Shell National Student Arts Competition Virtual Art Interact: Digital tech is creative wave of the future

 

The Shell National Student Art Competition (NSAC) Virtual Art Interact kicks off with a timely theme in its first leg. The workshop encourages the next generation of artists to showcase their talent while embracing innovations in the next creative wave. (Top Left-Right): Serge Bernal, Pilipinas Shell Vice President for Corporate Relations; Jopet Arias, NSAC Alumnus and Winner. (Bottom Left-Right): Aldrine Alarcon, Multimedia Artist; Andrei Pamintuan, Creative Director of FringeMNL and Pineapple Lab.

 

Multimedia, NFT, crypto art, and other digital innovations show the next step to creativity, both in the art world and greater society. In the recent Virtual Art Interact, which is part of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation’s 55th National Student Arts Competition (NSAC), emerging young artists and past winners exhibited how their non-traditional canvases can inspire visions of the future.  

 

For this leg in 2022, digital-savvy artists showed how embracing emerging technologies can enhance their artworks, illustrating this year’s theme of “Sulong Sining” (or “Art Advances”).  Serge Bernal, PSPC Vice President for Corporate Relations, expounded, “The theme really encourages students to share their creative talents and showcase the bright future that they envision through the arts. “Sulong Sining” also embodies Shell’s role as the country’s partner in nation-building under the overall campaign of “Keep Moving the Philippines Forward.”

 

The conversation between art masters and students tackled topics ranging from pre-historic art and its evolution in modern times, the exploration of crypto art, to virtual or augmented art experiences. Virtual Art Interact also broke ground by tackling a ‘commercial’ topic: how minting and NFTs play a key role in the ownership of artworks and accommodating investors and buyers online, another consequence of the digital revolution. 

 

Breaking boundaries

“As society progresses, so do art distribution and ownership,” digital illustrator Jopet Arias shared other changes unfolding in Philippine art today: “Now, anyone in the world, with the use of Web 3 and the internet, we can start a new revolution of what art is and how we can explore the beauty and grandiosity ng mga bagay na pinapahalagahan natin [of the things we value].”

 

Multimedia artist Aldrine Alarcon spoke about the rising digital art opportunities that are empowering artists to break through traditional boundaries: “Bago ka makapasok sa mga galleries, kailangan mo ng maraming portfolio at connections [Before, as an artist, you’d need a portfolio and connections to have an exhibit in art galleries.]. But by the power of web 3, hindi mo nakailangan lahat yun, kasi [you don’t need that anymore because everything is] decentralized. This breakthrough also impacts regional markets, expanding the influence of the artist beyond his immediate community.