Demetrio Laygo dela Cruz
“ The complex combination of Graphics, Advertising, photography and Digital arts… together with traditional painting technique …the main core and backbone of my artworks.”
After an eight year stint in advertising, Demetrio dela Cruz put up his own digital photography studio in 2000 which gave him more time to paint. To pay homage to his father, his early watercolor paintings were realistic figures of farmers planting and harvesting rice. He quickly gained attention in 2001 when his painting of street children, Kalawang bagged the Top 30 Jurors’ Choice at the Philippine Art Awards. After his entry,”Being Recyclable,Recyclable Being” was declared the grand prize at the Daler Rowney Philippines Art Competition in 2005, two more acclaims came his way in 2006 when he received the Top 5 Jurors’ Choice Award at the First National Drawing Competition and the Philip Morris Art Awards for his paintings, www.daing.com and Images. Success chased him again in 2007 when his entry, Target copped the grand prize at the Art Association of the Philippines Annual Art Competition. Dela Cruz staged his first solo exhibition, interARTive in 2008 at the Art Center in SM Megamall where his thirty interactive mixed media paintings of daing, tinapa and other figurative works were accompanied with lights, sounds and actual dried fishes to allow the public to witness a complete art sensory experience. That same year, his painting, Eco-Guardians was declared the grand prize winner at the Lions Club On-the-Spot Mural Painting Competition.
During this period, dela Cruz introduced his Window Display series, presenting them as three-dimensional paintings to put the viewers’ attention to the culture of consumerism. Calves, carabaos, cows, horses and even human skins were used as byproducts to supply the demand for luxury bags. Altar Piece, Golden Calf, Holy Cow and Trojan Horse were dead right examples of his works in 2011 that expressed best his socio-political ideology on the issues of religion and consumerism. He continued to work on Filipno myths and these themes in his ensuing paintings.
Born Demetrio dela Cruz on July 5, 1971 in Bluementritt St., Sampaloc, Manila, Dems is the eldest of four children of Teodoro dela Cruz, a farmer and Margarita Laygo, a vegetable vendor. Grade school and high school were spent at Novaliches Elementary School and the Capitol Institute where he graduated in 1988. After obtaining his Advertising degree from the Far Eastern University in 1992, he worked as an illustrator and graphic designer at ConceptLAb Design Studio for two years and then at Graphic Atelier as a computer graphic artist and designer from 1994-2000. Dems was the proprietor and digital photographer at Magictouch Digital Portrait Studio since 2000.
BY MS CHRISTIANE DE LA PAZ
CONTEMPORARY ARTIST
The artwork of Demet – as he is known by many – is characterized by an excellently executed traditional, or better realistic, style combined with different media and materials. His educational background in advertising has influenced his work, as he is presenting the objects in his work often in painted window frames or on top of painted pedestals. Consequently Demet calls his work ‘Contemporary Art’. His paintings as well as his mixed media works, currently executed on successive layers of transparent acrylic sheets, are approaching the next higher dimension, trying to leave the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Motives vary, but include a center object surrounded by several layers of additional, sometimes modified objects, including skulls of the center object, as well as religious, traditional and other common motives. His cows/respective handbags series is most recognized by collectors in the Philippines. His handbag series got him already into trouble with some famous handbag producers – I guess the best compliment an artist can receive.
BY HEIKO SEILERT
CONTEMPORARY ARTIST
SOLO EXHIBITS
2023 “An Extra Over the Familiar!“ Boston Gallery, Quezon City, Philippines
2023 “Rhyme and Reason!“ 8rooms Creative Space, Makati City, Philippines
2022 “Hanging on!“ Art Cube Gallery, Makati City, Philippines
2022 “Serigraphos“ Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Philippines
2021 “Contrast Tracing“ Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City, Philippines
2021 “Circle of Innocence“ Provenance Gallery, BGC Philippines
2020 “Mishandle with Care“ Art Fair Philippines, The Link Makati City Phil
2020 “panDEMET-20” Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2019 “Fragile!“ Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2018 “Seven“ Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Philippines
2017 “LuxZOOrious“ Art Fair Philippines. The Link, Makati, Philippines
2016 “on SAMTOY grounds“ Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Philippines
2016 “Sarsarita“ Art cube, Makati Philippines
2015 “Offering“ Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Philippines
2014 “Transparencies“ Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2013 “replay“ Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2012 “cruelTrend“ Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2011 “Showcase” Boston Gallery, Cubao Quezon City Philippines
2010 “Level-Up“ Boston Gallery, Cubao, Quezon City Philippines
2008 “InterARTive“ Art Center, Mandaluyong, M.M. Philippines
2006 “Dreams“ Alabang, M.M. Philippines
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS
2024 “Anonymous Exhibition”, Art Central, Hong Kong
2024 “Art Fair Philippines”, Manila. Philippines
2023 “ArtMoments”, Jakarta Art Fair, Jakarta Indonesia
2022 “Art Fair Philippines”, Manila. Philippines
2021 “2o/21 Art Fest”, Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo Philippines
2020 “Love in time of Corona”, Online fund Raising Group Show for the benefit of Front liners
2020 “Art from Home”, Online group exhibit, Nuzen Art Gallery
2020 “Brave New World” ( Art During Pandemic ) Art+ Exhibition and book project
2020 “Enter WW”, WhiteWall Gallery, Makati Philippines
2020 “Sampayan Art Festival”, Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo Philippines
2020 “Seeking Balance”, UP Vargas Museum Philippines
2019 Hong Kong Visual Art Center
2019 “Art Tabang 3”, Art for a cause Group Show, Cebu City Philippines
2019 “7 Gallery”, Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Philippines
2019“Here and Now”, Village Art Gallery, Alabang Muntinlupa City Philippines
2019 “Give you my Heart”, Art for a Cause Group Exhibit, Provenance Art Gallery, Taguig Philippines
2019 “Flores Para Los Muertos”, Davies Paint, Mural Painting at Manila Cemetery, Manila Philippines
2018 “2018 Pintokyo”, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2018 “Art Synthesis Group show, Boston Gallery, Cubao, Philippines
2018 “Silk Road” Group show, Provenance Gallery, Shangri-La the fort, Taguig, Philippines
CHARITY EXHIBITS
June 2024 Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo Philippines
“ Opera Art by PCS ” (Philippine College of Surgeons)
Exhibition on behalf of the PCS Surgery in the under served Regions and
for the Education Outreach Program
May 2024 Four Season Hotel, Hong Kong
“ Sovereign Art Prize Art Auction”
Proceeds goes to the SAF expressive arts program
s that support the well being of vulnerable
children.
March 2024 Art Central, Hong Kong
“ Sovereign Art Foundation Exhibition”
Exhibition which supports therapeutic arts programs for children with
special educational needs and their caregivers in Hong Kong
Exhibit and Residency, for the benefit of Muslim tribes
September 2017 “ Artabang “ Cebu City Philippines
Art exhibit and auctions for the victim of earthquake in Ormok City
August 2017 “ Art Rock “ St. Lukes Hospital, E. Rodriguez ave, Quezon City
Art Exhibit and auction for Urology Department Operating machine upgrade
June 2016 “ Artabang “ Cebu City, Philippines
Art exhibit and auctions for the victim of typhoon in Visayas
PUBLICATIONS
2024
Harper’s Bazaar Magazine , Hong Kong
Art & Market Magazine , Hong Kong
The Sovereign Asian Art Prize Publication, Hong Kong
Manila Times Magazine, Philippines
LifeStyle Asia Magazine, January 2024 Issue
2023
Daloy Likha Culture & Arts Magazine
Arts & Lifestyle Magazine
UPCOMING SHOWS
Upcoming solo exhibition:
November 2024, Boston Art Gallery, Cubao Philippines
July 2025, Art Cube Gallery, Makati Philippines
October 2025 Secret Fresh Gallery, San Juan Philippines
Upcoming group exhibition:
2024 ” Imperative Blue”, Ayala Artist Space, Philippines
2024 ” Buen viaje”, Pinto Art Musem, Philippines
2024 ” Sovereign Asian Art”, Hong Kong
2024 “ Art Fair Philippines” Manila Philippines
January 2025, Paris France
February 2025, Art Fair Philippines, Makati Philippines
March 2025, Art Central, Hong Kong
May 2025, Leon International, Makati Philippines
November 2025, Alliance Francaise Gallery, Makati Philippines
“ Demet’s works in the museum is really a must see pieces and its worth going to….”
By: Dr. JovenCuanang, Pinto Arts Museum Director and owner, Philippine art patron, a frontliner.
“ Brilliant and innovative combination of different materials and painting technique! One of the country’s exciting and dynamic contemporary artist, surely Demet is carving his name in Philippine contemporary art scene.”
By: ALICE G. GUILLERMO, she won the Art Criticism Award of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP)
