The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Thirteen Artists Awards (TAA) 2024 recipient Liv Vinluan didn’t always see art as a viable career path when growing up.
Although art was always present in her life, she wondered if she had the same courage as her father, abstractionist Nestor Olarte Vinluan, who received the same honor in 1974.
Mounting show after show, Vinluan embraced her fondness for historical narratives. She then fed her fascination through art. Eventually, she realized she might have been onto something all along and heeded the universe’s proverbial call for artmaking.
“As a child, I created art to pass the time, escape, and conjure other worlds. I just simultaneously feel all these sentiments toward history – bewilderment, shame, and pride,” the 37-year-old artist said.
Wandering through the path of mixed media techniques, Vinluan found art to be a continuous cycle of discovery. Despite the constant doubts of living a full-time creative life, she refuses to change the trajectory of her career. “Decisiveness is my strongest trait. I try not to entertain regrets,” she said.
Following the announcement of TAA recipients last December, Vinluan noted it as a humbling experience. “It was neither a goal nor a dream. You just work hard and go forward, hoping you will get somewhere,” she said.
Contemplating her presentation at the TAA exhibit at the National Museum of the Philippines Fine Arts this October 2025, Vinluan recounted seeing botanist Fr. Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Filipinas at the Lopéz Museum & Library archives in 2016 as part of her preparation. The seminal 19th-century book on Philippine botany has been a landmark, describing over 1,000 Philippine plant species with plates or laminas illustrated by Filipino and Spanish artists.
Upon learning that the exhibit would be inside a historical landmark that witnessed the restoration of the Filipino identity, Vinluan couldn’t contain her excitement. “You don’t get to exhibit at the National Museum everyday. It is a concrete testament to survival and constant change,” she said.
The CCP, through the TAA, honors visual artists under the age of 40 who seek to “restructure, restrengthen, and renew artmaking and art thinking that lend viability to Philippine art.”
In its 54th year, Liv Vinluan joins fellow TAA recipients Catalina Africa, Denver Garza, Russ Ligtas, Ella Mendoza, Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan, Issay Rodriguez, Luis Antonio Santos, Joshua Serafin, Jel Suarez, Tekla Tamoria, Derek Tumala, and Vien Valencia.
