Archives: Artists

Samuel Penaso is a multi-disciplinary artist whose works include traditional painting, sculpture, performance, and hybrid works which straddle these disciplines. He has held solo exhibitions in Japan, Thailand, Austria, Germany, Singapore, New York, Abu Dhabi and Berlin. Penaso received several art grants; including Don Papa Rum residency in London in 2019, ArthubArtresidency in AbuDhabi 2014, Asian Cultural Council (ACC) International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York (6 months)in 2013_, Penaso won the first place in the 2012 Art Association of the Philippines Annual Art Cmpetition, and a string of other wins thereafter, First Prize in the 2014 and 2016 GSIS Art Competition. In 2018, the Philippine Art Awards gave him an award of merit. In the same year, he was awarded the Metrobank Awards for Continuing Excellence and Service (Metrobank ACES). The grand prize for the Don Papa Rum Arts competition, Excellence Award Penaso is one of the core members of Tupada Action and Media Art (TAMA) a group of performance artists.Sam Penaso is a visual and performance artist from Guindulman Bohol. He finished his Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree Major in Advertising at Technological University of the Philippines.

Wilfredo Alicdan (b.1965) from Cavite. Studied Fine Arts — major in Painting — at Philippine Women’s University (PWU), Institute of Fine Arts. Alicdan is best known as a figurative artist — his works feature rounded, stylized human figures with simple, geometric, folk-like forms. His paintings often show everyday life, traditional or rural scenes, family interactions — drawing from childhood memories as the eldest of eight siblings. He uses solid colors and flat backgrounds, limiting detail to focus on form, composition, and emotional expression rather than photorealistic detail.

Alicdan is a founding member of the artist collective Anting-Anting Group of Artists (from Cavite).

Solo exhibitions from early 1990s onward, including shows such as:

• 1992 – “Buhay Pinoy”, Gallery Genesis, Manila
• 1993 – “Sandosenang Eksena”, Ayala Museum, Makati
• 1994 – “Sa Paglipad ng mga Lobo”, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila
• 1999 – “Giliw”, Ayala Museum, Makati
• 2008 – “Fruition”, Art Space, Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore
• 2018 – “Joie de Vivre”, Charlie’s Art Gallery, Bacolod
• He has also participated in many group exhibitions — locally and internationally (USA, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.) with Anting-Anting and other contemporary-art groups.

Awards & Recognition

• In 2005, he was given the Gawad Pagpapahalaga sa mga Natatanging Mamamayan ng Dasmariñas for Fine Arts.
• In 2007, he received the General Emilio Aguinaldo Outstanding Achievement Award for Visual Arts.
• In 2003, he represented the Philippines in the RENGA Project — a collaborative international art project/exhibition.

Advocacy & Social Involvement

• Alicdan supports UNICEF — his artworks have been reproduced as UNICEF greeting cards, with proceeds benefiting children worldwide.

Driven by his passion in art, Billy Nuñez didn’t stop doing art in various mediums from paintings into sculptures, His works, mainly sculptures, are best known for it’s fine and intricate details. His sculptures are mainly inspired by the beauty of the human body. Through studying human forms and translating it into art, he applies the inconspicious little details in his works making his sculptures finely done. He does also apply this technique on other types of subjects.
As a self taught artist, Billy started working as a commercial artist during his teen years on a local Chinese corporation in cebu. He started painting on porcelain vases, jars, pedestals anfd other antique wares. Looking for better opportunities, he pursued his art career and moved to manila when he was offered with the same job by another chinese company, After the company closed, he decided to shift from one form of art into another and that is sculpting, He worked with various exporting handicraft businesses such as imagicraft export Inc., Workshop export, and Piazza Export by Mr. Sam Butcher of Enesco Collectibles and Ms. Emily Campos of Touch of craft. He is Currently working with opthalmologist and businessman Dr. Jim Tripon.

Billy Nuñez ecpanded his knowledge not just working on paints but also using other mediums such as resin, cement, and fiberglass products. Now, inspired to do a lot more as an artist he tried out and successfully used lead as the main material of his current sculpture pieces finished with copper, brass, and nickel. currently living in Cainta, Rizal, Billy Nuñez still aspires to broaden his knowledge in arts and create a better version of his artist self.

Eman Servito (Emmanuel Servito) is a Filipino visual artist whose works are celebrated for their expressive energy, vivid color palettes, and dreamlike interpretation of everyday life. A graduate of the University of the East—where he was awarded Artist of the Year in 2005—Servito has long been recognized as a standout figure among his generation, earning distinctions from major national art competitions including ArtPetron, Shell, PLDT-DPC, and the Maningning Miclat Art Awards.

Working primarily in painting, Servito creates dynamic compositions that merge expressionism, surrealism, and narrative imagery. His canvases often portray figures and scenes in heightened emotional states, rendered through bold strokes, layered textures, and symbolic elements. This approach gives his works a sense of lyrical motion, inviting viewers into worlds where reality blends with metaphor.

Servito has participated in numerous group exhibitions in notable galleries and cultural spaces across the Philippines. Today, Eman Servito continues to evolve his artistic voice, offering pieces that resonate with both expressive depth and visual impact—an unmistakable mark of his creative identity.

Julian Eymard Paguiligan is a recognized Filipino contemporary painter, particularly respected in watercolor art competitions and exhibitions. His Hall of Fame recognition in Kulay Sa Tubig places him among the skilled watercolor artists in the Philippines. He has gained recognition through national art competitions, exhibitions, and auction appearances.

Studied at Bulacan State University – College of Architecture and Fine Arts. Works primarily in watercolor and oil painting, with strong attention to detail and composition.

Paguiligan became a Hall of Fame awardee in the prestigious Kulay Sa Tubig Watercolor Competition. The Hall of Fame distinction is given to artists who have placed in the Top 5 at least three times in the competition.

Awards
Grand Prize Winner PLDT-DPC 24th Visual Art Competition February 3, 2010

2nd Place 2010 UST Annual Inter- School On the Spot Painting Competition

February 25, 2010 Honorable Mention 42nd Shell NSAC watercolor category

October 20, 20th Honorable Mention 2012 Natonal On-The-Spot Painting Competition of Malolos Cathedral