Harvest of Hope, Oil on Canvas, 24×18 inches | Contributed photo
On Fifth Avenue, where the Philippine Center Gallery glows against Manhattan’s rush, the canvases of Nante Carandang—the Visual Prophet from Tuy, Batangas—speak with the same fervor as prayers. His mangoes are not just fruit; they are blessings in oil and light, arranged like altar offerings to both culture and Creator.
For Carandang, belief always came before brushwork. “My faith in the Lord came before my faith in art,” he says. “Each painting is a reminder of how great our Creator is and how His gifts are revealed in everyday life.”
That conviction now takes center stage in “HIYAS,” a landmark exhibition at the Philippine Center Gallery in New York City, running from August 18 to 29, 2025. Curated by Elba S. Cruz, the exhibit assembles an impressive constellation of Filipino artists: Antonio Afable, Ann Constantino Beck, Romeo Cortez Jr., Florentino “Jun” Impas, Kublai Millan, Celso and Fe Pepito, Marcelino Rodriguez, Cesear de los Santos III, Jik Villanueva, and Carandang himself. Together, they form a vibrant showcase of Filipino artistry—hyperrealism, abstraction, surrealism, and regional traditions converging in one of Manhattan’s most symbolic cultural spaces.
Carandang’s mango paintings—Immeasurable Faith and Harvest of Hope—anchor his New York showcase. At first glance, they appear photographic, but closer study reveals more: the warmth of Batangas sunlight clinging to each golden orb, the texture of newsprint cradling the fruit, the delicate imperfections that suggest both ripeness and fragility.
For Carandang, the mango is more than the Philippines’ national fruit; it is an allegory of providence, gratitude, and resilience. Yet it is also sensual. He explains that he wants his viewers not just to see the mango, but to taste it, crave it, even smell it. Standing before his canvases, one feels the sweetness rising off the paint, as if the fruit itself had just been picked from a tree. The folds of the newspaper beneath whisper of ordinary lives elevated into art, while the careful play of leaf and basket hints at continuity, heritage, and the abundance of the land.
For collectors, these paintings offer more than decoration. They are heirlooms of identity, alive with sensory memory. Their hyperrealism is not cold precision, but a spiritual amplification of the ordinary, each mango a reminder of gratitude, each composition an invitation to carry the richness of Filipino heritage into one’s home.
While the mangoes command the spotlight in New York, Carandang is equally admired for his koi paintings, luminous depictions of perseverance and fortune that seem to swim off the canvas. These, however, are not part of HIYAS and remain available only through private commission, works he creates with personal stories in mind for discerning collectors.
Carandang’s journey, sculpting toys out of scrap in Batangas to exhibiting on Fifth Avenue, is both personal and communal. Through artist groups he founded, such as Pintor Kulapol and PARISUKAT, he continues to mentor younger artists and promote regional voices, while serving as Head Resident Artist at the Manila Clock Tower Museum. His honors include the Dangal ng Batangas Award for Visual Arts (2020) and the TALA Award for Visual Arts (2023). Still, he regards these accolades less as trophies than as reminders of his mission: to use art as a tool of inspiration, education, and gratitude.
Presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Philippine Center New York, and the Philippine Consulate General in New York, and supported by Filipino community organizations and cultural advocates, HIYAS positions Filipino art on the global stage with pride and conviction. Its opening reception is further enriched by an exceptional performance from Kinding Sindaw, the New York-based dance theater ensemble dedicated to preserving indigenous Philippine traditions.
In New York, Carandang’s message is simple but profound: “Believe in your abilities. Be endlessly thankful to the One who gave you your gifts. Keep showing the world the richness of our culture, and His love for us all.” The Visual Prophet of Tuy now stands once more in the world’s art capital, not just with technique, but with testimony. Each mango glows with sunlight, each commissionable koi awaits a future canvas, and together they declare: Mabuhay ang Sining at Kulturang Filipino.
