The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) recently honored the newest recipients of the prestigious Thirteen Artists Awards (TAA) in a special ceremony, followed by the opening of their exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila.
Since its establishment, the TAA has recognized Filipino artists whose works have made a significant mark on the country’s artistic and cultural landscape. This year’s awardees are Catalina Africa, Denver Garza, Russ Ligtas, Ella Mendoza, Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan, Issay Rodriguez, Luis Antonio Santos, Joshua Serafin, Jel Suarez, Tekla Tamoria, Derek Tumala, Vien Valencia and Liv Vinluan — a generation of artists whose practices respond to the complexities and urgencies of contemporary life.
“Out of 108 nominations, and through a meticulous process, 13 artists were chosen to carry the legacy forward,” said CCP president Kaye C. Tinga. “These artists will redefine and provoke the social order while reflecting their truths and realities.”
Curated by Mervy C. Pueblo, the 2024 exhibition reveals a Philippine art that is “awake, attentive and insistently present.” Through various media — video, sculpture, tapestry, watercolor and installation — the artists explore how memory, care, nature and material converge, reflecting a generation that listens to the world with curiosity, empathy and imagination.
Among the featured works are Russ Ligtas’ performance and installation pieces that confront collective memory and historical amnesia; Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan’s prints and artist books that question the permanence of identity; and Tekla Tamoria’s woven works that trace the social history of Filipino women and their enduring creative practices.
Other artists reimagine perception and belonging: Catalina Africa offers a “personal cosmology” through sculptural installations; Issay Rodriguez bridges science and humanism in her ecological installations; and Liv Vinluan revives fading botanical memories through lush depictions of extinct flora.
Ella Mendoza confronts the discomfort of silence surrounding violence; Luis Antonio Santos transforms galvanized iron into textured chronicles of urban life; and Vien Valencia investigates movement and spatial autonomy. Meanwhile, Denver Garza and Jel Suarez reconstitute fragments and shared gestures into participatory works that evoke care and community.
Joshua Serafin revisits precolonial mythologies and folklores to reclaim the fluidity of Filipino identity, while Derek Tumala draws parallels between endangered species and vulnerable artists — calling attention to both ecological and cultural precarity.
According to National Museum director general Jeremy Barns, the collaboration between the CCP and the National Museum reflects a shared vision for cultural advancement.
“We’re proud to do what we can for the CCP during this period of upgrading. Once the CCP’s facilities are completed, we also hope to enhance our own. We need more space and better facilities to house more works of art and heritage — and this partnership shows how we are progressing together,” he said.
More than a showcase of talent, the Thirteen Artists Awards exhibition is a statement on the state of Philippine art today — one that listens to crises, honors memory and reclaims visibility for the marginalized and unseen.
First launched in 1970 as a curatorial project by Roberto Chabet under the CCP Museum, the TAA was later transformed into a triennial recognition program by Raymundo Albano, highlighting artists who seek to “restructure, restrengthen, and renew artmaking and art thinking.”
The 2024 Thirteen Artists Awards exhibition runs from 7 October to 12 January 2026, at the Sandiganbayan Reception Hall, National Museum of Fine Arts, and is free and open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.