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By: Joy Ann L. Gurtiza, GPC-LUPTO | Photos By: Shairalene Guerrero, PIO; and Valen Valero | Date: June 24, 2022
Acclaimed artist Valerie Anne Feliza βValenβ DG. Valero from the City of San Fernando, La Union, made history as the first woman and first visual artist from La Union to win the top prize in the Non-Representational (Abstract) Painting Category of the 2022 Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) National Art Competition held on June 24, 2022, through a hybrid awarding ceremony.
Valen Valero, as famously known, admitted feeling surprised and thankful during an interview with the La Union Provincial Tourism Office β Culture and the Arts Unit at her recently furbished creative space. βI feel blessed, of course, and lucky at the same time,β she said. Valero dedicates her win to her late father, Bernardo βNardiβ Valero, former City Vice Mayor who passed away two years ago. Valero received a trophy and a check amounting to Php 300,000.00 as her prize.
According to Valero, her winning work, βShift and Change,β is all about evolving β shifting and allowing change to take place. βEverything is evolving through the years. We all know during this pandemic, there were various changes in our practice brought about by experiences here and around the world, which led to improved knowledge about everything. Everything is still evolving as we learn more,β Valen emphasized. βThe painting is also about acceptance, being open to new things, and modernism. You donβt only think about the past, but you also think of the present and the future, what is going to happen in your life,β she added.
When asked about the overlapping geometries and semi-legible writings in her artwork, Valen explained that these messages reflect her emotional states and psychological suggestions that randomly surface during her painting process.
Born in La Union's capital city, Valero started painting at the age of five and is known for her abstract sculptures and paintings that speak a myriad of personal and collective meanings. She grew up with an encompassing awareness of the presence and value of electric energy as her family manages the La Union Electric Company (LUECO).
Valeroβs works are more abstract, up-close, and contain writings, numbers, letters, codes, and Bible scriptures inspired by vintage or scrap items, as well as bold colors of paint that look like a map destination. In 2014, she also introduced her metal sculptures, which transformed discarded meters, scrap metals, and bolts into art pieces. She is also no stranger to art awards and has participated in various solo and group exhibits since 2001.
The GSIS National Art Competition is one of the countryβs biggest and most awaited art contests which attracts thousands of artists in the mixed media, non-representational, and sculpture categories. Valeroβs winning artwork βShift and Changeβ will be part of the GSIS art collection and shall be displayed in the GSIS Museo ng Sining in Pasay City.
To further develop and promote culture and the arts in the province, the Provincial Government of La Union, headed by Gov. Raphaelle Veronica βRafyβ Ortega-David, will continue to roll out effective programs in support of activities of Kaprobinsiaan local artists and culture professionals and workers.
