The Ministry of Culture has annulled the top award from the 31st National Biennial of Visual Arts 2025, disqualifying the winning entry for violating contest rules that prohibit the use of perishable material, Diario Libre reports.
The revoked prize was granted to “Lo que no se saca de raíz, vuelve a crecer” (What is not removed by the root grows back), an installation by artist David Pérez K. The piece, widely dubbed “La Palmita” (The Little Palm Tree) by the public, consisted of a live palm tree planted in a container.
The work was initially awarded the prize on 22 August 2025, but it immediately ignited a firestorm of controversy within the art community. The central debate focused on the work’s ephemeral nature and whether it met the technical standards stipulated in the contest’s guidelines.
The resolution for annulment, signed by Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo on 22 October 2025, explicitly states that the jury’s original verdict “contravened the provisions established in the Biennial’s rules approved by Resolution Number. 07-2025 of 11 March 2025.”
The Dominican Guild of Plastic Artists (Codap) had been vocal in demanding the revocation of the award, arguing that the installation did not meet the technical and regulatory criteria of the competition.
Joel Gonell, president of Codap, expressed satisfaction with the ministry’s decision. He emphasized that the guild’s objection was strictly focused on rule compliance, not on challenging the artistic merit of Pérez K.’s work.
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Diario Libre
El Caribe
29 October 2025