Known as the longest-running biennial art event in the
Philippines, the Visayan Islands Visual Artists Exhibition-Convention (VIVA-ExCon)
brings together artists from all over the Visayas in order to showcase the
unique and multicultural potential of the Visayan, as well as to highlight his
or her achievements in their respective fields of the visual arts.
First organized under the Outreach Program of the Cultural
Center of the Philippines in 1988, it has since 1994 been partly supported by
the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and managed by SEC-registered
artist organizations based in the Visayas, which usually undergoes a bidding
process held by the conclusion of the previous exhibition-convention, and
decided upon by the conference delegates as a body.
This year, Pusod, the Open Organization of Cebu Visual
Artists, Inc., is the managing organization for the 10
th
VIVA-ExCon, which is supported in part by the NCCA, SM City Cebu, Maribago
Bluewater Beach Resort, the University of the Philippines Cebu College, the
University of San Carlos – College of Architecture and Fine Arts, Pow! Designs,
and the City Government of Cebu.
This is the 20
th
year that the VIVA-ExCon will be celebrated . For a fee of P 2,500, delegates
and walk-in visitors can participate in three days of fun and learning that
begins on November 27 and ends on November 29, inclusive of food and
accommodations.
On November 27, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. VIVA-ExCon will begin with
the registration and Islands Report at Conference Room A of the SM City Cebu,
wherein representatives of the various Visayan artists will be discussing the
state of the visual arts of their respective areas. This will be followed by the
Curator’s Forum on the exhibition component, in which event curator Dr. Reuben
Ramas Cañete, will present his concepts and rationale for the year’s
exhibitions. A round-table discussi will follow.
On the second day there will be art seminars in the morning,
and a collaborative islands installation art project-making and concert in the
afternoon and evening. Two seminars will be held simultaneously: "Basic
Preventive Conservation" by Peter Natividad and "Mounting Art Exhibits and
Exploring Art Issues–a Curator’s Perspective" by Dr. Patrick D. Flores. These
seminars will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
On the afternoon of November 28, the delegates will come
together to mount collaborative installation art projects using as a theme: "Sugbu
sa Akong Panumduman" (Cebu in My Mind). All installations should be done between
1 to 6 p.m.
Afterwards, the official opening of the event will be held on
the site led by officials of the government of Cebu City. Three simultaneous art
workshops will be held on November 29: Scrapology by Ral Arrogante, Advanced
Printmaking Techniques by Ambie Abaño and Pandy Aviado, and Digital Photography
by Ross Capili.
