Following the praises for the Filipino artists from Bohol and Quezon who will be receiving the prestigious Leonardo da Vinci International Award (Special Edition Gold) in Milan in April are the social media posts claiming that their victory might not be genuine at all.
The speculations started to surface as other social media users and artists voiced our their sentiments. One social media user made his now-edited shared post caption about one of the artists. He has questioned the authenticity of the award-giving body as it has been said that financial schemes have been involved.
“While it is apparent that this artist who I believe is just beginning to discover her artistic style (based on the seeming necessity to correct anatomic proportions), it’s a shame that these so-called Vanity Awards prey upon the young and old who were blinded by the allure of the words Da Vinci and Italy, when in fact these awarding bodies are money generating schemas with no real cultural recognition from the true art giving bodies such as the Venice Biennale, the Whitney, etc… because you have to pay to get in… surely its “judges” are financially motivated,” the user expressed.
However, he noted that while he does not intend to demean the artists, it is unfortunate that they are being duped.
Another post adding fuel to the fire has been circulating online, containing the details of the award show’s invitation.
He also added a screenshot of a post by a user asking artists to take the ‘last places’ available and register to receive the prize.
Consequently, there were conflicting responses on social media. Some suggest that given the circumstances, the prize cannot be deemed “prestigious” at all, while others argued that people should be glad for their fellow artists and claimed that people should not jump to conclusions, saying that the negative posts were made out of envy.
Despite the rumors, both artists continued to draw compliments from the public as they showcased how talented they were. Their work itself raises pride for the Filipino community.
The people involved are yet to give their statements regarding the issue.
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