The Anthem Philatelist

  ARTPORTALCEBU, in collaboration with Filarts Inc., announces the holding of the Philippines-Korea Art Exchange Exhibition at the ArtPortalCebu located in Atua Midtown, F. Manalo Street, Cebu City, on Feb. 3 to 12, 2025. The exhibition features works from a stellar lineup of Filipino artists, including Lida Maria Aguilar, Roy Ama, Aris Bagtas, Espie Bagtas, Leodito Bongo III, Roy Espinosa, Pauline Allison Espinosa, Marvin Natural, Celso Pepito, Lucilo Sagayno and Manuel Sinquenco. Renowned Korean artists Park I-Sook, Youn Euni, Wang Young-Mi, Choi Moung-Hui, Yu Su-Gyeong, Bae Hyun-Jung, Ryoo Anna, Park Yun-Kyung, Shim Hyun-Ji, Lee Hyo-Jung, Choi Vina, and Kim Hee Jung present their works as well. The Exhibition aims to foster cultural appreciation and artistic dialogue between the two nations through a diverse selection of paintings, and mixed media works. Attendees can expect to experience an array of artistic styles and cultural expressions that highlight the creative spirit and...

  Devoured, Oil in Canvas, 36" x 48", 2016 Marvin Chito Natural is a highly acclaimed, self-taught contemporary Filipino visual artist who stands out as a prominent modern voice in Philippine social realism . Born in 1977 in Toledo City , Cebu, Natural uses art as his vocabulary to actively critique the political, cultural, and socio-economic struggles of the regular Filipino. The Visionary from Toledo Natural's trajectory is uniquely compelling because he did not take the traditional academic path. Armed only with natural childhood inclination and rigorous self-discipline, he mastered oil painting techniques by sharpening his objective observation. Rather than adhering to mainstream aesthetic demands, he believes that true art operates without obligation, maintaining that "There is no 'must' in art. Art must be free." Outside of his studio hours, he gives back to his local community by managing historical preservation as the full-time curator of the Mu...

In the autumn of 2013, a group exhibit and art residency in Paris became a shared experience of a band of Cebuano artists that became MUGNA . With this cherished experience and in celebration of the coming Philippine-France Friendship Day on June 26, this exhibit is proudly presented. These select group of artists, now mostly in the academe , came from different groups and represent a wide range of stylistic tendencies that somehow reflect the diversity of contemporary art in Cebu. Except for the Cebuano Master Jose Kimsoy Yap , most of the artists selected then like Melver Mercado , Sio Montera ,  Felix Catarata , Marvin Natural , Joshua Cabrera , Palmy Pe-Tudtud , Gigi Ocampo and Radel Paredes were in their mid-career and active in the local art scene. The group decided to name themselves Mugna (Cebuano for “creation” or “to create”), thinking of a common Cebuano words they could leave to their French freinds to remember. ‭This exhibit marks the first ten (Dix) years of Mugna...