MiCultura Announces Roberto Lewis Award winners

Panama, 21 September 2020.-Twelve Panamanian artists obtained the highest distinction at the Roberto Lewis National Visual Arts Competition in the categories of Digital Art, Photography, Sculpture and Painting.

Elsy Acosta Gallardo, (painting), Basilio González Castillo (digital art), Yaribeth Hernández Ábrego (Photography) and Manuel Montilla (Sculpture) have been winners of first place in this contest that this year holds its XL version.

Gabriel González, Vice-Minister of Culture, congratulated the 129 visual artists who put forward works evaluated by the Qualifying Jury, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of this type of national awards that have a special importance to be achieved at these challenges, enabling the artist to re-invent his creative horizons, leading visual arts to a secure port through imagination, especially by enabling the participation of artists with disabilities, in a stage that offers new opportunities for inclusive culture to be part of the creative dynamics that make us best artists to all.

"We owe to master Roberto Lewis the joy of giving us a legacy full of illusion, of a precise performance, with works of great importance, that we can all appreciate them in iconic locations such as the National Theater and the Palace of the Garzas, but at the same time we thank him for his name year after year to show us the talent of the best visual artists preparing to achieve glory through awards of this magnitude," added González.

To Daniel Dominguez, National Director of The Arts, the four decades of Roberto Lewis occur amidst a delicate world situation, in which once again arts and cultures have confirmed that we can move forward with challenges that sometimes put our lives into place.

The competition was conducted digitally by the Ministry of Culture through the National Section of the Arts and was intended to safeguard the biosafety protocols of all participants.

Some 129 works have been received and have been divided into the following categories: 11 of digital art, 36 photographs, 14 sculpture and 68 paintings, with the most participants and the provinces of Panama and Panama West with more presence in the contest, Dominguez emphasized

Twelve national and international jurors were charged with choosing the winners in the four categories: Digital Art: Carlos Roberto Weil-Brazil, David Mesa-Panama and Gerardo Pesantiz- Panama; Photography: Guillermo Johnson (Panama), Maylin Pérez Parado (Cuba) and Salomon Vergara Zárate (Panama); Sculpture: Arlene Lashman (Panama), Roberto Solís Mayorquín and Luis Gálvez (Panama) and Painting: Isabel de Obaldia (United States), Nancy Calvo (Colombia), Ricardo Celma (Argentina).

The Roberto Lewis competition, dedicated to visual arts, has been awarded since 1980 with the creativity, dedication, technique and theme of the most outstanding works in the disciplines of Digital art, Photography, Sculpture and Painting.

On Monday, October 5, from 7: 00 p.m. will be the prize-winning gala of this important contest, transmission that you can follow through our social networks and with the public at large we will celebrate the lives and work of two great women, artists and Panamanian teachers: Teresa Icaza and Olga Sánchez Borbón.

Roberto Lewis contest winners by category

Digital Art

First Basilio Castillo González Prize, from the province of Herrera, with the pseudonymBacgand his work, ma'am of the Forest.

second prize Jorge Nelsón Tristan and his work Games of Happiness and

The third Premiere - Wilfredo ocaña Cedeño with his work "Freedom."

The Justices gave Honour Mention to the Biodiversity of the Ecosystem, a nature without distinction, from Pietro Volonnino.

Photography

First Premi- Yaribeth Hernández Abrego Seudónimo: Quarantine, title "Silence also speaks to us."

Retiro PremioJosé Ismael Castillo, Seudónimo: Gris Medio, Titre: "Comando Candela" and

3 Premiums - Christian Cortes Restrepo, Seudonym: Eye of Water, title "Old memory."

In this category, an Honorary Mention was awarded to Arturo Wong Sagel with his work "La infantile es una llanta pebada," and Vladimir del Moral Rojas with "I'm still standing."

Sculpture

First prize: name Manuel Montila with his work the "Reaper at the Arcano Garden"

Second prize: Franklin Rodriguez with "I'm with you" and

The third prize was awarded to Miguel A. Carrera with his work "My Life, My World."

Painting

First prize: Elsy Acosta Gallardo, from the province of Chiriquí with his work "Picnic," Technique: Mixed (acrylocographite),

second prize Ariel Humberto Márquez with "Against time" and

The third prize was Víctor M. Alvarez Fernández with the work "Serie Marley at the Alma de la pachamama,"

Honorary Appointments

Julie Ann Jorgensen with National Treasures of Panama and Melquis Castillo Gómez with My People at Pandemia's time.