Nikulas Lebajo mounts solo exhibit to mark 35th year as an artist
MANILA, Philippines — HOW time flies when you are having fun! For Nikulas Lebajo, who finds happiness dwelling in his artistic pursuits, it has been 35 years since he consciously picked up the brush and started painting. So, to celebrate his 35th anniversary as an artist, he has put together a solo exhibit titled “Rhythms and Vessels.” It opens at Rustan’s Galerie Bleue, 5th Level of Rustan’s Makati, on September 30.
Born in 1972, Lebajo showed his promise as an artist at an early age. He was only 17 when he won the grand prize in the 1989 Shell National Students Art Competition. It jumpstarted his career as an artist and thus became a staple in the local art circuit from then on, exhibiting in spaces like The Luz Gallery, Nunu Fine Art, Richard Koh Fine Art, The Drawing Room Contemporary Art, Gallery Big, Gallery Nine, West Gallery, Gallery 139, Crucible Gallery, Nuzen Art Gallery, Artes Orientes Gallery, Galerie Stephanie, Imahica Art Gallery, Museo Orlina, among others.
His consistency as an artist was recognized and validated at the 1990 Metrobank Art Competition, and thrice at the Philippine Art Awards, in 1994, 1996, and 2001. He also participated at the annual ManilART Fair.
His works have also gained appreciation from international audiences, being showcased in places like Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Dajeon, Shanghai, and Taipei.
Lebajo considers his art practice a continuation of his father’s legacy, that of master surrealist Raul Lebajo, whom he cites as a major force in his own pursuit of life as an artist. He believes that “challenges will always come, whether you’re at your fifth or your 50th year of painting. What matters is to have a steady mind. The rest will follow.”
Curiosity and a sense of exploration continues to lead Lebajo, as this exhibit draws major inspiration from Moroccan earthenware and home goods such as plates, bowls, and cups.
“I always scrutinize the finer details of what catches my interest,” he shares, citing how spontaneous visits to stores and antique shops piqued his interest in the “bright colors, intricate shapes, and geometric patterns of Moroccan design.”
When he was younger, he loved painting repetitions of still-life bottles, later moving on to surreal landscapes inspired by his cycling and meditation activities in and around South Luzon. Early this year, he co-exhibited with his daughter, also an artist, in a father’s day themed show.
In a way, his most recent fixation hearken back to his earliest days as an artist. Returning to a theme of repetition, where the same subjects are painted from different viewpoints, Lebajo notes how the practice of repetition reveals the “Zen-like power of the mind.”
He now synthesizes his past experiences and interests to make a cohesive new body of work. He acknowledges how challenges never stopped coming and how he saw them as opportunities to grow as an artist. Confident with the wisdom of the years, he shares how “more challenges will arrive, but it’s from the mind that one can draw strength.”
With his creativity and curiosity ever ablaze all while being seasoned by much life experience, Nikulas Lebajo, at 50 years of life and 35 years of art, lights a trail of inspiration for young and young at heart creatives.
For updates or inquiries on his works and upcoming exhibit, call 0995 464 2827 or send e-mail to nikulaslebajo@yahoo.com.
