Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Thirteen Artists Awards (TAA) 2024 recipient, Liv Vinluan, didn’t always see art as a viable career path when growing up. Although art has always been present in her life, she always wondered if she held the same courage as her father, abstractionist Nestor Olarte Vinluan, who received the same honor in 1974.

“I saw how difficult it was for him [as a full-time artist and an educator], being a sole breadwinner with three children,” she shared.

Mounting show after show, Vinluan embraced her fondness for historical narratives. She then fed her fascination through art. Eventually, she realized she might have been onto something all along and heeded the universe’s proverbial call for artmaking.

“As a child, I created to pass the time, escape, and conjure other worlds. I just simultaneously feel all these sentiments toward history — bewilderment, shame, and pride,” the 37-year-old artist further said.

Wandering through mixed media techniques, Vinluan found art to be a continuous cycle of discovery. Despite the constant doubts of living a full-time creative life, she refuses to change the trajectory of her career.

“Decisiveness is my strongest trait. I try not to entertain regrets,” said Vinluan.

Putting her works out in public remains a tough challenge for Vinluan even after 16 years of practice. Initially, she thought her work could speak for itself as she hid behind anonymity.

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be enough anymore,” she observed as an artist in the digital age.

Vinluan had won numerous local and international awards. She was chosen as the recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection grant for Art Fair Philippines 2019. She was also shortlisted for the Ateneo Art Awards’ Fernando Zóbel Prize for Visual Art in 2016.

Following the announcement of TAA recipients last December, Vinluan noted it as a humbling experience. “It was neither a goal nor a dream. You just work hard and go forward, hoping you will get somewhere,” she commented.

Finding inspiration from local flora

Contemplating on her presentation at the TAA exhibit at the National Museum of Fine Arts this October, Vinluan recounted seeing botanist Fr. Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Filipinas at the Lopéz Museum and Library in 2016 as part of her preparation. The 19th-century book on Philippine botany has been a landmark work, describing over a thousand Philippine plant species with plates or laminas illustrated by Filipino and Spanish artists.

She detailed her process: “I have been researching, reaching out to people, and observing plants. I’m learning as much as I can. I would like to do this right and honor the legacies of the botanists, scientists, conservationists, and artists who contributed to this field.”

Upon learning that the exhibit would be inside a historical landmark that witnessed the restoration of the Filipino identity, Vinluan couldn’t contain her excitement. “You don’t get to exhibit at the National Museum every day. It is a concrete testament to survival and constant change,” she elaborated.

Vinluan knows she has no absolute control over her work the moment she releases it. To fuel her motivation, intentional rest became her strategy. “I take breaks in between shows. Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” she added.

Amid the attention she garnered for her talent, Vinluan reminds young artists to continue working with clarity and passion: “Awards and recognitions are not the be-all and end-all of being an artist. When shit hits the fan, laugh. You’ll be surprised where humor can take you. You’re going to be okay.”

Now in its 54th year, the Thirteen Artists Awards honors visual artists under the age of 40 who seek to “restructure, restrengthen, and renew artmaking and art thinking that lend viability to Philippine art.” In its latest awarding, Liv Vinluan joins fellow TAA recipients Catalina Africa, Denver Garza, Russ Ligtas, Ella Mendoza, Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan, Issay Rodriguez, Luis Antonio Santos, Joshua Serafin, Jel Suarez, Tekla Tamoria, Derek Tumala and Vien Valencia.

The CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division received 82 submissions from art groups, museum and gallery directors and curators, art critics, art educators, and former TAA recipients from all over the country. Through a meticulous deliberation process, the 13 awardees were selected out of a total of 108 nominations.