Tanaw Arts Competition Now Open

Tanaw, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Art Competition is now accepting entries at its Main Complex and regional offices and branches until 29 November 2012. Started in 2010 and held every two years, Tanaw is BSP’s contribution in the efforts to support and develop contemporary art and artists in the Philippines. In 2010, Tanaw attracted 189 entries from all over the Philippines. This number was whittled down to 42 finalists, all of which were exhibited in 2011 at the spacious Metropolitan Museum of Manila. The exhibition ran from February to May of 2011.

Tanaw aims specifically to raise the standards of excellence in art-making in the country. At the same time, because of its national reach, it seeks the overall development of contemporary art not only in Metropolitan Manila but in regional areas or centers as well. The competition, the biggest in the country in terms of awards given, and the most discriminating in terms of set criteria, strives to energize further the art scene and to serve as an inspiring avenue for fresher and more innovative visual expressions. In the end, it aims to fill in the gaps in the narrative of the BSP’s art collection, making it one of the most updated collections of Philippine art in the country.

Tanaw is open to Filipino professional and non-professional artists, aged 18 years old and above as of 31 December 2011, who have won, at least once, in national and international art contests and/or have been invited to participate in international art fairs or exposition such as biennales or triennales. The competition is open-themed and is open to various medium and materials as long as the materials used do not pose a challenge in terms of conservation. Some of the artist awards that the BSP will look for in artist’s credentials are top prizes in competitions such as the Art Association of the Philippines Awards, Art Petron, GSIS Painting Competition, Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, Philippine Art Awards, PLDT-DPC Visual Art Competition, National Shell Art Competition, Ateneo Art Awards, and the CCP 13 Artist Awards. Some of the art events looked out for by Tanaw in artist’s credentials include the biennales held in the cities of Busan, Singapore, Tokyo, Florence, Dakar and Senegal.

For 2010, the three winning works in Tanaw automatically became part of the BSP’s formidable collection of Philippine art. The works of the artists Gary Custodio (Kalibo, Aklan), Melvin Culaba (Manila), and Brave Singh (Bantay, Ilocos Sur) were chosen by a distinct set of jurors who are experts in the field of culture and arts. These award winners, together with a few other finalists that were purchased by the BSP, are currently on view until December of 2012 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila’s Galeriya Bangko Sentral through the exhibit Enduring Commitment, New Acquisitions (2009 - 2011).

The winners will be announced next year during the opening of the 2nd Tanaw exhibition. It will run from May to August 2013 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

Competition rules and regulations and entry forms may be downloaded online at www.bsp.gov.ph. For more information, interested parties may contact the Museo ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas at 516-7499 or 708-7701 locals 2981 and 2377.