Layers and Shadows
Demi Padua’s ‘Layers and Shadows’ invites viewers into a world of identity and emotion, revealing the depth of his creative vision.
Words Jaymar Aquino
Photo courtesy of ACCP and National Museum
August 24, 2025
Cleaner Suit
Whenever you stand before a portrait, have you ever wondered what lies beneath the surface? What stories are folded into each layer? In the hands of multifaceted artist Demi Padua, such questions become the very pulse of his canvases.
His works do more than depict—they awaken. Layers of color, fragments of memory, and shards of imagination converge, revealing the intricate complexities of identity and emotion. Through his trompe l’oeil technique, the eye is invited not just to glance but to reflect, to linger, to look deeper, to uncover what lies within.
Art meets advocacy
Recycled Future
‘Layers and Shadows,’ which will run from August 13 to 26, 2025, at the National Museum of Fine Arts’ Sergio Osmeña Hall, is a celebration of this vision. Presented by the Asian Cultural Council Philippines (ACCP) in honor of its 25th anniversary, the exhibition reflects the organization’s ongoing mission to nurture Filipino artists through the Philippine Fellowship Program. By fostering opportunities for growth, collaboration, and international dialogue, ACCP ensures that the country’s rich cultural heritage continues to thrive on a global stage.
Padua’s pieces echo the invisible frameworks that sustain Filipino creativity. Behind the exhibition stand patrons and partners such as the DF Art Agency, Good Hope Future Foundation, and ACCP, whose advocacy sustains artistry just as shadows give depth to form.
What lies within
Wishing Upon Dreams
Over the years, the revered artist has garnered recognition that affirms his mastery: the Grand Prize at the 2013 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tanaw Art Competition, along with honors from the Art Association of the Philippines, GSIS Museum, and Metrobank Foundation.
These distinctions mark him as an artist of rare precision and vision, yet they are but preludes. To stand before his creations is to discover what no accolade can fully capture: the interplay of surface and depth, where illusion blurs into truth and the artwork itself begins to speak.
Walking through ‘Layers and Shadows,’ viewers are invited to peel back each layer. In every gaze, every detail, Padua’s art embodies a spirit: layered, intricate, and enduring—a reminder that Filipino creativity, like light in shadow, continues to unfold and resonate far beyond the frame.
