Brent Sabas taps into the unknown world of pets with his distinctive art, giving them a voice on issues relevant to the human realm
Graphic illustrator Brent Sabas has built a career in the advertising industry for years. But it was with his anthropomorphic paintings that he made waves in the local arts scene as a consummate visual artist, thanks to his exposure to the UP College of Fine Arts (UP CFA) where he finished BA in Visual Communications and his participation in the art collective group Ang INK (Ilustrador Ng Kabataan). His burning passion to exhibit artworks of his own propelled him to eventually put up a solo exhibition titled Ethos in 2018 at Galerie Stephanie. “I’m really new to these solo gallery exhibitions and it has been stressful because I’m doing it on top of my advertising day job, which is already draining my energy,” he says. “But it’s fulfilling and I get to reflect on the time to see my works evolve through the years.”
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He considers his art as figurative, empowering his subjects with strong reference to the real world. Influenced by the various media he consumed during his childhood, Sabas has created masterful pieces devoted to young audiences. Using animals as references in his paintings, one would find the young boy that lives inside Sabas in his distinct youthful artistic identity. “My love and passion for art started early on,” he shares. “My dad used to buy me local comics every Friday, the same day X-Men: The Animated Series was aired on ABSCBN. I would draw these superheroes and comic book characters almost every day and on everything; from my paper pads and notebooks to flyleaves and cigarette cartons, and even our walls,” Sabas recalls.
Being active in Ang INK has somewhat solidified his identity as an artist, polishing not only his style but also his understanding of his mission as a visual storyteller for children. “Core values are formed when you are a kid, that's why exposing them to children's literature is essential because they teach the basic values of becoming a better individual,” Sabas says. “Kindness, sympathy, love—things they will carry on with them as they grow up and become adults and, maybe, eventually as future leaders of our society.”
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