When discussing fine arts education in the Philippines, one may almost immediately think of two institutional titans: the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and the UST College of Fine Arts. Together, these two institutions have captured the public imagination—canonizing generations of National Artists and setting the tone of the mainstream historical narrative of Philippine art.
Yet when a collective of Far Eastern University (FEU) alumni came together to present Rectomade 6 at The Grey Space, it naturally sparked a different kind of inquiry.
What is the defining ethos of the FEU Fine Arts community? And what unique worldviews continue to emerge when art-making is forged along the concrete stretch of Recto?
The FEU identity
The fine arts experience at FEU cannot be divorced from the environment in which the university is situated. In fact, one could argue that its immediate surroundings have shaped students as much as, if not more than, formal academic programming.
And Recto Avenue—one of Manila’s grittiest, busiest, and infamously congested arteries—serves as a curious creative habitat. Here, street culture, informal economies, and the relentless hustle and bustle of the University Belt do not merely surround the campus; they condition young artists to navigate the world through resourcefulness and unconventional problem-solving.
This distinct yet evolving “FEU identity” was not simply hyperlocal; for many, it was born out of sheer necessity and the demands of collegiate survival.
Visual artist Bjorn Calleja candidly reframes the origin story of their generation: “Actually, ‘yong collective identity naming mga FEU alumni, para sa akin, wala siya masyadong direct na kinalaman sa FEU Fine Arts program. Wala kasi kaming masyadong practicing na professors at mentors no’ng nag-aaral pa kami. Tapos palagi kaming na-reject ng mga galleries kasi wala naman kaming malalim na history sa fine arts as a school,” Calleja shares.
“Ang kuwento kasi namin talaga, kami ang gumawa ng paraan, through the community of artists. Mas natuto kami sa peers. Tapos pagpasok ng eksena, strength by numbers, na-witness namin kung gaano kahirap i-penetrate ang art scene as outsiders during the mid-2000s, kaya nag-start kami gumawa ng sariling events and exhibitions.”
A community of “outsiders”
Calleja’s insight lays bare the impetus behind Rectomade. It was never about representing an alma mater’s formal curriculum; rather, it was about the solidarity of outsiders who had to teach one another, create their own spaces, and forge their own entry points into an art world that initially offered them few, if any, seats at the table.
For visual artist Rhex Dacaymat, FEU provided the essential groundwork for someone entering the discipline with little to no prior training or experience.
The culture of informal studio visits and horizontal learning made an indelible mark in Dacaymat’s own artistic practice. “Nakita lang din namin ‘yong mga higher batch namin kung paano mag-work pag nag-studio visit kami noon hanggang sa nakakakuha kami ng mga tips na dapat ganito, dapat ganiyan.”
Beyond studio mechanics, Dacaymat points to Recto itself as an unwitting teacher of temperament—a locality that has cultivated a sense of patience and perspective. “No’ng student pa kami, sobrang dami namin na-e-experience, nakikita, [na] nagaganap sa Recto. Minsan, na-e-enjoy din namin ‘yong mga every day na ganap kahit magulo.”
“No’ng student pa kami, sobrang dami namin na-e-experience, nakikita, [na] nagaganap sa Recto. Minsan, na-e-enjoy din namin ‘yong mga every day na ganap kahit magulo”
“Siguro ayon na rin ‘yong tumatak sakin na i-appreciate and mag-enjoy lang kahit sobrang magulo na ‘yong mga nangyayari sa paligid,” he adds.
Meanwhile, visual artist Emmanuel Sutton speaks to the culture of communal care that keeps such an ecosystem running over time. Having participated in Rectomade since its first edition before eventually joining the organizing team, Sutton reflects on the sustained effort behind the platform: “Over the years, mas na-appreciate ko kung gaano pala kahirap mag-sustain ng ganitong initiative, lalo na’t lahat naman kami may kaniya-kaniyang buhay, trabaho, at mga pinagkakaabalahan. Labor of love talaga siya, for the love of the game, ika nga,” Sutton shares.
“Pero I think at the end of the day, community talaga ‘yong nangingibabaw. Kasi when you’re part of a community yourself, alam mo rin kung ano ‘yong mga kailangan, kung ano ‘yong kulang, at kung gaano kahalaga na may mga pagkakataong makapagpakita ng trabaho at magkita-kita,” he adds.
“We all have a part in keeping the community alive, and sometimes that simply means showing up for one another.”
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Pervasive presence
This community-centric ethos extends beyond the Fine Arts studios and permeates the wider creative output of FEU alumni across disciplines. FEU Architecture alumnus Dennis Bato points to a shared DNA that spans various creative fields.
“May magandang sinabi si Kat Medina tungkol sa DNA ng mga FEU artists: ‘Sa lahat ng field ng art, most likely may makikita kang creative from FEU. May mga artists from FEU that started as apprentices and assistants of established artists. Tapos meron din sa ibang field, film, or theater,’” Bato notes.
For Bato, this presence across creative sectors comes down to a quiet kind of tenacity. “I think kahit di man masyadong nabibigyan ng break ‘yong mga artists from FEU, ‘yong grit para makipagsabayan, kahit pa uneven ang playing field at merong handicap, mag-pe-persevere pa rin, mapa-technical o conceptual man ang strengths ng isang artist.”
“I think kahit di man masyadong nabibigyan ng break ‘yong mga artists from FEU, ‘yong grit para makipagsabayan, kahit pa uneven ang playing field at merong handicap, mag-pe-persevere pa rin, mapa-technical o conceptual man ang strengths ng isang artist”
That ethos of perseverance and openness does not remain confined to nostalgia or annual alumni exhibitions; it actively informs how FEU artists build artist-led platforms in the contemporary art scene.
“Makikita mo siya kung paano pinapatakbo nina Gene Paul and Potti ang Sampaguita Projects… Inclusive sila sa lahat ng creatives, and di sila fan ng mga gatekeepers sa art world,” Calleja observes.
The formation through Recto Avenue
For artist couple and Sampaguita Projects co-founders Potti Lesaguis and Gene Paul Martin, this determination to create spaces that allow for grassroots artistic development beyond market-driven considerations is a direct extension of their formative years along Recto Avenue.
“FEU gave us a foundation in painting, but our experiences in Recto gave us another kind of education. Recto is a chaotic part of the metropolis where different worlds constantly collide. There’s an energy to it that we find interesting. Unpredictable, messy, and full of life. That experience shaped how we see things, both as an artist and as a person,” Lesaguis and Martin share.
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In an art ecosystem often perceived as being defined by prestige metrics, high barriers to entry, and institutional biases, the story of FEU’s alumni—from the DIY-driven efforts of mid-2000s self-starters to today’s platform builders—demonstrates that a legacy is not always inherited; it can also be built brick by brick from the ground up.
And sometimes, it is hammered out along the asphalt of Recto, forged through peer mentorship and collective effort, and sustained by transforming urban chaos into an enduring space for community-centered growth.