MANILA, Philippines – The 3rd edition of Don Papa Rum’s annual art competition calls on Filipino artists to send their submissions for a chance to showcase their work to a global audience through the limited edition Don Papa art canister on which the winners’ work will be used.

If there is one thing that makes Don Papa Rum stand out from other local brands – apart from their incredible small-batch rum, of course – its their packaging, which is, more often than not, as special as the liquor it holds.

The brand recently introduced their rare cask limited edition rum, which comes in a case that is as exceptional as the liquor it holds: an intricate wooden canister that shows the brand’s origins and story.

It makes perfect sense then that this same brand would call on Filipino artists to work their magic on their canisters. Last year’s winning work was a piece called “Field Notes for Papa Isio,” done by Henrielle Pagkaliwangan of Tin-Aw Gallery. The piece was done in pen, ink, and watercolor on canvas and tells the story of Bacolod’s MassKara Festival through beautifully detailed illustrations.

Henrielle’s work is now printed on canisters that are distributed locally and in 5 other countries: France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Czech Republic, and Denmark.

Like Henrielle, the winner of the 3rd art competition stands to have their work immortalized in these special edition canisters, and seen by a worldwide audience of thousands. More than that, the winner also gets a 4-week all-expenses paid artistic residence in New York City.

The winner will be chosen among the 10 best entries, which will be displayed in the Don Papa Rum exhibit at Art Fair Philippines 2018.

Bacolod’s surrealism

According to Don Papa brand manager Cri Molina, this year’s theme is centered on surrealism.

“Don Papa Rum is from the island of Negros and its locally known as Sugarlandia because it’s the biggest sugar-producing island in the country,” she told Rappler.

“If you’ve been to Bacolod, it’s very surreal. It looks very old but it’s modern at the same time. There’s the jungle but there’s sugarcane fields at the bottom. There’s also the aspect of everyday surrealism there because time is so fluid, the people are natural hosts – they’re very enchanting people,” she said.

Apart from getting the theme down pat, Henrielle said that her one tip for those who want to win the competition is to keep the form of the final product in mind while maintaining your own style.

“That was my mistake during the first competition,” Henrielle said in Filipino. “I didn’t think that it would be put on a canister, so I just did an artwork that didn’t incorporate the logo, I didn’t think it would be a cylinder.”

“Balance it so that it can be put on a canister, at the same time, the work is still you,” she advised.

This year, Don Papa is accepting digital art as a format, as well as two-dimensional flat media, including paintings, drawings, photographs, and prints.

Those who want to join the competition need to register online on the Don Papa art competition website, upon which more details and the full creative brief will be provided. Deadline for online registration is on December 8, while deadline for submission of entries is on January 29. More information is available on the competitions event page on Facebook.

Artists need gallery representation to enter (Don Papa has a list of galleries where artists can apply) and of course, because this is a liquor brand, they must be at least 21 years old to join. – Rappler.com