ARTIST'S PROFILE

Arthur Espanueva Dela Cruz is an Ilonggo who was born and raised in the humble city of Digos, Davao del Sur. He completed his AB Philosophy at St. Francis Xavier College Seminary in Davao City. He spent 11 years as a Brother of the Sacred Heart but left the congregation a year before taking his final vows. He then pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Fine Arts and Design, graduating with distinction and earning the Outstanding Thesis Award for Painting of the Year.

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Dela Cruz began his career as a figurative painter, but during his MFA studies at the University of the Philippines, he increasingly embraced abstraction. This shift from figure to formalist expression has provided the artist with a redemptive space to explore themes of faith, grace, and enlightenment—a reflection of his years spent in quiet solitude and continual prayer.

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Dela Cruz has mounted 12 solo exhibitions, both locally and internationally. In 2017, he was featured in the Winter Issue of Magazine 43, an art publication based in Hong Kong.

He has taught art at various prestigious schools in the Philippines and at the largest performing arts school in Doha, Qatar. His new works are inspired by the age-old textile designs of the T'boli people from Southern Mindanao. "Weave of Life" represents the artist's deep expression of how he perceives the world and his hope to influence others' perceptions as well.

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His latest works draw inspiration from tribal designs and Vincent van Gogh's intimate affection for flowers and nature. This artistic approach fuses old and new representations, echoing how early inhabitants of the world replicated what captured their interests by using rudimentary elements of art, such as lines and dots. These elements are intricately woven within natural forms to create hybrid forms.

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The artist has found inspiration in his intimate communion with nature, channeling his creative energy onto canvas to make it a tangible reality.