Filipino wins 1st place in COP26 art competition

Digital artist Bricx Martillo Dumas of Leyte won first place in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) art competition, DigitalArt4Climate, with his work entitled “Nexus.”

The win was announced Sunday, November 14, through the competition’s official Instagram page.

In the piece, we see a hand holding a drink in a plastic bag with a straw, and a cigarette whose smoke evaporates into tiny leaves. It is one of 208 artworks submitted from 58 countries, and the only one from the Philippines.

Winners were decided through online public voting, with the prize for first place at 1,500 euros. The other winners, who are from Iran, France, the United States, and Kenya, will each receive 500 euros.

Dumas shared the following message upon receiving the award:

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“This competition may come to an end, but our fight for climate justice is far from over,” Dumas said in his speech. “Eight years ago, my hometown suffered the wrath of [Super] Typhoon Haiyan. It changed my life forever. Should we wait for another typhoon as strong as Haiyan just to realize that this world is suffering from mass extinction? Or should we be the change that this world needs? Our time is now.”

DigitalArt4Climate is an initiative “which uses blockchain technology to turn art into digital assets or NFTs, which can be collected and traded, thus opening up a socio-technological innovation space which helps to unlock extraordinary potential for resource mobilization and climate empowerment.”

The COP26 summit was a gathering of world leaders and delegates to discuss actions to address climate change. The talks ended with a deal on Saturday, November 13, after going into overtime. – Rappler.com