Bearing Witness: MADE 2025 Special Citation Recipient Rhoss Gadiana

“We believe that the growth of Filipino artists contributes to building a more vibrant and cohesive nation. Through MADE, we are committed to cultivating boundless spaces for expression, innovation, and lifelong learning so that our artists can continue to shape not just the country’s cultural legacy but also inspire new ways of thinking,” opens Metrobank Foundation president Phillip Dy.

Building on this vision, the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) 2025 Awards celebrate a new generation of Filipino artists who dare to explore, innovate, and redefine the boundaries of contemporary art. With the theme “Boundless Art,” this edition not only honors exceptional talent but also reintroduces the Mixed Media category—a nod to the pioneering spirit of the 1984 to 1987 editions.

Led by Toym Leon Imao, a multi-awarded artist and former MADE awardee, the distinguished jury reunited fellow former MADE awardees and contemporary art masters Leeroy New and Raffy Napay. The panel also included contemporary art market luminaries Frederick Flores and Geraldine Araneta, sculptor Reginald Yuson, and renowned curator Tessa Maria Guazon.

The winning pieces will be showcased in the exhibition titled Vast Horizons, the 41st edition of MADE’s tribute to the limitless potential of art. Running from September 19 to October 18 at The M’s North and South Galleries in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, the exhibit invites the public to see the program’s forward-looking evolution in the local art landscape.

Kanto conducted a series of interviews with this year’s seven awardees, inviting them to reflect on their creative journeys, personal philosophies, and the stories behind their winning works. We talk to Mixed Media Special Citation Recipient Rhoss Gadiana on confronting the scars of environmental destruction in his piece “I SEE ERA.”

You’ve translated the Sierra Madre into the form of a faceless woman. What did giving the mountain a human presence allow you to express that a purely landscape image cannot? 

I fell in love with figurative art in college, seeing it as a metaphor for humanity. For I SEE ERA, I intentionally blurred out the figure’s face as what it represents, Sierra Madre, holds no identity of its own. I felt that viewers would better understand and feel the message I wanted to convey through the piece. I was able to explore the theme more deeply by including a human figure. Within it are the eyes of animals and people who live in and are affected by illegal quarrying. As a painter, I want to be a voice for those affected by this issue, and I hope my piece serves as a reminder to protect nature and the communities that depend on it.

The work physically carries wounds, with holes punctured into the wood. How vital was it for you to let the damage exist materially in the piece rather than only as a metaphor? 

I intentionally placed holes in the artwork. When I finished it, I felt satisfied. There are two symbols: one hole located in the destroyed mountain, and another on the human figure. This speaks of how it is not solely nature that is being damaged when the environment suffers. We, too, as people, become rotten. Because of humanity’s greed, nature weakens, and we bear the consequences.

Your piece balances destruction with resilience, with barren lands alongside stubborn leaves and flowers. How did you approach that tension without oversimplifying either side? 

I wanted to strike a balance between destruction and hope. I chose muted colors for the barren lands to convey the emotion, contrasted by vibrant hues for the ferns, flowers, and other elements often found in the mountains. The ferns were highlighted mainly for visual purposes, as I felt they best add beauty to the piece and, in turn, deliver the message clearly.

What did it mean to present an urgent environmental work like “I SEE ERA” at MADE?

In writing a title, I wanted a phrase or word that could be both positive and negative. “I SEE ERA” can have two interpretations: one is that I see the next generation not putting an end to destructive projects against nature, while the other is a more hopeful view. “I SEE ERA” shows that there are living plants and growing roots in the piece, which may offer hope to viewers. And since my theme centers on the Sierra Madre, I jumbled the letters in “SIERRA” to form “I SEE ERA.”

Why did you think MADE was the best platform to send out your message? 

Our move to Rizal was a major factor. Almost every day, I see the mountain covered in quarries, and that sparked the fire in me to pursue this theme. It was perfect timing that MADE has the widest audience and is the best platform to bring attention to this issue.

What new dialogues do you hope to emerge from your participation in the MADE competition? 

MADE allows artists to express every emotion and perspective. It’s also a platform that encourages us to pursue our passion. Every year, I find myself inspired by the artworks showcased in MADE, and it’s truly heartwarming that this time, I’m one of the chosen awardees. •