Legarda Invites Filipino Curators and Artists to Submit Proposals for Philippine Pavilion in Venice Biennale 2015

Senator Loren Legarda today encouraged Filipino curators and artists to submit their curatorial proposals for the Philippines’ national pavilion in the 56^th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 2015.

Legarda said that the Coordinating Committee for the Philippine Participation to the 2015 Venice Biennale, composed of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in partnership with the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, will be accepting proposals only until August 28, 2014.

“This is our comeback pavilion after 50 years of absence in this prestigious art event in Venice, Italy. Not only do we want to impress the international community, but we also want to gain their respect for Philippine Art and Filipino artists. We want to showcase our rich cultural heritage through this event and so we invite our Filipino curators and artists to submit their proposals on how best we can create our national pavilion for the Venice Biennale 2015,” she said.

The Philippines’ first national pavilion was in the 32nd International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 1964, when Jose Joya and Napoleon Abueva, who are now both National Artists, represented the country.

Legarda stressed that the open call is an opportunity for Filipinos to showcase their talent and creativity.

“Although only one proposal will be selected and will be mounted at the Philippine pavilion in Venice, this open call is one way to recognize the exceptional talent of Filipinos and to encourage arts and culture to flourish in our country,” said Legarda.

The Coordinating Committee is accepting curatorial proposals from Filipino curators and artists residing in the Philippines and abroad.

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.

The open call proposal form is available at the NCCA websitewww.ncca.gov.ph. For more information, curators and artists may contact the Coordinating Committee through 527-2206 orinfo@philartvenicebiennale2015.net .