Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) presents the ten Shortlisted Writers for the Ateneo Art Awards 2025 (AAA) Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism, announced last 19 August, Wednesday at the Grand Atrium, Shangri-La Plaza.
A preview of the exhibition runs until 25 August 2025 at the Grand Atrium, where guests can view a selection of artworks from the shortlisted exhibitions and read the complete shortlisted essays. The full exhibition will be on view at the third-floor galleries of the Ateneo Art Gallery from 5 September to 7 December 2025.
ATENEO ART AWARDS 2025 – PURITA KALAW-LEDESMA PRIZES IN ART CRITICISM
Co-presented with the Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc. and The Philippine Star, the 12th edition of the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism accepted entries on the theme Flight. Submitted entries for the English and Filipino categories were shortlisted. Two winners will be selected for the English category by The Philippine Star and ArtAsiaPacific, and one winner from the Filipino category by Katipunan Journal.
Winning writers will be contributing to Publication Partners’ respective platforms and will be eligible for month-long residencies with Orange Project Naranja Residency (Bacolod, Negros Occidental), The White House (San Antonio, Zambales) and new residency partner Indeks (Bandung, Indonesia).
The ten (10) Shortlisted Writers for the 2025 Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism are:
English Category
- Bea Belen-Ferrer – In Between Flight and Fallout: What Would Postwar Modernists Do?
- Abigail Buendia – When the City Catches Fire: In Defense of Carla Gamalinda’s Open City
- Pie Tiausas – The internet is a space for the lonely
- Tyra Maria Trono – Wings for 99 Pesos: On the Sentimental Weight of Dollar-Store Objects and the Imagination of Flight
- Denzel Yorong – Martino Abellana and the myth of legacy
Filipino Category
- Mavs Alviar – Through the Fire: Kung masasaksihan mo lang ang mundo at ang ningning ng mga alipato mula sa ilalim ng mga basket at banig
- Emersan Baldemor – Hindi Lahat ng Umaangat ay Naaalala: Si Tandang Ano at ang Politikang Estetiko ng Paglimot
- Eric Jhon Bituin – Mga Paang Namumugto: Sining, Pandemya, at ang Lumalakad sa Gilid ng Daan
- Josh Paradeza – Ang Tuloy-tuloy na Pagpapalagay sa Winala, Nawawala, Nawalan ni Ides Macapanpan
- MJ Rafal – Ang Lipad at Liyab sa A Sea on Fire II ni Joar Songcuya
Winning writers will be announced during the Awarding Ceremony, to be held on 5 October 2025, Sunday, 2pm at the Ateneo Art Gallery.
The Ateneo Art Awards 2025 is co-presented by Ateneo Art Gallery, Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation Inc., and The Philippine Star; in partnership with ArtAsiaPacific, Katipunan Journal, and the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines; venue partner Shangri-La Plaza; residency partners ABungalow (Talisay, Negros Occidental), CASA San Miguel (San Antonio, Zambales), Indeks (Bandung, Indonesia), Koganecho Area Management Center (Yokohama, Japan), La Trobe University – La Trobe Art Institute (Bendigo, Australia), Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, United Kingdom), Monsoon Southeast Asia (Singapore), No Space (Baguio, Benguet), OCAD University (Ontario, Canada), Orange Project Naranja Residency (Bacolod, Negros Occidental), Project Space Pilipinas (Lucban, Quezon Province) and The White House (San Antonio, Zambales).
The Ateneo Art Gallery is open Mondays to Saturdays from 9:00 am–5:00 pm, and on every first and third Sunday of the month, from 9:00 am–4:00 pm. The museum is closed on regular and University holidays. Regular announcements on AAG’s schedule, public programs, and exhibitions can be followed through Facebook and Instagram at @ateneoartgallery.
Photo by Clefvan Pornela.
Kindly note that the text presented here represents an excerpt from the complete release. To read the entire announcement, please visit this page on the Ateneo Art Gallery website.