Hero Angeles: Actor, miniature artist

CEBU, Philippines — After a hiatus, Hero Angeles’ showbiz comeback has been given a brand new tag.

Mainly known as the Grand Teen Questor in ABS-CBN’s 2004 reality search “Star Circle Quest,” Hero was later paired with now Kpop idol Sandara Park. He later on ended his contact with the Kapamilya network to become a GMA Artist Center Talent until 2009.

In between and after all that, Hero (who is now back in his mother network since 2015) has added more dimension and depth in his being and is far from the shaggy-haired teen fans have known  him for.

Hero, who now also goes by the pen name Artcetero after launching the online art gallery of the same name in 2014, was recently in Cebu to do an art workshop for the benefit of the girls under the care of My Refuge House.

The fine arts major from the University of the Philippines Diliman is now a miniature artist and had worked with Cebuano change-makers to not only hold a workshop in the city but to also to do a separate workshop to introduce miniature art to the girls of My Refuge House.

A faith-based ministry that caters to the needs of girls who have been sexually abused, My Refuge House does comprehensive holistic programs for the girls under their care by providing shelter, food, education and various methods of healing. They believe in showing the girls their freedom and the many ways they can rise from the abuse that they’ve encountered. They also run a prevention and awareness campaign to stop human trafficking.

As they encourage the girls to create new chapters for their own respective stories and become an inspiration for others, they’ve transformed art as a metaphor for the girls to create something beautiful regardless of how dark they think their past is and to create beauty from it.

“I just want to have fun with them and share what I know about miniature art and also to learn from them,” the actor says in an interview at Books and Brews Cafe prior to the workshop.

After hearing about the girls’ stories, Hero says he would like to inspire the girls through art.

Not new to the whole art-for-a-cause concept, Hero first turned to art as a means of highlighting another cause when his aunt was diagnosed with cancer. He hosted a workshop to benefit her, as well as homeless people and children who are ill.

Art has become so much more meaningful for Hero than ever before. He has transformed his art into something that moves people apart from being a medium that allows him to express himself.

“Sometimes, you feel sad, bored, or depressed. And when you make art, like my tagline: Create to connect, share to inspire…if you create art and you share it with people, you can inspire many. When people are inspired, they create. It’s like a cycle,” Hero explains.

An artist long before his Star Circle Quest days, Hero describes his work as equal parts weird and fun.

“It’s really interesting and time-consuming but fun at the same time. You can express yourself kasi. It’s like cooking and baking but this time you get to make your own ingredients. You don’t go to the market. You make it piece by piece. It’s really hard, and you have to bring with you a lot of patience,” says Hero, whose sculptures take the form of miniature food as little as the tip of one’s finger.

According to Hero, the main struggle of bringing his workshop to Cebu has been the materials since they couldn’t ship sharp objects. But they managed.

“Masaya ako na na-recognize siya [Artcetero] for the past two years. Masaya ako na parang nalaman ng tao na may ginagawa akong ganoon. Awareness na rin siya sa miniature food and sobrang happy ako na napunta sa Cebu kasi meron akong natutulungan. Pero sana hindi lang Cebu ang mapuntahan ng art. Parang gusto ko na pag nakita nila ako sa TV maalala nila na Artcetero din ako, and may awareness sa art, awareness sa pagtulong sa kapwa,” Hero muses.

While he wasn’t appearing in TV shows or movies, Hero turned to miniature sculpting, painting and drawing almost every single day. As he returns to the limelight, the artist quips that he tries to balance both crafts since he loves acting and visual all the same. In fact, he had just returned from an exhibit in Mindanao when Hero received an inquiry for TV and from there, guestings and projects slowly came knocking again.

Now 33 years old, Hero acknowledges that he is past the teeny-bopper pakilig roles, and notes how he takes on father roles now. He even recently portrayed a transgender role and a killer.

These days, Hero looks forward to trying offbeat roles and maybe portray an artist.

“Nangapa ako talaga,” Hero admits of his acting return. “Kasi dati from the contest, winorkshop kami. Alam ko na kung ano yung gagawin. Pag binigyan ako ng ganito kakapal na script, kabisado ko na. Nung bumalik ako kailangan ko pa magkulong sa kwarto, babasahin ko paulit-ulit.”

“Na-miss ko rin dati yung taping, yung puyatan. Yung sisigaw na ang direk na pack-up tapos madaling araw na. Na-miss ko rin yung mga nakatrabaho ko at looking forward sa mga bago ko pang makakatrabaho.”