Artists from different parts of the world have gathered for XIth Florence Biennale International Exhibition of Contemporary Art held in the cradle of the Renaissance at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence from the 6th until the 15th of October.

A total of 1,300 artworks were exhibited in various categories of artistic expression which include Digital Art Video Art, Photography, Installation Art, Performance Art, Painting, Drawing & Calligraphy, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Ceramic Art, Textile & Fiber Art, and Jewelry Art.

Kristianne Molina, who is the only Filipino-American female artist out of 462 participants coming from 72 countries, was awarded the fifth prize for the Textile and Fiber Art category. Her piece caught the attention of the international jury.

“I am very honored to be a Filipino-American female to have presence in the biennale or to have presence around the world. Growing up it was hard for me to find women Filipino women to look up to, to find them as artists and to continue a dialogue”, said Molina.

Molina’s entry in the Biennale is part of her “readpastcurfew” series where she used natural dyes that she made herself with references in the Filipino ancient textile weaving.

The jury is composed of outstanding personalities in the world of art. Among them was independent curator and art critic Huang Du who was impressed by Molina’s handmade piece.

“I think her concept and language is very contemporary that is why I chose her."

Art critic Gregorio Luke was also amazed with Molina’s craftsmanship.

“I found very beautiful the work of Ms. Molina and I think it is a medal well received and well earned. We are very proud of her and I think that she is doing great things and is going to do even better in the future."

Molina works in painting, embroidery, installation, stop motion, and performance media. Her works consist of paintings on fabrics using repurposed materials, acrylics, and deconstructing natural dyeing techniques as a painting process. She is interested in line and form within her textile paintings, and how meanings change once fabric is idle or activated when worn, often emphasizing the figure.

Aside from Molina there were other Filipino artists who took pride in bringing their works of art in the biennale. Joe Datuin, Migz Salazar, Nasser Lubay, Melbourne Aquino and Jun Gueco Cruz have made important contributions in Filipino art and continue to make waves in the local and international scene.