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Bleeding Heart Rum Company, makers of Don Papa Rum, announced the winners of its 3rd Annual Don Papa Art Competition. Lee Paje of Tin-Aw Art Gallery took home the Grand Prize for her work “Passage to The Land of Sugar” in oil and patina on copper. As part of her prizes, Paje will receive an exclusive month-long Artistic Residence Sojourn in New York City.
Her winning masterpiece, which is going to be the visual basis for the limited edition Don Papa Art Canister 2018, is an imagination of the possibilities and adventures beyond the walls into the boundless Sugarlandia universe. Visual elements are rooted in the historic past of Negros, melding present and future into a fantastical dimension, and forming windows between worlds. The closer you look, the closer you discover the expanse of the adventure waiting to be unraveled, in the same way Don Papa Rum drinkers find complex flavors within each sip.
“Passage to The Land of Sugar” also won the People’s Choice Award tabulated from on-site and social media votes.
A former marketing executive who pursued her passion for the arts, Paje explores themes on the role of women, issues of gender fluidity, myth-making, and unique contemporary lifestyles in her art. She is also the only woman who made it to the competition’s finals.
Aside from the artistic sojourn and Don Papa Rum gifts, Paje’s gallery representatives also get to go with her to NYC and receive a pop-up sponsorship from Don Papa Rum in one major gallery exhibit.
Meanwhile, “Discover” by John Paul Antido of Pinto Art Museum won the Artistic Merit, a new award given to the best execution of artwork as a standalone piece. An oil painting on canvas, “Discover” showcases Sugarlandia as an extraordinary place filled with golden harvest and sweet extract, found within the lush forest and wild vegetation.
This year’s judging of entries was hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, which assembled the Don Papa Art Competition judging panel consisting of prominent names in the Philippine Art industry. Out of 650 registered artists, 30 were shortlisted, and then cut down further to the Top 10 finalists. The announcement of the winners took place last March 3 at the Art Fair Philippines in Makati City, in the presence of the artists, their gallerists, and guests of Don Papa Rum.
Now on its 3rd year, the Annual Don Papa Art Competition is an open invitation for Filipino artists to reimagine Don Papa Rum’s brand visual and story. As the winning artwork is turned into a limited edition Art Canister packaging released in different countries during the holidays, the competition provides Filipino artists the platform to showcase their work to a global audience.
Lee Paje’s Art Canister will be released internationally during the holiday season later this year. The first release of the Art Canister received positive response from retailers and consumers worldwide, with 18,000 units sold. It has become a collectible item that Don Papa lovers anticipate every holiday season.
Past grand winners include Riel Hilario of The Drawing Room Gallery for “The Spiritual Landscape of Papa Isio” (2015) and Henrielle Pagkaliwangan of Tin-Aw Art Gallery for “Field Notes for Papa Isio” (2016).
