The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Don Papa Rum, the premium aged rum from Negros Occidental province, introduced recently the three designs that won in its first Don Papa Art Competition and are now featured in the canisters and packaging of its limited-edition Don Papa Art Canister Series.
To be made available next month is grand-prize winner Riel Hilario’s work, titled The Spiritual Landscape of Papa Isio. Papa Isio is Dionisio Magbuelas, the leader of the shamanistic babaylanes—priests, philosophers, healers—who led a revolt against the Spaniards in Negros in the 1890s, and after whom the rum is named.
Also to be made available soon after Hilario’s design is first runner-up Barry Cervantes and his 3-feet-by-5-feet acrylic painting on canvas, titled Don Papa and the Babaylan. His work pays tribute to the stories he listened to as a child growing up in Negros Occidental’s Valladolid town, about Papa Isio’s revolt and the myths surrounding the still-active Mount Kanloan, regarded as sacred by the people of Negros island.
“The painting depicts the soul of Papa Isio alongside a babaylan crowned with the images of struggle and the bravery of a true revolutionary icon that embodies the strong spirit of Negrosanons and the babaylanes,” Cervantes explained.
Other images the artist portrayed in his painting include an erupting Mt. Kanlaon and what he said is a “bird that portrays death in a sacrificial way, in exchange for our sweet freedom.”
Next to be made available is second runner-up Anjo Bolarda and his untitled 2ft x 4ft ink illustration on paper that was inspired by the rum’s original packaging.
Bolarda chose to hand-draw the work as a nod to the hard work, meticulous craftsmanship, and the time needed to produce excellent rum. It also expresses appreciation for the exotic wildlife found in the dense rainforests surrounding Mt. Kanlaon, as well as a message of concern about the environment.
“In the illustration, you can find, peeking out from behind the stalks of the sugarcane, just some of the animals [that are] endangered and endemic to Negros Occidental,” Bolarda said.
According to him, the animals in the design help localize the brand further, and make the packaging more relevant as it highlights current environmental issues.
The Don Papa Art Canister Series will introduce the Riel Hilario edition of the canister and packaging in four ot its markets: the Philippines, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The Cervantes and Bolarda editions will be available in November in key retail outlets, including Rustan’s, SM, S&R, and Ralph’s Wines and Spirits.
By December, all three designs will be available in the four aforementioned markets.
Launched on Nov. 11, 2015, the first Don Papa Art Competition yielded not only the three aforementioned works, but also Renz Bautista’s “Fluorescence of Endeavor”, which won the People’s Choice Award.
The introduction of last year’s winning designs took place during the rum company’s launch of the second Don Papa Art Competition at the Mathilde Café in Makati City on Sept. 14. The contest is open to independent artists, as well as artists represented by galleries.
The competition’s 10 finalists will be featured in a special Don Papa Exhibit at the 2017 Art Fair Philippines. The grand-prize winning artwork will become the next featured design in the Don Papa Art Canister Series for 2017, while its artist will receive an artist residency sojourn in Florence, Italy.
For inquiries, visit www.facebook.com/donpaparum or contact Dannie Alvarez through e-mail at join@bleedingheartrum.com or 0915-6888269.