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Three Artists You Should Look Out For This 2018

“Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics.” – Victor Pinchuk

Artists have been in this world since who knows when. From as simple as drawing a picture to creating award-winning films, their outputs served as both entertaining and meaningful to their audience.

Here in Cebu, we have unquestionably  contributed equal share of talents. As years go on and on, the Cebuano art scene is continuously growing, adapting and evolving at the same time. 

Last year, the Cebuano creative circle proved that art’s life is unending. Galleries of well-known Bisaya artists are still highlighted events. In fact, some newbies who aspire to participate in the art scene showed not only good potential skills but perceive themselves as people who can actually make a difference. And I’d like to quote Maria Gigante’s answer in Binibining Cebu 2017, “As a millennial, I have learned that you should never be afraid of being the same. Being one in an army of people who are ready and willing to make a difference in the world.” 

That rings true to these three artists who not only earned the limelight in visual arts, but also deserve to be role models in our society.

The Archiver: Mark “Kidlat” Copino

Marc Copino, more famously known as Kidlat, is known for his minimalist stencil works. He stopped attending art school and made his way to the art scene in a different approach.

Have you always been this artistic?

“Yes. I developed my skills through my passion in street art. My first exhibit was in Kukuk’s Nest in 2005. That time, it really wasn’t something of a big deal. But last year, I got the opportunity to have a show in Qube Gallery and that, for me, was something more.”

“Ang Pagpanimpalad sa Managhigala Didto sa Groto sa Punta “

Where do you get your inspiration?

“Mostly from everywhere, I’m quite the observer and I would usually just soak everything up like a sponge. The main inspiration though is my kid, Elias. Seeing him grow up brings a lot of memories from my own childhood and I would incorporate those in my art. In fact, he’s my model.”

Who are your role models when it comes to art?

“I have a lot of role models, it’s really hard to put them all in one list. I do appreciate the classical painters though, like Picasso, Francis Bacon and Michael Borremans.”

What projects are you currently working on?

“Currently I’m just experimenting with different styles in using stencils, some commissioned works which were recently finished. Mainly all just in preparation for my next solo show this year.”

“Mga Hunghong sa Labang-labang nga Duwa”

“Barko-Barko”

Other than visual arts, is there any other type of art you want to explore?

“I’ve always fantasized of making art through sound. Also Performance art. I actually tried performance art years ago but I want to make more now.”

As an artist, what do you think is your role in society?

“That’s a big question. You see, I have this need to create and how I see myself is more of an archiver of people’s experiences. I collect ideas, feelings and situations from everybody — categorize them and basically show it to the audience.”

What is your message to young aspiring Cebuano artists?

“Have fun. That’s the main thing. If you don’t have one then hey, what’s the point?”

The Visionary: Jayson “Daot” Bacunador

Daot may ring a bell or two. A graduate from University of the Philippines, his works are mostly influenced by pop culture. Colorful and surreal, he takes the audience to another dimension of how he sees everything.

Have you always been this artistic?

“As far as I can remember, it may have been in kindergarten. My mother is artistic and I can still remember how supportive she was back then– until now. But I remember how my skills were sharpened in high school because I’ve always joined poster-making contests. And of course, I enhanced it through graffiti.”

Sightseer

Where do you get your inspiration?

“Almost anything can be my inspiration. But when it comes to style, I’m inspired between  pop art and realism. I have also developed a habit in putting orbs in my works which is inspired by the three psyches of a person: the id, ego and super ego.”

Who are your role models when it comes to art?

“I’ve always idolized artists whose works can not only be seen in canvas, but also in murals, ads, shirts or shoes even. Kaws [Brian Donnelly] is one of my favorite. His works are seen almost anywhere.”

 

What projects are you currently working on?

“I’m working with something commission-based but it would be nice to have another gallery this year– may it be solo or part of a group. There a lot of art events this year that I will be participating on and I aim to grow my audience.”

Other than visual arts, is there any other type of art you want to explore?

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to try sculpting. I want to make a character and maybe experiment on how he should look like. I mean, as an artist, it’s hard trying to find your own identity and exploring is my way of enhancing my skills.”

As an artist, what do you think is your role in society?

“I have big dreams for myself and for this world. I would consider myself as a provider of something interesting and expose it to people who are deprived from visual art. I want to inspire other artists, especially new ones.”

What is your message to young aspiring Cebuano artists?

“Dedicate your time to your craft, I guess. Be consistent in your progress and your attitude towards your works. Don’t be afraid of criticisms because that’s one significant element for you to evolve.”

The Mediator: Lhee Deiparine Taneo

Lhee is another contemporary artist who unexpectedly found her edge due to her thesis in University of the Philippines. Shells imported from Olango Island is transformed by the artist into a beautiful mosaic piece.

Have you always been this artistic?

“Unlike others who were born artistic, I wasn’t. When I was young, my dad had always been crafty and seeing him creating stuff made me interested in art. Apparently that interest became an urge to learn which is why I went to art school. In fact, most of my skills were developed through education already.”

Where do you get your inspiration?

“I’m inspired by random everyday thoughts that I consider relevant and should be taken consideration of.”

Who are your role models when it comes to art?

“One of the people I look up to is Frida Kahlo. I admire her strong personality and her perspective despite her tragic and melancholic life. Another artist I like is Jason Dussault. He makes tiles mosaic and they are all beautiful.”

What projects are you currently working on?

“Last year I was able to have my solo exhibit. This 2018, I am currently working on another exhibit. On the other hand, I make portraits every now and then if someone would request it.”

Other than visual arts, is there any other type of art you want to explore?

“My family have showed great interest in music. Maybe art through music would be nice to try. I also like the idea of making films especially documentaries. The thing is, it’s safe to say that I still have more room to grow. Maybe if I have more resources, I’d be glad to experiment on what else I am capable of.”

As an artist, what do you think is your role in society?

“I’d like to see myself as someone who reminds other how important it is to co-exist with each other. Most of the people are ignorant about what other’s are going through. Artists, for me, can be in other people’s shoes because I think we are keen enough to notice the things that most people overlook.”

What is your message to young aspiring Cebuano artists?

“Remain human matter how big you become.”

Kidlat, Daot and Lhee represent all artists not only in Cebu but all over the world. The way they see themselves as an active part of the society surely is an inspiration inside and outside their circle.

 

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Arts & Culture

Kundiman–A Collaboration Between Charles Lahti and Francis Dravigny at the Qube Gallery

by Oj Hofer

“Collaboration is like carbonation for fresh ideas “-Anonymous

Kundiman—drawn from the Filipino tradition of lyrical love songs marked by longing, devotion, and emotional depth—unfolded not merely as an exhibition but as a dialogue between two artists whose practices, though formally distinct, share a common goal: that creation is never singular, never complete, and never entirely one’s own. The word itself carries weight. In the Philippine cultural imagination, kundiman is not passive sentiment but a mode of endurance—a way of loving what one cannot fully possess, of honoring what exceeds one’s grasp—and to name an exhibition after it is to make a claim about the nature of making itself: that art, like the song, is an act of devotion directed toward something larger than the maker’s intention. It is a form that does not declare but lingers; not spectacle, but the quieter and more demanding thing called intimacy.

The collaboration between Charles Lahti and Francis Dravigny operates at what might be called the threshold of language—the place where gesture becomes structure and structure, over time, turns into meaning. Their working relationship is less a merger of two styles than a negotiation between two modes of listening: one drawn to the decisive mark, the other to the patient accumulation of woven form. Lahti’s mark-making is grounded, deliberate, and unambiguous in its commitment to presence; his lines carry the quality of breath, each stroke an event rather than a flourish. Observers familiar with East Asian ink traditions will recognize this sensibility immediately, for in Zen ink practice and Japanese calligraphy, the practitioner does not decide what to draw so much as prepare the conditions under which something may reveal itself—the mark that emerges from this discipline is not decorative but testimonial, evidence of a moment of full attention. Lahti’s work operates within this logic even when the cultural references are Western, and what anchors it is not style but stance: an ethical relation to the act of making that distinguishes genuine presence from the mere performance of spontaneity, a distinction far rarer in contemporary visual art than it ought to be.

“The line is not drawn but revealed—through stillness, breath, and a quality of awareness that the discipline of reduction alone makes possible.”

Dravigny’s woven interventions introduce a different, though deeply complementary, temporality. Where Lahti works in the decisive instant, Dravigny works in accumulation—the slow building-up of material over time—and his use of abacá, a fiber indigenous to the Philippine archipelago, is not incidental. Abacá carries its own history: long harvested by hand, traded across colonial networks, woven into ropes and sails, and more recently reclaimed as a medium of cultural expression, so that to bring it into an art context is to activate this history without necessarily declaring it. In Dravigny’s hands, textile transcends its usual function as background or support and becomes instead an act of preservation—a material archive that holds within its weave the gestures of another artist. This concept, which the exhibition implicitly explores, speaks to something the atelier tradition has long understood: that a work of art may pass through multiple bodies and multiple intentions and still emerge with coherence, provided each maker brings to the passage not assertion but responsiveness, the capacity to receive another’s action and carry it forward without erasing it. Dravigny’s woven interventions propose a similar ethic, made visible rather than concealed.

What Kundiman ultimately stages is not the product of collaboration but its conditions: the particular quality of attention required when one artist’s gesture enters the field of another’s practice, and the willingness to wait that such attention demands. The Japanese aesthetic tradition names this interval ma—the generative pause, the charged space in which meaning gathers before it resolves into form—and the exhibition’s restraint is precisely its argument. There is no excess, no spectacle, no rhetorical gesture toward significance, only a sustained attentiveness to process that runs counter to the dominant logic of contemporary exhibition-making, in which legibility is prized and impact must be immediate. Kundiman refuses this, trusting the viewer to do the work of attending, and in this refusal it finds its deepest kinship with Zen aesthetics: the discipline of reduction, the clarity of intention, the respect for what is essential over what is merely present.

“What Kundiman proposes is more radical than most exhibitions dare: that the self, in the act of making, becomes temporarily permeable—open to the gesture, the material logic, the devotion of another.”

The concept of interbeing—rooted in Buddhist philosophy and carrying the understanding that nothing arises independently, that every form is the result of conditions and every maker is in part made by what they make—finds in this exhibition its material proof. What was created here does not belong to one hand alone. It emerges in the space between, where gesture is received, transformed, and returned; where material listens and form responds and meaning unfolds not as conclusion but as continuation. The exhibition ends. The dialogue does not. This is the space between hands: where making becomes meeting, and where interbeing quietly, insistently gives rise to form.

Charles Lahti with his latest works—layering print with bandana textiles to create tactile, hybrid surfaces where image, pattern, and material converge.

Francis Dravigny in his Cebu studio—transforming abacá and found materials into layered, sculptural weavings.

A wall of interbeing—where weave, gesture, and form dissolve into quiet harmony and non-duality.

A flat surface transformed into a quiet weave—drawing the eye inward, where structure softens into stillness and resonates with Zen practice.

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Arts & Culture

Kundiman After Dark: Traditional 19th Century Filipino Musical Genre Continues to Inspire

by Kingsley Medalla

The Kundiman is a traditional 19th-century Tagalog musical genre that served as a profound source of inspiration for many sophisticated, classically trained artists. The name is derived from the Tagalog phrase “kung hindi man,” literally translating to “if it were not so.” These musical pieces were often performed as poignant love songs characterized by smooth, flowing melodies containing emotional depth. Originating as a serenade in poetic Tagalog lyrics, it features a minor-to-major key progression expressing longing, devotion, patriotism, and a yearning for freedom.

Sine Pop, a boutique theater in a 1948 post-war heritage house located in Cubao, Quezon City, serves as a charming venue for cultural events and intimate performances with a small ensemble. Recently hosting Kundiman After Dark, a recital honoring the legacy of Nicanor Abelardo (1893–1934), a highly esteemed Filipino composer and pianist hailed as the “father of the sonata form in the Philippines” and a master of the art of the Kundiman. Carlson Chan, founder of Sine Pop, clarifies their unique model: the performances are open to the public and are, as such, complimentary, as its primary focus is to promote the performing artists per se.

The performances featured beloved Kundiman classics including Mutya ng Pasig (1926), Naku… Kenkoy (1930), and a personal favorite, Bituing Marikit (1926). These musical pieces were brought to life through the solo acts and live vocals of tenor Erwin Lumauag, Japanese violinist Shiho Takashima (who has since made the Philippines her permanent residence), and the renowned composer, pedagogue, and pianist Augusto Espino.

“Nasaan Ka Irog,” written in 1923, drew inspiration from a romantic tale shared by Nicanor Abelardo’s friend, who went overseas leaving behind his beloved in the Philippines. Years after, this man eventually became a doctor and, upon his return, discovered that the love of his life had been married to someone else. He also learned that the letters he had sent were never delivered to her, as they were kept by the doctor’s family, secretly away from her. A classic case of unrequited love. Kundiman serves as the heart and soul and the pinnacle of Filipino musical artistry.

Violinist Shiho Takashima and pianist Augusto Espino

Tenor Erwin Lumauag

Art patrons; Pacita Agoncillo Sode, Marilou Khan Magsaysay, Patricia Cepeda-Sison and this writer Kingsley Medalle

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Arts & Culture

Art Beat: Scenes From the Manila Art Fair 2026

photography by Doro Barandino

“Art is unpredictable and goes in different directions. I have no idea. I would rather live the present moment.” —Bencab, National artist of the Philippines.

Vinta by Protegeri, collaboration art piece by Leeroy New, Solenn Heuseff and Vito Selma

Q&A with interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino

Which of the participating art galleries had the most unified and exciting theme?
Leon Gallery had the most amazingly put-together collection. Though the gallery engaged various artists, the overall visual effect felt like one unified theme. Leon Gallery used a sack-like cloth (most likely raw linen) as the background for the booth, and it brought the collection together. It had an old-world feel in a chaotic setting.

Who were the artists that were the most visually engaging?
The works of Carlo Tanseco were definitely my favorite. The artist used an eye chart (Snellen chart) as the background for the image of Dr. Jose Rizal giving us the middle finger—such an “in your face” message. The concept of our national hero as a modern-day provocateur was a wake-up call to everyone. Very subversive and underground material. I was also attracted to the works of Japanese artist Tadashi Kogure; they’re very architectural.

Was the choice of venue and its layout helpful in engaging the whole art vibe?
What I noticed was that the masters like Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Fernando Zóbel still attracted the most viewers at the art fair. People are naturally drawn to their masterful strokes and historical significance, or perhaps these artworks are not readily accessible for public viewing. Or maybe those booths that carried the masters’ works were strategically positioned right after the registrar.

The choice of venue at Center One was a good move—it created a total art vibe. Manila Art Fair remains the premier art fair in the country today, showcasing the finest modern and contemporary art while offering curated projects and immersive installations.

The Standard by Thai artist Pitchapa at the Triangular durational, performance art.

Bato Bato sa Langit by Filipino artist Carlo Tanseco

Stocking Proportions Menumpuk Proporsi by Indonesian artist Labadiou Piko

Untitled by Indonesian artist Yunizar

Filipiny, wool tapestry by national artist of the Philippines,Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

Untitled by German artist Valentin Elias Renner

Interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino is also a regular contributor for zee.ph

 

 

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