Vlad Bunoan

Curator Norman Crisologo, artist Jigger Cruz and Bambina Olivares, communications, special projects and exhibitions consultant of Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

Article (news)

Leah C. Salterio

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764635589722IMG_1995.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="950"/>Curator Norman Crisologo, artist Jigger Cruz and Bambina Olivares, communications, special projects and exhibitions consultant of Metropolitan Museum of Manila. Handout</div>Contemporary abstract artist Jigger Cruz opens his first solo museum show, “Hail Holy Eyes,” a retrospective-like showcase of almost 200 “unfinished” paintings spanning nearly two decades.“Nothing is finished,” Cruz told ABS-CBN News. “Everything is continuing.” Impressively, Cruz displays his oil paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila at Bonifacio Global City. “When Jigger says it’s not finished, the paintings are never finished,” insisted curator Norman Crisologo. “It literally isn’t. It constantly leaks, drips, changes. It wrinkles, it cracks. I think that’s going to go on for 20 to 30 years.” The works on view span from Cruz’s earliest piece in 2007 to his most recent paintings created for the exhibition, showcasing the evolution of his signature style.“You can see the evolution of Jigger’s work and style in this exhibit,” informed Bambina Olivares, communications, special projects and exhibitions consultant of Metropolitan Museum of Manila. “You can see he’s very devoted to oil, his primary medium.” “Hail Holy Eyes” complements the programming of the Met Museum. “We really focused on contemporary art and all its forms. What’s really great about this exhibition is that it’s painting, sculpture, music and installation. It’s different forms of contemporary art as expressed by Jigger,” Olivares added. Crisologo put everything together for two years from the initial discussion about the exhibit. “It started a bit informally,” he said about their discussion. “We started with a chat, then drinks in the house, before we decided to put up a show.&quot;“Metropolitan Museum is the best place to represent Jigger’s stuff. We approached Bambina and Tina Colayco. We tried to pitch the exhibit very slowly at first. They asked us a lot of stuff, plans, a lot of paperwork – all of which we didn’t have any of. Me and Jigger, we both hate the computer and we don’t want to do a lot of stuff.” Cruz is also planning to come out with a book. “We are getting in touch with all the collectors. We are getting photographs of all their existing works. We are trying to see which ones are in the Philippines and overseas,” Crisologo said.  Though Cruz is only 41, Crisologo describes him as an old soul. “The number of years isn’t that long, but when you look at the quality and gravitas of the works, that’s really quite long, maybe at least 50 years,” said Crisologo. “Also the quality of the style is really important for the people to know why Jigger Cruz is Jigger Cruz.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764635817820IMG_1998.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>It was 15 years ago when Crisologo reached out to Cruz in the artist’s residence in Fairview, Quezon City. “I just really liked his work, that’s why I asked him if I could see more,” he recalled. “I’m also a bit of a collector before. I started collecting, so I started buying Jigger’s works. “Especially here in the Philippines, his art works are very different. He loves abstract expressionism, a bit different from the usual even the American ones. It’s really exciting to see that happening here in the Philippines. That’s exciting for me, so we became friends and we hit it off. Then we started discussing how to further his career.” Although Cruz is an independent artist, he and Crisologo frequently collaborate. Together they mounted a solo show in Tokyo, another at Art Informal in Karrivin Plaza, and joined group exhibitions in Singapore and Berlin.“We did that together and we have fun doing this together,” Crisologo said. “I think it shows. We are not big in forward planning. We just let it happen whatever comes up then we decide on the spot. We are not a big, professional corporation. We are just two guys who decide. We have fun doing it together. “I just want people to understand the kind of art that the artist has. I want to get more people to see his art, appreciate it, and come face to face with it, than merely seeing the art works in photos or in books. It’s really so much different to see his textured works live.” Crisologo used to paint and previously did solo shows. But there came a time when he decided to deal with other people’s works more than his own. “I find it more interesting for me to help other artists develop their own art,” he said. “I’m happy with that.” For Cruz, his latest exhibition feels like a birthday celebration. “I have works which I haven’t seen for a long time,” Cruz said. “I did works from 2006 and 2007. When I saw them again, I felt a little bit emotional and nostalgic. They remind me of so many memories – good and bad – as well as my struggles. This is like a family reunion.” Cruz has shown his paintings and sculptures in different parts of the world. Last year, he mounted a painting exhibit in Milan, Italy — and even composed the music that accompanied the show.“Hail Holy Eyes” is Cruz’s first solo museum show. “We’ve been planning this show since two years ago,” Cruz said. “The last show I mounted here in the Philippines was before the pandemic at Art Informal Gallery at Karrivin Plaza.&quot;“This is the only time that the public can see all my paintings, especially the big ones,” Cruz added. “I don’t want to stick on one style. My style keeps on changing.”Cruz started drawing when he was only 12, using pencils, crayons, pastels. “I attended an art class,” he shared. “It has been part of my life to create something. I started doing artistic objects.” The first painting that he created was the portrait of his mom, Amelia, when she was still alive. He is the second in a brood of four. His dad, Percy, is a painter, too. “But is merely a hobbyist, not professionally,” according to Cruz. “Painting has been my language.” <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764635858121IMG_2002.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>“Hail Holy Eyes” is Cruz’s 15th solo show. His international career began with a 2011 exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland, and has since taken him to Berlin, New York, France, Italy, Austria, Japan, and several cities across Southeast Asia, including Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, and Hong Kong.For the exhibit, Cruz made an installation that serves as a memory of all his works, with all the oil paint tubes that he used, on a palette that serves as his table for all his art works in the past. “So many of the works around here in the museum came from that table,” Crisologo said. “In the center was a colorful candelabra in Jigger’s house, where he’s very well known for his parties. The people who go to his house are very familiar with his hospitality. They are very familiar with that. When they see the table, they get a warm, fuzzy feeling about all the parties he hosted. “I thought that was a great idea so people can get a homey feeling when they see this installation. We just thought about this installation two days before the exhibit opened.” Interestingly, Cruz also composed the music that comes with all of his works. He uses analog modulars for his music. The tracks are untitled, though. “That’s part of my language,” he insisted. “I want to compress my visuals to be given music. When you enter, there’ll be vibrations. You can feel the pains with the sound. The score, the soundscape changes the mood of the art work.” He used to be with a six-man band called Tether, formed when he was in college. He finished Fine Arts, major in Advertising, at the Far Eastern University. Then he took 3-D Animation at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde. He started working as a graphic artist for a porn site “At that time, no one was buying my works, so I really need to pay the bills, the rentals,” Cruz shared. “I was a color blind artist, so I don’t get easily accepted as a graphic art designer in some companies.&quot;He has yet to tie the knot, although he’s engaged with his girlfriend, Aira Hernandez, with whom he has two kids.  “I want to use all the senses for this show – hearing, sounds, feel the vibration. You can enter into a different world. That’s why I created an environment. It’s an atmospheric show. It’s not just all about the paintings. It’s all about the materials that I used from 2006 to present,” he said.Majority of the works on exhibit were borrowed from collectors. After the exhibit closes on March 1, the pieces will be returned to their respective collectors, while Cruz’s own works will go back into storage. Nothing will be on sale. “I just want them to experience the show, understand my works and at the same time, be curious,” he said. “It disappoints me when people regard my work as a commodity or as investment. They should appreciate it. “I want them to buy it because they love my work, not because they are expecting it to appraise the value. I don’t like speculators. I want them to hang my painting in their house because they love it. There’s a certain energy that they can experience while looking at my paintings. It’s the window to my soul.&quot;<div> </div><div>“Hail Holy Eyes” runs until March 1, 2026. </div>

Jigger Cruz returns with his most ambitious show yet, “Hail Holy Eyes,” featuring nearly 200 of his ever-evolving, deliberately “unfinished” works at the Metropolitan Museum.

Jigger Cruz returns with his most ambitious show yet, “Hail Holy Eyes,” featuring nearly 200 of his ever-evolving, deliberately “unfinished” works at the Metropolitan Museum.

Jigger Cruz throws open the curtain on his 'unfinished' world in Met show

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Jigger Cruz throws open the curtain on his 'unfinished' world in Met show

Leah C. Salterio

Published Dec 04, 2025 10:00 AM PHT

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Hail Holy Eyes

Metropolitan Museum

Jigger Cruz

Norman Crisologo

Bambina Olivares

oil painting

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