MADE comes full circle with a 40-year retrospective
Putting 40 years of the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) program into perspective in a single context is hard, but let us try. The other night at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, at an interactive exhibit called “Sibol,” we watched as artist Mark Justiniani explained the origins of his first-prize painting from 1990, “Last Trip,” a moody, expressionist portrait of jeepney riders that was inspired by the artist’s imaginary soundtrack (since nobody had cellphones or other distractions back then).
Next to his displayed painting, artist Erwin Romulo was cueing up his own imaginary soundtrack—“Auricular (Hearing)”—on a tiny, beat-up beatbox, allowing guests to insert a series of handmade cassette tapes of found recordings gathered by Romulo, snatches of sound and music from diverse sources, to accompany that tin-can ride through the city.
In this way, the experience comes full circle, and Justiniani offers another detail: that the first purchase he made with his MADE prize money was—in a weird coincidence—a tiny cassette player like the one displayed by Romulo.
It shows how MADE has changed budding artists’ lives—coming from all walks of life, many of whom could barely scrape together enough money for canvases and paints to submit an entry, let alone afford a cassette player. And the month-long exhibit—which comes as the program prepares to open its competition up to the next batch of artists—offers both a timeline and a push forward into the next chapter. “Sibol” (meaning “sprout” or “shoot”) gathers 40 entries from 1984, the first year of competition, up through this year’s winners.
Not only that, upstairs from the 2nd Floor space, we’re offered glimpses at what past prize winners—such as Elmer Borlangan, Leeroy New, Yeo Kaa and Justianiani—have been up to since winning their first life-changing competion, transforming and shape-shifting into installations, sculptures, sound and book design and printmaking. You’ll see Borlongan’s latest inspired prints using abandoned Tetra Paks, and Justiniani’s immersive, deep wells of reflection (“Warp”), New’s recycled “Grotto” installation and Kaa’s garden of white sculptures.
The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI), which itself celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, raised a toast along with guests of honor Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Hon. Eli Remolona Jr. and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States Marykay Carlson, as MBFI president Aniceto (“Chito”) Sobrepeña opened the the exhibit by looking to its origins.
“Looking back to the launch poster we released in 1984 with the tagline, ‘Artists of Today, Art Masters of Tomorrow,’ we’re thrilled to see how many of our MADE artists, from diverse generations and artistic backgrounds, have flourished and become respected figures in contemporary art.”
As Anna Sobrepeña and husband Chito welcomed guests out of the rain and into the Met, they were invited to explore 40 past artworks, and interact with many of them in a “Metathesis of Styles,” using virtual reality goggles (lending a new, inner life to Jonathan Dangue’s 2011 piece “Nothing to Hold On To”); or scanning Pow Marin’s “You Are What You Eat” (2016) with a phone QR code to unlock moving parts; or redrawing a winning work by Kaa using a digital tablet; or, yes, adding a soundtrack to Justiniani’s cramped road worriers. The digital component, co-presented with Samsung Philippines, comes through a curatorial partnership with the Foundation University in Dumaguete, led by Fine Arts Department head and curator Sandra Palomar, who walked us through the enhancements, as guests mingled with past MADE winners and discovered Easter eggs laid out all over the Met space.
The exhibit—running from Sept. 19 to Oct. 19, 2024—is a powerful reminder of how art can benefit from enthusiastic patronage. “Our rich art collection stands as a testament to the power of artists as the nation’s storytellers,” said Sobrepeña in opening remarks. With that, he asked a row of those artists present—Roberto Feleo, Borlongan, Justiniani, Alfredo Esquillo, Mark Andy Garcia, Raffy Napay, Noel Elicana, Paul John Cabanalan, Marc Cosico, Maria Taniguchi, New and Kaa—to stand and take a bow.
“We started our 40th year by taking a break from our usual competition to be able to revisit and reaffirm the mission of MADE,” the MBFI president said. “From this pause, we realized that our commitment to nurturing young Filipino artists and promoting Philippine culture has borne fruit and now is the time to move towards sustainable artistic development for our young artists.”
He then announced “exciting innovations” for the next program.
“In 2025, a key feature of the MADE Competition is the launch of a dedicated competition portal, designed to function as a comprehensive information hub,” he announced. “MADE will also collaborate with a respected art institution to offer art residency scholarships, providing a supportive environment for art creation and focused mentorship. With these next moves, MADE stays true to its commitment to sustainable artistic development.”
Surely these innovations will open up the competition to an even more national sampling of artists, and MADE will continue to leave its mark on the future of Filipino art, just as it has over the past 40 years.
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The MADE “Sibol” exhibition is at 2nd Floor North and 3rd Floor South Galleries of The M (formerly Metropolitan Museum of Manila) in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, open and free to the public until Oct. 19, 2024. For more information, follow facebook.com/metrobankartanddesign.
