BY C. CUA GO
AT LA Herencia Davao, one becomes accustomed to witnessing beauty. For nearly four years as a gallery associate, I have stood attentively at the peripheries of countless openings, observing conversations unfold between canvas and viewer, artist and collector, silence and interpretation. I have encountered exhibitions that were bold, contemplative, technically masterful, and commercially triumphant. Yet Crossing Boundaries, mounted by Artists Initiative, feels unusual. It does not merely assemble paintings on walls. It advances a principle.
Opening on February 15, 2026, at the Foyer of La Herencia Davao, Crossing Boundaries: Art Competition and Exhibition is both a showcase and a corrective gesture. Curated by international artist and founder Ega Carreon, the exhibition emerges from lived experience rather than abstraction.
In conversations with him, I encountered not only a seasoned practitioner but an artist who has personally witnessed the uneven terrain of art competitions, where politics, favoritism, and opaque processes have too often overshadowed merit. He spoke candidly about the discouragement such systems breed among artists who labor sincerely in their craft. His response was not resentment. It was resolve.
Carreon’s vision for Crossing Boundaries is grounded in restoration. He envisioned a platform where evaluation is guided by clarity, where criteria are honored, and where originality is protected. The structured voting schedule, clear restrictions, and firm disqualification policies are not bureaucratic additions. They are safeguards of credibility. They declare that integrity is not optional in artistic discourse. It is foundational.
What distinguishes this initiative further is its philosophical breadth. While committed to fairness, it does not reduce art to rigid formalism.
The exhibition affirms that art appreciation extends beyond theoretical knowledge of elements and principles. A trained critic and an ordinary viewer may stand before the same canvas and encounter distinct but equally valid revelations. In the gallery, I have seen this subtle democracy at work. A child studies a painting with concentration that rivals any academic analysis. A visitor pauses, unexpectedly stirred by color and memory. Crossing Boundaries makes space for both discernment and feeling.
The roster of participating artists reflects plurality. Techniques range from disciplined realism to emotive abstraction. Some works demonstrate meticulous craftsmanship, others pulse with raw immediacy. Together, they form a conversation about artistic growth in our community.
The title resonates on multiple levels. Boundaries are crossed between genres, between emerging and established names, between skepticism and renewed faith.
For me, this exhibition represents a turning point. After years of facilitating installations and welcoming audiences, I find myself witnessing something more deliberate than an opening.
The foyer, often a transitional space, becomes emblematic of passage. It invites artists and viewers alike to step into a recalibrated understanding of competition, one that prizes honesty over politics and excellence over influence.
Crossing Boundaries does not claim to solve every structural flaw within the art world. What it offers is more courageous. It offers an attempt. In a climate where doubt can subtly erode creative spirit, this exhibition stands as an assertion that integrity can still be chosen, protected, and practiced. I have seen many remarkable shows.
This time, I am witnessing conviction translated into action.
———————————
c. cua go is the gallery associate of La Herencia Davao, a visual artist, writer, and dedicated psychologist
