Ikaw Na (You Already) Painting

Ernest Concepcion (b. 1977) is a studio artist who works both in Manila and abroad. He spent several years in Brooklyn, New York, where he participated in a number of art residences including The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) Workspace Program, the Bronx Museum of Art Artists-in-the-Marketplace (AIM) Program, the Artists Alliance Inc. Rotating Studio Program, the Lower East Side Printshop Keyholder Residency, the LMCC Swing Space Program at Governors Island and an artist residency in Beijing, China via NY Arts Magazine. A graduate of the University of the Philippines Bachelor of Fine Arts, Concepcion has produced a significant body of work with particular interest in experimentation in the fields of painting, sculpture, and installation. In 2011 he was both a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) finalist in the Drawing Category and a Nominee for the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant. In 2012, he re-established his connections with some prominent Manila art galleries where he had two solo exhibitions, in West Gallery and Blanc Gallery respectively and participated in a number of major group exhibitions including an artist feature at The Lopez Memorial Museum. In 2013, he participated at El Museo del Barrio's La Bienal in New York, and had a solo exhibition in Minneapolis before returning back to Manila to exhibit at Art Informal, Secret Fresh and 1335Mabini Gallery. In 2014 he became a Light & Space Contemporary resident artist and held his first ever solo museum exhibition at the UP Vargas Museum showcasing entirely new epic scale works that not only marks a momentous return home for the artist but also became his ultimate artistic epiphany. He was given the 13 Artists Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2015. He divides his time as a full-time artist working between Manila and Brooklyn. Concepcion is currently represented by 1335Mabini ().