TACLOBAN, Philippines – Lengthy earlier than his work reached the partitions of a world museum in Beijing, China, Dante Enage was merely attempting to outlive.
Like hundreds of others in Japanese Visayas, Enage lived by way of the devastation of Tremendous Hurricane Yolanda (Haiyan), a catastrophe that flattened properties, erased livelihoods, and left deep emotional scars.
Yolanda struck the central Philippines in November 2013 and stays one of many strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. It killed greater than 6,000 folks and devastated massive elements of Japanese Visayas, together with Tacloban Metropolis, the place Enage lived and labored.
Within the years that adopted, Tacloban continued to rebuild not solely its infrastructure and homes, but additionally its sense of normalcy. For Enage, rebuilding took a special kind. He picked up his brushes and commenced once more.
“Bilang isang Yolanda survivor, bumangon ako. Naging tema ko ang pagiging matatag, pagkakaisa, at pag-asa,” he advised Rappler on Friday, January 2.
(As a Yolanda survivor, I rose once more. Resilience, unity, and hope turned my themes.)
There have been no artwork galleries to welcome him and no regular platforms to showcase his work. Being an artist within the province meant engaged on the margins and creating with out ensures, recognition, or monetary safety. However Enage stayed.
Over a decade later, that persistence led him someplace he by no means imagined. He was chosen for the Beijing Worldwide Artwork Biennale, a significant international up to date artwork exhibition that options works from artists around the globe and promotes worldwide inventive alternate.
In 2025, Enage joined a small group of Filipino artists who’ve earned the identical distinction, together with Dennis Montera, Maximino Balatbat II, Cristina Taniguchi, Samuel Penaso, and Teody Boylie R. Perez.
For an artist who started with virtually nothing, the second carried quiet weight.
Artwork rooted in place
Enage describes his work as up to date artwork, however what defines it most is the place it comes from.
“Mixture ito ng summary expressionism, realism, at symbolism. Walang mounted guidelines. Pure experimentation at expression,” he mentioned.
(It’s a mixture of summary expressionism, realism, and symbolism. There aren’t any mounted guidelines. It’s pure experimentation and expression.)
His work are crammed with motion, natural shapes, layered textures, and flowing types.
What makes them unmistakably his are the Pintados tattoo patterns and Baybayin script embedded into the floor.
“These patterns are my identification,” Enage mentioned. “They inform folks the place I come from, Tacloban, Leyte.”
They don’t seem to be ornamental particulars. They’re statements. Even on a world stage, Enage stays rooted in dwelling.
The themes that recur in his work – resilience, therapeutic, cultural preservation, and environmental care – replicate the life he has lived. After Yolanda, survival itself turned a type of schooling.
“Bumangon ang naging tema ko. Maging matatag. Magkaisa. Umasa,” he added.
(Rising once more turned my theme. To be steadfast. To be united. To decide on hope.)
Creating with out consolation
Life as an artist within the province has by no means been straightforward. Enage spoke overtly in regards to the realities.
“Mahirap maging artist sa probinsya,” he mentioned. “Walang gallery. Mahirap mag-survive, lalo na kung might pamilya ka na.”
(It’s troublesome to be an artist within the province. There aren’t any galleries. It’s exhausting to outlive, particularly if you have already got a household.)
There have been lengthy intervals with out gross sales, instances when payments needed to be paid and work remained unsold. However quitting by no means crossed his thoughts.
“Hindi ako sumuko. Naghirap lang. Nag-isip lang kung paano mag-survive. Ito ang calling ko,” he mentioned.
(I didn’t quit. I merely struggled and found out how you can survive. That is my calling.)
When supplies had been too costly, he improvised. In his early years, he even used tuba (coconut wine) as a portray medium as a result of it was out there.
“Kung walang pambili ng acrylic o oil, tumingin ka lang sa paligid,” he mentioned, smiling. (For those who can’t afford acrylic or oil, you simply go searching you.)
A lot of his early confidence got here from his mentor, Steve Acerden, a revered Tacloban artist who guided him within the Nineteen Nineties.
Enage referred to as Acerden an artwork genius who was the primary to consider in him, and who vastly influenced him.
A final-minute leap
The Beijing Worldwide Artwork Biennale shouldn’t be a contest, however choice requires passing three jury screenings.
Enage mentioned he almost missed his likelihood, ignoring the decision for submission at first as a result of “sanay kasi akong might bayad ang mga ganito.” (I’m used to issues like this requiring a charge.)
He mentioned it was fellow artist Sam Penaso who urged him to use, declaring that the submission was free and that the deadline was that very same day.
Enage submitted “Patterned Paradise 1,” an acrylic-on-canvas work measuring 133 x 165 centimeters. He created it with out sketches, constructing the picture layer by layer by way of intuition and experimentation.
“Walang plano. Spontaneous lahat. Yung thought sumusunod na lang habang ginagawa ko,” he mentioned.
(There was no plan. The whole lot was spontaneous. The thought merely adopted as I labored.)
The portray imagines a world the place birds, crops, and summary types coexist, reflecting the Biennale’s theme of coexistence.
“Hindi tayo hiwalay sa kalikasan. Parte tayo nito,” Enage defined.
(We aren’t separate from nature. We’re a part of it.)
Months later, the outcomes had been launched. Enage handed all three screenings.
“Malaking karangalan iyon,” he mentioned. (It was an important honor.)
Representing dwelling from afar
Regardless of being chosen, Enage was unable to journey to Beijing. Restricted funds and visa processing delays through the vacation season made the journey unattainable.
He mentioned there was disappointment, however no bitterness. “The choice itself is already publicity. Tacloban and Leyte are already on the map.”
Giving again by way of artwork
From a storm survivor in a province with no galleries to an artist acknowledged on the world stage, Dante Enage’s journey is quiet and regular. It’s affected person and earned. Just like the layers in his work, it’s a story that took time to disclose its magnificence.
At this time, Enage continues to work quietly from Tacloban, carrying his group with him in every bit. He mentioned his household and group are the inspiration of his artwork.
“Kolektibong kwento ito (It is a collective story),” he added.
To younger artists in Japanese Visayas, his recommendation is direct and grounded. Apply on daily basis. Study patiently. Discover mentors. Don’t rush success.
“Huwag mong unahin ang benta. Unahin mo ang paghinog ng obra mo,” he mentioned.
(Don’t prioritize gross sales. Prioritize the development of your artwork.)
On the core of all the pieces he creates is a straightforward message: “Maintain Mom Nature, as a result of if we handle her, she may even handle us.” – Rappler.com
