Artist’s Spotlight

Peering through Water: The Art of Jade Fulgar

“I’ve spent my entire life in the city, so the only natural pond environments I’ve seen are tiny creeks littered with rubble, with trees sparse enough to let in a great patch of sunlight. The dragonfly is represented as a mythical figure who can travel between realms; every pond and creek finds the same flittering dragonfly. In these pocket worlds away from my urban familiar, I’d like to be a wild koi, in a clear stream filled with rubble, branded by the sun, peering through the water at a dragonfly.” ~ Jade Fulgar

A Mapping of a Constellation of Experiences: Binong Javier and the Trajectory of his Drops

An essential truth about visual artist Binong Javier’s work can be gleaned from an appreciation of his personal history. Drop by painstaking drop, the artist creates what looks like a cohesive explosion of color, but is actually a mapping of a constellation of experiences in which the artist highlights both the uniqueness of each moment and its significance in the greater whole.

The Art of Fitz Herrera: Ferocious yet Subdued Clashes of Color

Fitz Herrera’s development as a thinker and an artist was deeply influenced by the contrasting textures of the province and the more urbanized atmosphere of Caloocan, where he later spent his formative years. Initially, he focused on creating figurative pieces, for which he received recognition and even a few notable awards (including third place at the 2004 Metrobank Art Awards).

Salvador Ching: Earthy Tones and the Natural World

Salvador “Buddy” Ching is a full-time painter, installation artist, and performance artist. The moments that Ching witnesses in his community inspire the paintings that he creates. He paints people and nature by incorporating earthy tones into mixed media and art installations using local materials.

Connecting the Senses: Marlon Magbanua and his Creative Hypothesis

“The extraordinary interconnectedness of the senses and the interdependent alliances among the arts provide Marlon with both his inspiration and the medium through which he works.”

Michael Pastorizo: Materializing Dreams and Creating Gateways

“The “dreamlike” quality of Pastorizo’s paintings induces a similar altered state of consciousness in those who view them.”

Transcending Realities: The Art of Christian Regis

“Christian Regis’s career in Philippine Art can be described in one word: Transcendence. He continuously and successfully brings us on a journey of local colors through time and space.”

Renalli Trajano: On Delivering Metaphors

Though Renalli uses abstraction—a language that delivers metaphors—her works are tied to recognizable scenes from her everyday life.

The Hermes Alegre You’ve Never Known

Hermes Alegre is a multi-awarded painter widely known for his mesmerizing portrayals of women. These paintings have been described as “portrait-like renditions of women with an uncanny sense of movement,” with the women themselves described as “seductive,” “alluring,” “erotic,” and “shrouded with a quiet sense of mystery.”

Nestor Vinluan: Ethereal Sublimity and Mesmerizing Manifestations

Held by unparalleled, quiet spirituality, and ethereal sublimity continuously nurtured through time, Nestor Vinluan and his artworks have earned their respective places in Philippine art.