Benilde Open proves there are no limits to creativity
What could 3M scientists Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry possibly have in common with groundbreaking painters Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock?
“They all began with ideas that were uncertain, experimental, maybe even controversial, and sometimes misunderstood,” articulated Brother Edmundo “Dodo” Fernandez FSC, president of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, at the Design + Arts Campus Theater. “That is precisely why Benilde Open exists.”
Building on that philosophy, Benilde Open’s 2025 theme explores “Extension of Nature,” a prompt that empowers the cross-pollination of art, sustainability and technology to address the harrowing realities of climate change and ecological instability.
Young STAR met with the recurring Benilde Open conveners—Dindin Araneta (arts manager), Br. Dodo Fernandez FSC (visual artist), Joselina Cruz (contemporary art curator), Gabby Lichauco (industrial designer), Ayi Magpayo (producer) and Rita Nazareno (designer)—to discuss this year’s entries and the program’s positioning in the modern Philippine creative industry.
Given DLS-CSB’s prestige, launching this initiative in 2024 made perfect sense to Br. Dodo. “We’re an art school. Why don’t we have an art fair or exhibition?” He gathered the five other conveners to develop something more ambitious. Thus, Benilde Open was born. “It basically helps (people) understand the larger context of art and design. It’s not just painting. It’s not just sculpture. It can be anything, actually.”
“The idea also was to produce something generative rather than, say, a ‘pat on the back,’” Joselina added. To be clear: Benilde Open is a grant-giving project. “There’s a lot of focus on design competitions and art awards, but there has to be more than that. It’s necessary for us to engender and seed creative practice, not only in Benilde but within the wider society.”
According to Ayi, Benilde Open is a gateway for DLS-CSB to assert itself in education and professional enhancement. “We see this as a connection between the school and practitioners across various industries, with the hope to become a nexus for design and art in the Philippines. It’s a great intersection where practice can be shown and realized.”
While the first theme, “Curious,” established the initiative’s footing, “Extension of Nature” took root in Gabby and Joselina’s minds during the latter half of 2024.
“Anything you think of is built from the context of when you regurgitate ideas,” explained Joselina. “Sustainability continues to be a very important touchstone for everything. So, what if we challenged people to think, ‘How do you start working with nature and making sure you don’t just dump into it?’ It’s usually creatives who actually challenge those moments.”
Gabby, an industrial and furniture designer, envisaged the second theme further by diversifying the participating practices. “We wanted more inventors to come in. So, we thought, ‘Maybe if we do something more focused, we could bring in people from different industries,’ which is part of the goal of the program.”
Design, in Rita’s opinion, isn’t well-served in the creative landscape the way art is. Yet, no matter the medium, the proposals that resonate always have a central throughline. “The projects really look into their own communities, ‘cause art, design—it starts very personally.”
“Benilde Open introduces new ways of thinking,” noted Dindin, who sees the initiative breaking the echo chamber and blind adherence to trends.
Even tools as contentious and accessible as AI will never supersede human innovation. “You could see from the grantees that, ‘Hey, we love doing physical work. We love creating things using our hands and going to suppliers,’” Gabby observed. “At the end of the day, they still have to figure out how to make it work. This is art. AI is just all visual.”
“Many of the grantees are thinking about AI, whether they’re using it mindfully or pushing against it,” Joselina said. “That makes both design and art key to how we continue to engage with this reality. And I think the last frontier is art, really.”
“What are the limits of creativity? The edges of it? None,” asserted Joselina. “You just keep on pushing it.”
Applicants for the second Benilde Open range far and wide, with two of the grantees hailing from Sulu and Negros. Ayi describes this decision as “democratic.” “What’s important is that it frees the artists and designers from the clutches of imperial Manila,” he emphasized. “If you have the right concept, Benilde is here to support it.”
To help narrow down the finalists, DLS-CSB recruited an international panel to review the entries: Jihoi Lee (curator, MMCA Korea; founder of Watch & Chill), Mireia Luzárraga (co-founder, TAKK; assistant professor, Columbia GSAPP), Nathalie Huni (managing director, Head of Design, Wells Fargo), Timothy Moore (curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture and Melbourne Design Week, NGV; founder of Sibling Architecture; senior lecturer, Monash University) and Freddy Anzures (Filipino-American designer from the original iPhone team and holder of numerous iPhone-related patents).
After sifting through 130 proposals, 10 Benilde Open grantees were each awarded a P300,000 production grant and an exhibition platform: Andi Osmeña; Bianca Carague; Karl Castro; Kiri Dalena and Ben Brix; Krishner Appay; Mac Andre Arboleda; Mikael Joaquin; Nicole Racal; Niño Tayao; and Studio Unosinotra.
In addition, Patty Malijan and Pen Vinzon were both given a P50,000 grant and full curatorial assistance under Best of Benilde, a category that supports the early stages of Benilde student-led projects while preparing them for the real world.
Alongside the main showcase, Rita suggested visitors pass by the accompanying exhibition “Poets of Physics” at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. “It’s always been important to see (not only) the projects that have been realized, but also the anchor exhibition and how those two relate.”
The Benilde Open exhibition will be open to the public from April 11 to 27 at several spaces in the DLS-CSB Design + Arts Campus.
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For more information and the schedule of activities, visit the Benilde website at benildeopen.com. Follow Benilde Open’s social media at @benildeopen.
