Take a look at these artists and their eye-catching works in Art in the Park 2023

Arianna Bongato's Obsidian attracted attention at the White Walls Gallery's booth.

Born in 1998, Bongato is a contemporary artist from Pateros, Metro Manila. Her works situate classical and baroque references with De Stijl-influenced compositions—an attempt to exercise discipline through abstraction and reduction of visual economy. She challenges maximality and conformity by scaling-down subjects into select impressions and suggesting negative spaces as placeholders. 

For her, a new multifaceted image forms when certain features are veiled, conveying an idea beyond a conventionally complete representation.

Watch out for more of her works on the White Walls Gallery Facebook page (@whitewallsgallery.ph).

Starting as a digital artist and animator, Megs Empinado worked for different international studios at the beginning of his career as an artist. Despite this, he had an intense drive to work with his hands and produce tangible art, which led him to pursue sculpting.

Today, he is an emerging artist in the local art scene for Imahica Art Gallery, and the demand for his 3D-printed sculptures is steadily growing amongst collectors and art lovers alike.

For more news about Empinado, check out his Instagram account (@megsempinadoart) and Imahica Art Gallery (@imahicaart).

Baguio-based artist Olie Olivete of The Mighty Bhutens is also one for the books. His Portrait series, released this year at Art in the Park, became an inspiration during the start of the "new normal" after the lockdown. 

"I was walking on Session Road and saw the people were wearing masks at that time. With each random person I encountered, it got me wondering what thoughts, worries, or problems each was thinking of. This is where I started playing around with exposing 'what's behind our mask'," Olivete shares.  

Each portrait represents what each experienced from the pandemic and the quarantine measures up to the start of the new normal.

Look at The Mighty Bhutens on their Facebook page (@TheMightyBhutens).

Walang Laman by Kiko Urquiola, an oil-on-canvas art piece, debuted at this year's Art in the Park.

Urquiola is a visual artist based in Bulacan. Known for painting hyperrealistic and thought-provoking pieces, his works have won him recognition as a finalist in art competitions such as MADE and the Shell National Art Competition.

Additionally, the artist has participated in numerous local group and solo exhibitions and continues to hone his craft today.

Discover more works by visiting the White Walls Gallery Facebook page (@whitewallsgallery.ph).

Rommel Cahilo is an architect and an artist based in Manila. The artwork above is entitled Pawnshop, drawn with ink and pen markers on vellum paper.

In October 2023, he did his exhibition at Space Encounters Gallery, where his point of view is a welcome addition to the landscape of contemporary art.

Watch out for news about Cahilo at Space Encounters Gallery's Facebook page (@spaceencountersgallery).

Forever grateful to the Kulay Art Group and ARTipolo Group, Daphne Lagunay was overjoyed when one of her works, The Red Rooftops, a piece from her Tales from the Roof Series, found a new home. Also worth noting is The Blue Chip.

When asked about the series, she explained that "the different tales come from personal journeys throughout my life as I discover and get to know myself as a self-taught artist and as a career-oriented person."

Additionally, she says each piece takes you to different seasons of your life, urging you to stand on your uniqueness. "They are all roofs, but there is always one that stands out, for whatever reason/s it may be," she concludes.  

Learn more about Daphne through her Facebook page Likha ni Lagunay.

Another member of The Mighty Bhutens, Guiller Lagac, inclines towards mosaic and mixed media. One of his most recent works, Pagtagpo, was exhibited in Art in the Park last Sunday.

Pagtagpo evokes a new style and series of the artist. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle depicting love, trust, and new beginnings. [A] journey of two people in love. It is a series that can connect to other mosaic pieces to create a better picture," says Lagac.

Learn more about him and his work with The Mighty Bhutens on their Facebook page (@TheMightyBhutens).

For more information on Art in the Park, please visit artinthepark.ph or facebook.com/artintheparkph.

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