SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) -- The Antique Visual Artists' Association is bringing to this province the 2023 iteration of the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) happening on November 8-10.

The biennial event, started by the art group Black Artists of Asia, intends to celebrate Visayan art by linking artists from different parts of the region and providing a venue for dialogue, interaction, networking, and cultural exchange.

Meanwhile, the conference component seeks to gather visual artists from around the region, open discussions on artistic development, and analyze relevant issues to better understand the different aspects of contemporary art.

Supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Provincial Government of Antique, and private entities, the 2023 edition of the VIVA ExCon revolves around the theme “Suba sa Iraya,” a Kinaray-a phrase that translates to going against the current or moving upstream.

In a press conference, Antiqueño artist and Curatorial Resource Management Officer Ray Zaldy Laude said that the theme tells artists to explore and embrace the unconventional, citing the need for local artists to take "big leaps" to make art in Antique more progressive.

VIVA ExCon was first hosted in Bacolod City in 1990 and has since toured different provinces in the Visayas every two years to promote the uniqueness and beauty of Visayan artistry. (AGP/BPS/PIA Antique/Courtesy: Antique Visual Artists' Association)