MANA Art Exhibition
ABOUT THE ARTIST and CURATOR
EGHAI ROXAS
EGHAI ROXAS is a distinguished Filipino painter, performance artist and curator whose multi-decade career has continuously explored the intersections of abstraction, social realism and ecological concern. Born in 1955, he studied at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts under the influence of leading modernists such as Jose Joya and Constancio Bernardo — an early grounding reflected in his transition from social-realist canvases to dream-like, textured abstractions.
Among Roxas’ significant achievements:
He represented the Philippines at the 22nd São Paulo Biennale in 1994.
He received the Juror’s Choice award in the 1994 Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards and won First Prize in Non-Representational Painting at the Art Association of the Philippines competition in 1997.
His solo exhibition “Equilibrium” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (2008-2009) displayed large abstract works grounded in his meditations on balance, nature and human endeavour.
Eghai Roxas presents in the Mana exhibit two works that reveal the breadth of his visual language: Punla and Manalamin Ka! While differing in tone and proposition, both works confront the viewer with a sense of urgency shaped by time, consequence, and reflection.
Manalamin Ka! invites introspection and accountability, posing reflection as a moral and social act, while Punla gestures toward renewal and the fragile persistence of hope. What makes these works particularly compelling is Roxas’ departure from his familiar abstract vocabulary into a mode of heightened realism, using clarity of image not merely for representation, but to sharpen the immediacy of the message.
PUNLA, 2026 Mixed media NFS
PAMANA, 2026 24x30 inches Oil on canvas Php 160,000.00
MANALAMIN KA! 2026 24x30 inches Mixed media NFS
MASUNGI, 2026 36 x48 inches Oil on canvas Php 320,000.00
About the Artist
Melvin Culaba
MELVIN CULABA is a Filipino social realist painter known for his densely layered and psychologically charged compositions that confront political tension, urban decay, and the fragility of contemporary Filipino life. His works merge personal grief with sharp socio-political critique, often portraying worlds where humanity, violence, and survival are inseparable.
For the MANA exhibition, Culaba extends this social realist language into environmental discourse through unsettling images of stray dogs, pop culture figures, and dystopian landscapes.
Melvin Culaba’s social realist framework expands environmental discourse into the terrain of human struggle and systemic neglect. His densely layered compositions evoke worlds on the brink—where ecological degradation mirrors urban decay, displacement, and inequality. Nature, in his works, is not separate from humanity but entangled in the same cycles of exploitation and survival.
THE 'TERMI-NATURE' 2026 6x2 feet Oil on canvas Php 180,000.00
THE FLOOD CONTROL PELIPINS 2026 3x4 feet Oil on canvas Php 180,000.00
THE BROWN SCAPULAR 2026 33x21inches Oil on canvas Php 90,000.00
About the Artist
Henri Cainglet
HENRI CAINGLET is a multi-awarded Filipino artist from Bohol whose practice defies convention through its innovative use of mixed media, found objects, and soft sculpture. Largely self-taught, with further training and apprenticeship abroad, he has developed a distinct visual language rooted in abstraction, texture, and material experimentation, gaining recognition in both local and international art scenes.
At the core of Cainglet’s work is a deeply ecological approach grounded in material memory and transformation. By incorporating discarded and found objects—often sourced from sites of environmental devastation such as Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban and
the Bohol earthquake—he reconfigures remnants of destruction into works that speak of healing, resilience, and renewal. Through his richly textured compositions and non-traditional forms, Cainglet positions ecology as a process of reclamation and rebuilding, where art serves not only as expression but as a means of restoring dignity and hope within communities.
PERFUMED DAYDREAM III, 2026 60x69x4 inches Shaped and stuffed textiles sewn on textile, found objects, acrylics Php 300,000.00
About the Artist
Roderick Macutay
RODERICK MACUTAY, a Filipino contemporary painter and muralist whose practice spans decades, marked by an extensive body of large-scale murals for both public spaces and private collections. His works ranging from immersive wall compositions to detailed canvases, position him as a key figure in shaping visual environments that engage communities, history, and collective memory.
Within an ecological lens, Macutay’s mural works, in particular, function as living ecosystems of imagery—layering historical narratives, cultural symbols, and speculative forms that evolve across time and space. Installed in public and private settings, these works become part of the environments they inhabit, reinforcing the idea that art itself can shape ecological awareness within everyday life.
Through decades of sustained production, Macutay’s work reflects on transformation—of landscapes, of societies, and of the human condition—inviting viewers to confront a future where the boundaries between the natural and the constructed are increasingly fluid.
PASAKIT NI INANG KALIKASAN, 2026 3x4 feet Oil on canvas Php 30,000.00
About the Artist
Randy Valiente
RANDY VALIENTE is an award-winning Filipino comic book artist, illustrator, and graphic novelist known for bridging fine art and popular visual storytelling. His works include Headlocked, Reanimator, and the globally acclaimed acclaimed Sining Killing, which won the 2024 National Book Award for Best Graphic Novel in Filipino.
His practice reflects a commitment to revitalizing Philippine comics while elevating it as a serious artistic medium.
Valiente’s style merges dynamic linework with socially grounded narratives, often tackling urban life, environmental issues, identity, and cultural memory.
BAKAWAN SERIES 1 TO 3, 2026 29.7 x 42 cm. Ink on paper Php 36,000.00 (set)
BAKAWAN 4, 2026 20 x 28 inches Ink on paper Php 30,000.00
About the Artist
Benedicto Modesto
BENEDICTO MODESTO is the founder of the Silaw Artist Collective. Modesto holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas and a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Philippine Women’s University.
Modesto’s early work leaned heavily into his own style that he brands as social surrealism, and continues to do so until today. His art critically addresses political, environmental, and societal issues oftentimes with sharp, haunting visual allegories .
Modesto’s artistic approach regarding ecology positions it within the framework of heritage and sustainability, where artistic production becomes an act of preservation against cultural and environmental erosion.
His works suggest that ecological awareness is inseparable from remembering traditional knowledge systems foregrounding a dialogue between past practices and present urgencies.
TAHANAN, 18 x 24 in. KAPILING 1, 9 X 12 in. KAPILING 2, 9x 12 in. Oil on canvas, 2026 Php 40,000.00 (set)
THE MUTATION OF NEGLIGENCE, 2025 20 x 28 inches Oil on canvas Php 40,000.00
About the Artist
RAUL JOROLAN
RAUL JOROLAN is a Filipino visual artist whose practice bridges fine art, advertising, and visual storytelling. With a career spanning multiple creative disciplines he brings a dynamic, narrative-driven sensibility to his paintings.
Guided by an explorative ethos, Jorolan’s work reflects a fusion of figurative imagery, pop culture, and urban experience, resulting in compositions that are both playful and layered with meaning.
Within an ecological lens, Jorolan’s work can be understood as a reflection of urban ecosystems in flux.
Through his vibrant, narrative compositions, he reveals an ecology shaped not only by nature, but by cities, stories, and shifting cultural landscapes, inviting viewers to reconsider their place within these evolving environments.
VERDANT ECHO, 2025 36 x 38 inches Acrylic on canvas Php 130,000.00
HANDLE WITH CARE: HAPPY PLACE (100% PURE JOY), 2026 36 x 48 inches Acrylic on canvas Php 150,000.00
About the Artist
ERIC DAVID
ERIC DAVID s a Filipino artist known for a distinctive visual style shaped by years of creative exposure across Australia, the USA, and Europe. His works have been exhibited internationally in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, Nagoya, and Manila. Drawing inspiration from pop culture, consumerism, comics, vintage toys, fashion, rock music, and Japanese graphics, his multidisciplinary practice spans painting, photography, drawing, and multimedia art.
Framed through environmental awareness, David’s practice emphasizes impermanence and the passage of time. His flora and landscapes are not static depictions but temporal encounters,
reminding viewers of the delicate conditions that sustain such moments. In this way, his work underscores the urgency of preservation what is serene and enduring in appearance may, in reality, be vulnerable to rapid ecological change.
FLOWER ALCHEMY, 2026 24x48 inches (Quadriptych) Mixed media on wood panel Php 120,000.00 (set)
UNFORGOTTEN FOREST HAVEN FROM MY PAST, 2026 24 x 32 inches (Diptych) Acrylic on canvas Php 160,000.00 (pair)
About the Artist
BECK DOLLISEN
BECK DOLLISEN is both a visual artist and educator whose practice bridges technical precision and expressive exploration, most notably through her intricate ballpoint-pen portraits and evolving work in acrylic painting. With academic foundations from the Technological University of the Philippines where she now serves as Head of the Fine Arts Department, her career reflects a sustained commitment to both art-making and mentorship.
Within an ecological framework, Dollisen’s work centers on attention and care values essential to both portraiture and environmental awareness.
Her detailed renderings of human subjects foreground individuality and presence, reminding viewers of the human dimension within ecological discourse.
THE PROTECTOR OF WHAT REMAINS, 2026 24x36 inches Acrylic on canvas Php 35,000.00
MAY PAG-ASA PA, 2026 18 x 24 inches Acrylic on canvas Php 20,000.00 (pair)
About the Artist
MENTIS MARIS
MENTIS MARIS Mentis Maris works unfold as intricate visual poetry, merging symbolism, emotion, and imagination into richly layered compositions. Working across mixed media, acrylic, colored pens, ink, and water-based oils, her practice is defined by complex detail, vibrant color, and a deeply introspective narrative approach.
Rooted in an ecological sensibility, Maris approaches the environment not only as a physical space but as an inner landscape where human consciousness mirrors the complexity of the natural world. Drawing inspiration from both organic elements and human experience, she constructs surreal, immersive scenarios that reveal the interconnectedness of memory, emotion, and environment.
Each work becomes a microcosm, an ecosystem of forms and meanings that unfolds gradually, inviting sustained contemplation.
BATHALA, 2026 20 x 30 inches Mixed media on canvas Php 85,000.00
About the Artist
MIKE JACOSALEM
MIKE JACOSALEM is a third-year Bachelor of Fine Arts student at Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology. He is the youngest among the artists who exhibited for MANA and whose budding career is grounded in social realism and critical inquiry.
Jacosalem's entries for MANA expand environmental discourse into the fragile balance of human survival and environmental degradation and that through this lens, nature is not a distant subject but a contested resource, embedded in everyday struggles.
By amplifying this often overlooked point of view, his artworks provoke dialogue.
Jacosalem positions his art as both witness and critique, urging viewers to recognize that the fight for environmental sustainability is ultimately a fight for basic human survival and collective dignity.
PARASITISM 1, 2026 20 x 30 inches Mixed media on canvas Php 20,000.00
PARASITISM 2, 2026 20 x 30 inches Mixed media on canvas Php 20,000.00
About the Artist
JAMES CARLO MENDOZA
JAMES CARLO MENDOA James Carlo Mendoza is a Filipino artist from Naic, Cavite, whose practice spans over two decades, evolving from a foundation in portraiture toward a deeply nature-oriented and process-driven visual language. His early mastery of likeness and expression informs his current work, where technical precision meets experimentation and material exploration.
Rooted in an ecological sensibility, Mendoza’s art reflects a sustained engagement with organic forms, natural cycles, and the quiet balance within ecosystems.
His use of unconventional materials such as metal foil introduces a dynamic interplay of light, texture, and surface echoing the reflective and transformative qualities of nature itself. These elements allow his compositions to shift with the viewer’s perspective, reinforcing the idea of an environment in constant flux.
WHAT WE CHOOSE TO HOLD, 2026 18 x 24 inches Mixed media on canvas Php 45,000.00
DALUYONG NG BUHAY, 2026 18 x 24 inches Mixed media on canvas Php 45,000.00