The 2026 Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) competition has once again highlighted the creative depth of contemporary Philippine art. Drawing from personal experiences and keen observations, this year’s awardees transformed complex themes into vivid visual narratives. Consequently, these compelling pieces invite audiences to reflect on our shared reality from fresh perspectives. Metrobank Foundation President Philip Francisco U. Dy highlights this impressive reach.
This year, MADE received over 600 submissions from all artists across the country, reflecting the diversity, talent, and vitality of the Philippine art community. Their works remind us that Filipino artists continue to engage deeply with the world around them and contribute fresh perspectives to the conversations shaping our society.
Imagining Lives Beyond Our Own
Grand Awardee for Oil or Acrylic on Canvas Vince Martin A. Macatangay explores the hidden complexity of strangers’ lives in Sonder: Sa Bawat Mundong ’Di Ko Matahak (Sonder: In Worlds Beyond My Reach).
Through dynamic, distorted figures, his painting captures countless overlapping human experiences unfolding all at once. Interestingly, the work was inspired by a late friend who once described him as “sonder-coded.” Explaining the conceptual heartbeat of his work,
Sa painting, hinihigop ang simuno patungo sa siklo ng walang hanggang daloy ng oras, sumasagisag sa walang katapusang interaksyon sa di mabilang na buhay,”
explained Macatangay.
The Courage to Keep Moving Forward
Meanwhile, in the Mixed Media category, Grand Awardee Kennette A. Luague honors the daily sacrifices and resilience of hardworking Filipinos in Taya (Bet). For this piece, Luague purposefully incorporated simple everyday materials, including wood and billiard cloth. At the center of the artwork, a figure navigates a chaotic system yet chooses to press forward.
This choice represents true hope and inner strength.
Expressing the core message of his piece,
Bagaman tila nakapako sa gitna ng sistema, ang alab sa kanyang isipan ang nagsisilbing mitsa ng pag-asa. Hindi siya biktima ng pagkakataon, siya ay isang manunugal na may sapat na giting na harapin ang hamon”
shared Luague.
The Unsettling Familiar
In addition, Grand Awardee for Sculpture Aldrin B. Olaguir challenges viewers to examine power and societal norms in Hinahalal, Binabanal (The Chosen, the Sanctified).
By replacing holy water inside a traditional font with a hardened basin guarded by a crocodile figure, Olaguir transforms a sacred object into an unsettling critique of corruption. As a result, the work questions how questionable practices slowly become accepted as normal over time.
Reflecting on his cultural lens,
Growing up in the Philippines, I am influenced by survival conditions, inherited moral systems, and fragmented histories shaped by colonial interruption and cultural layering. These experiences drive me to construct symbolic systems and narrative frameworks that reinterpret erased or distorted cultural histories,”
shared Olaguir.
Furthermore, praising the freedom provided by the competition, Olaguir noted that what he appreciated most about the 2026 MADE Competition was its open theme.
He shared that this flexibility allows artists to create works that genuinely align with their personal vision and practice, providing a platform to showcase the best of their craft while encouraging them to stay true to themselves.
After all, art is and has always been a pursuer of truth.
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