New Discoveries
Explore the ever-growing landscape of local art and culture as the Philippines’ most promising up-and-coming artists take center stage.
Images courtesy of Vincent Coscolluela
July 24, 2023
True to its mission of fostering an inclusive art community by showcasing both masters and emerging artists, the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival (MoCAF) returns this year with MoCAF Discoveries, a special exhibition curated by MoCAF Festival Director Coleen Wong. Discoveries will feature 40 promising young artists to watch—16 returning artists from last year’s batch and 24 new artists. Get to know the 16 rising artists who are coming back to Discoveries for MoCAF 2023.
ANGELICA DEL ROSARIO is a visual artist with a degree in Interior Design from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. With a passion for painting, she finds that using oil as a medium has allowed her to explore various styles and techniques. Through her art, she aims to create a magical and transformative experience that connects the viewer with the world and inspires a sense of general goodness.
HONEY MAGLALANG is a Cavite-based visual artist who started his art practice in 2021 through an art residency. Formerly a photographer and videographer, he now works mainly with charcoal and dry media. His works speak of his anxieties and discontent with reality, giving voice to the personal plague of visions that enter through his dreams and exit into his artwork.
LUNTIAN KAGUBATAN, born Kolline ‘Kleng’ Dominguez, is a self-taught artist who honed her craft under the mentorship program of Linangan Art Residency and Agos Studio. Her alias signifies her artistic affinity with nature as she strives to bring awareness about human nature, the life force, and the cycle of creation. In her works, she weaves natural fibers and patterns on macrame and collage fabrics combined with manufactured prints.
RAFA, also known as Raphael Labuntog, is a pop surrealist painter based in Muntinlupa City. He graduated with an Advertising degree from the Technological University of the Philippines, Manila. His love for animation, both Western cartoons and anime, brings out the best in his work. RAFA utilizes a bright color palette to give homage to the youthful energy he had during childhood.
SEEWEIRDO, also known as Jinrobi, uses both traditional and digital mediums to express his personal narratives and imagination. Through his art, Seeweirdo speaks to his audience’s individuality, offering a space for personal reflection and growth. Seeweirdo’s approach to art-making is an invitation for self-discovery and creative exploration. He renders his works in an eccentric approach to encourage his audience to interpret his art in their own perspective.
SETH CORDA, a professional architect and full-time artist, creates contemporary works of art that reflect his architectural background. His paintings merge structural elements with nature, order, and abstract interpretations unique to his style. Corda has gained recognition for his artistic practice, becoming a semi-finalist in the Metrobank Arts and Design Excellence program in 2019 and a finalist in the MBSketchfest for “Muling Pagsibol” in 2020.
TISH is a self-taught artist from the Philippines, recognized for her distinctive style of Expressionism. Her medium of choice is acrylic on canvas, which she skillfully employs to convey her personal artistic vision. TISH’s works are characterized by the interplay of geometric motifs, vibrant patterns, and a carefully selected earth tone palette.
EARL AGUSTIN is a Bulacan-based artist who obtained his degree in Painting from Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology. Agustin’s impasto works, created in an Impressionistic style, emanate the “feeling” of a brush stroke across the surface of the canvas. His masterful use of dark colors lends an aura of drama and mystique to his compositions.
JOHN LOYD BENZ DE LEON is a Fine Arts graduate hailing from Rizal. De Leon employs his knowledge of interior design and touches on biblical stories in combination with whimsical fancy—all represented by the persona named “Amongus.” He has showcased his works in numerous group exhibitions and national competitions such as the Metrobank Arts and Design Excellence and the National Student Art Competition.
IAN INOY is a visual storyteller who showcases his sensitivity and openness to the world through surreal scenes and characters reminiscent of the circus. His art incorporates recognizable objects to encourage viewers to explore deeper meanings while preserving a sense of innocence. Through childlike subjects, Inoy creates an intimate dialogue with his audience, encouraging them to find the redeeming aspects of life’s challenges.
IRELAND JILL, also known as Bruha Ireland, is a multidisciplinary artist whose style plays on unrealistic images of children. She employs Bruha, a persona inspired by the image of her own son, to create works articulating the belief that “adults are all just outdated children.” Born and raised in Manila, Ireland earned her degree in Painting from the University of Santo Tomas.
MARILOU SOLANO is an artist who draws inspiration from cinema, television, and music to create works of art that explore her relationship with the environment and memories. For over a decade, she has participated in exhibits and competitions, using a variety of mediums to develop her artistic voice. Drawing from Japanese and pop art, she makes boundary-breaking works that invite viewers to explore their own relationships with their surroundings.
PAULO “FAUST” AMPARO is a visual artist based in Bulacan. He is known for blending pop art, lowbrow genres, and Eastern and Western traditions in his eye-candy captivating pieces. His signature vibrant, drippy, and colorful palettes, curated with myths and folklore, serve as an exploration of various themes that create an inexplicable allegory hiding in plain sight.
TELLE DE LEON is a multidisciplinary visual artist who engages in theatre design and the material-based practices of mark-making, textile, and gestural scripto-visual art. In 2019, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Fine Arts. Drawing inspiration from socially relevant themes that emphasize women’s struggles and state censorship, De Leon’s works convey thought-provoking notions on Philippine realities.
The 24 new artists making their debut in Discoveries include AM de la Cruz, Ana, Bea Fernandez, Carla Gamalinda, FJ Nieva, Galeon, Georgina Pomarejos, Gelofiiish, Iya, JelloSalomeo, Jeri Jumao-as, Jesse Camacho, Kat Melo, Kenneth Garcia, Kiko Moran, Michael Ramos, Patricia Tierra, Randolf Karl Novis, Sam Bumanlag, Sandra Isabelle, Sigwada Knicolai, Tisha Paculba, Wendel Candawan, and Y.S. Sehob.
