The Luneta Art Fair is proud to announce the first ever Spotlight Class. A selection of young, up-and-coming artists from different walks of life, chosen for their potential, drive, and artistic direction. A class whose influences and styles couldn’t be any more different from each other, but share a common experience: creating in the time of the pandemic. For some, the pandemic compelled an artistic shift. For others, art was an emotional release during the uncertainty of that period.

The Class of 2026

Gelo Andres

Gelo Andres is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Caloocan City. His works are deeply inspired by the Philippines’ rich and vibrant history, culture, traditions, and values. Aside from making art, he is also a passionate heritage advocate and enthusiast. He’s known for designing the world’s longest postage stamp released by the Philippine Post Office in 2024 entitled “Simbang Gabi Sa Ilog Pasig” which celebrates the Pasig River, its built heritage, and its cultural significance. Andres studied Visual Communication at UP Diliman – College of Fine Arts, and is a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK) and Renacimiento Manila.

Jirah Millano-Perea

Jirah Millano-Perea is a visual artist based in General Trias, Cavite. Using watercolor, ink, or coffee, she depicts Filipino life through portraits and architectural paintings. She is also an advocate of heritage preservation, actively participating in art-advocacy groups such as Renacimiento Manila, Urban Sketchers Manila, Philippine Fauna Art Society, and Philippine Botanical Art Society.

Joveneil De Guzman

“I create art as a means of releasing negativity and transforming it into expression. Through creating characters that embody my inner self, I transform personal struggles into visual stories that connect with others.”

Kulas Jalea

Kulas Jalea is a visual artist currently based in Mandaluyong City. He is passionate about creating stories, identities, and visual narratives through illustration. His art is closely tied to community and the everyday human experience, in which he finds inspiration from the people around him—their stories, culture, and unwavering spirit. Through his work, he strives to capture a sense of belonging and shared connection that give people a feeling of place and purpose.

Patrick Kent Oaferina

Patrick Kent Oaferina is a doodle artist based in Pasay City. His work explores the childlike wonder of doodles. He likes to make playful doodles that depict the simplicity and peace of living entirely in the present moment as well as the complicated, painful, and spiritual nature of existence in abstract, intricate drawings.

Pipesman

Even as a child, Lino Jamisola has created his own toys. Simple materials like newspapers, cartons, styrofoam, tin cans and other odds and ends were transformed into space ships of different shapes and designs. Growing up, he familiarized himself with different equipments and power tools and learned their safe and proper use. His skills were further honed thru the vocational courses he enrolled in during his high school years and even more so when he decided to take up Fine Arts at the Technological University of the Philippines in Manila. All of these shaped his approach in his art practice: a mix of playful intuition and precision execution.

Ululay

Ululay (G Bangsail) is a fiber artist based in Metro Manila, specializing in fiber arts and soft sculpture. Her work explores the intersection of craft and nature, consciously recreating biophilic shapes and textures inspired by her everyday surroundings, travels, and memories from her childhood home. She achieves this through constant experimentation with fibers and yarn and through pushing the boundaries of her chosen materials.