Demetrio Dela Cruz’s 21st solo exhibition, “An Extra in Front of the Ordinary,” continues to captivate.
This is an excerpt from Lifestyle Asia’s December 2023/January 2024 Issue.
Demetrio Dela Cruz is a multidisciplinary contemporary artist and photographer. Demet, as he is fondly called by many, earned his bachelor of fine arts major in advertising degree from Far Eastern University, Manila. He worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and photographer for an advertising firm and design studio but is now a full-time exhibiting artist.
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A String Of Accolades
Dela Cruz is a multi-awarded artist who over 30 years ago won a Special Award at the Metrobank Painting Competition. He was also a Top Five Winner at the Philip Morris Philippine Arts Awards in 2006. Demet also won the Grand Prize Winner at the Art Association of the Philippines Art Competition in 2007. Lastly, he clinched the Grand Prize Winner of the Lions Club on-the-spot Mural Painting Competition in 2008. More recently, he was the Third Prize Winner GSIS Annual Art Competition in 2019 and shortlisted (regional) at this year’s Philippine Art Awards. He has also had group shows in Tokyo and New York and has participated in art fairs such as the Indonesian Art Fair and the Korean Biennale.
An Extra in Front of the Ordinary at Boston Art Gallery in Quezon City marks his 21st solo art exhibition. It is his second solo exhibition in 2023 and has had at least two solo exhibitions a year since 2020. The artist’s proclivity for the trompe l’oeil (a visual illusion in art that literally means “to deceive the eye) manner of painting is evident in his work. His works are smaller this time compared to his much larger works before. The talented artist says, “I usually do big works, I’m a fan of big canvases. On this new series, I came up with small pieces… all in just 18×12 inch canvases. It’s kind of doing something outside of my comfort zone.”
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