowledgeable in contemporary arts of the Phippines and of the world. Only one curatorial concept proposal will be selected and will be mounted in Venice in 2015 as an official participation of the Philippines.
Philippine Participation
Aside from Joya and Abueva, other Filipinos who have participated in the Venice Biennale include Alfredo Juan and Maria Isabel Gaudinez-Aquilizan, the husband and wife team who have been invited to join the Venice Biennale in 2003 and exhibited their work In God We Trust. In 1995, interdisciplinary artist Alwin Reamilo and Juliet participated at the 46th Venice Biennale with their installation work entitled Tres Persona non Grata.
Filipinos filmmakers have also excelled and made a mark in the Venice Film Festival, which is part of the Biennale. Manuel Conde with his masterpiece Genghis Khan, was the first Filipino director to show his work at the international film gala in 1952. Aside from Conde, other filmmakers who have received the La Navicella award are Brilliante Mendoza for Thy Womb and Lav Diaz for Melancholia.
Exhibition Space
The Philippine exhibition will be housed at Palazzo Mora and we will occupy three rooms with a total of 153 square meters. A 3D SketchUp can be accessed at the NCCA website.
Deadline of Curatorial Proposal
The deadline for submission of curatorial proposal is on August 28, 2014. The NCCA encourages all concerned curators artists to submit the proposal on or before the deadline.
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Landline: 527-2206
Website: www.ncca.gov.ph
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