How will 2020 be immortalized through art?

Visual art is not only a witness to the best of times and the most idyllic of scenery.

Art is a witness as well to pain, terror and war. Art becomes a canvas for the bold strokes written by the times.

Just like the pandemic of 2020.

Art enthusiasts Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino and businessman Hugo Bunzl, in partnership with The Drawing Room, produced a portfolio titled “2020” containing 10 original photographs that tackle the unique struggles Filipinos are facing during the COVID-19 scourge. The photographs are numbered and signed by their creators, who are among the country’s most talented photographers and artists. 

The portfolio, in an edition of 33 copies, will be sold through The Drawing Room Gallery and with the sales, five Filipino artists will each receive a grant of P300,000. The five awardees will be chosen by an independent panel among the names that each artist participating in the project will submit.

With the collaboration of Angel Velasco Shaw and the facilities of Pioneer Studios for the production, the works in the portfolio represent an insight into the works of the following participating artists:

• At Maculangan, one of the most respected photographers in the country, is known for his crisply shot portraits and beautifully lit interiors.
• Gina Osterloh is a conceptual artist who uses photography to question one’s notion of identity and is well known in the international art community.
• Kawayan de Guia is known for his unique and bold style and his ability to transform seemingly unrelated objects into one seamless picture.
• Kiri Dalena is well-recognized in the international art community for her works on Philippine history, politics, and social justice.
• Manny Montelibano’s work is always subtle in its expression of the psychology of contemporary socio-political and religious structures.

  

• Neal Oshima’s works cover a wide range of subjects, yet all carry his signature style of expressiveness and storytelling.
• Paul Pfeiffer is an internationally applauded visual artist, known for his use of modern technology to create nuanced art pieces.
• Poklong Anading is a contemporary artist who likes to assume the role of observer in his images that explore fact and memory.
• Wawi Navarroza is a multi-awarded contemporary artist whose works often delve into “self” and how life often meets art in strange ways.
• Yason Banal is a multimedia artist who uses his work to explore hidden meanings within common images.