Fil-Can visual artist Charlie Frenal bags 1st place award in 2021 Annual International Mail-In Art Exhibition

The artwork of a Filipino-Canadian artist who hails from Polomolok, South Cotabato rose at the top in the 2021 Annual International Mail-In Art Exhibition of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA).

Charlie Frenal’s “New Day” artwork bagged the first place award, besting hundreds of other entries from different parts of the world in the competition held at the Federation Gallery in Vancouver.

The organization holds several exhibitions, including the Annual International Mail-In Art Exhibition which had “change” as its theme for this year.

Frenal became a member of the FCA in 2020. He has been joining the federation’s local exhibits for the past few months; and for his first time joining its international exhibition, he already won the top prize.

For Frenal, the competition’s theme for this year was relevant to the world’s current situation. Many people are facing a lot of tough challenges because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but he wanted them to remember that there is always a light at the end of every dark tunnel.

“I chose the title of New Day or Bagong Umaga in Filipino because it is a symbol of hope, that every new day is always a new beginning, new hope awaits,” he told Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI).

“My inspiration was about [the] way of life of fishermen in the Philippines. These people usually started their day with hope, courage, and resilience about different challenges,” he added.

Aside from this, Frenal said he wanted to highlight in his masterpiece the Filipinos’ “Bayanihan” spirit and to tell the audience to embrace the new morning “with great anticipation of [a] productive day.”

Frenal said the event left him a memorable experience not only because he brought home the top prize, but he was able to convey his message to the world and show his artistry that, he hopes, will give inspiration to others.

The 2021 Annual International Mail-In Art Exhibition runs from March 29 to April 18.

Prior to this latest addition to his growing list of accolades, Frenal also received an honorable mention award in the 2021 Water Exhibition in March for his artwork, “My Cup Runneth Over.”