BEN NAZARENO

BEN NAZARENO, ARTIST, FILIPINO, FIGURATIVE NUDE PAINTING AND DRAWING

Born in 1978 in Strasbourg, France, Ben Nazareno has spent most of his life in the Philippines. He believes that his artistic preoccupation with the female form and the feminine has its origins in the early separation from his mother; for it is a resemblance of his deepest longing for a mother’s care and love. “I know that through my paintings, I am continuously building bridges to come closer in the never - ending search for my Mother“. (Nazareno 2006)

During and after his studies at the Philippine Women’s University Institute of Fine Arts, Ben Nazareno worked for different Art Firms in Manila whilst exploring different avenues within the arts, such as photography, illustrations, cartooning, glass printmaking and graphics designing, while pursuing his craft as a painter.


As an artist, Ben finds the human body to be the most beautiful form within art. Without uttering a sound, it speaks volumes beyond the capabilities of the spoken word. Even if his main focus is the female nude, he also avidly explores different aspects of human relationships, as well as the expression of human emotion and eroticism within his work. Despite having used various mediums to create his works, he now mainly works with oil, considering this technique the most sophisticated in terms of colour and texture. Poignant and controversial in style, Nazareno’s canvases are meticulous studies of form and composition. The striking figurative nudes display not only emotion and eroticism within pose, but also confront the viewer with an explosion of colour. His artworks are displayed in galleries, corporate offices and the residences of private collectors from South East Asia to Europe“.


(Saatchi Gallery says: “One of the best striking and vivid displays of Western Nude Paintings by a Filipino Artist whom he shares his roots between his father’s pride as a Malay and the artistic blood that runs as a French“).

July 1998 - First Solo Art Exhibit “Then God Created Woman” at the PICC Manila, Philippines.

September 1999 - Group Art Exhibit “ Mademoiselle” at the Alliance Française de Manille in Makati City, Philippines

December 2000 - Group Art Exhibit “ Kababaihan” at the RCBC Plaza Makati City, Philippines

March 2001 - Solo Art Exhibit “ Freedom” at the RCBC Plaza Makati City, Philippines

July 2001 - Group Art Exhibit “ Prospective Emotions” at the Petronas Gallery in Malaysia

September 2002 - Solo Art Exhibit “ Le Commencement” at the Alliance Française de Manille in Makati City, Philippines

December 2003 - “Babaylan” Group Exhibition of Filipino/French Artist in France at the Philippine National Bank Champs Elysee/Paris, France

July 2006 -”Nothing Else But Nude” Solo Art Exhibit at the West Eleven Gallery, London UK

June 2007 "Colours and Contrast" Solo Art Exhibit at Red Gate Gallery, Brixton, London UK

January 2008 " Its Not Over Yet " A Group Exhibition of London's Diversed Contemporary Artist currently based in London. Check out www.itsnotoveryet.co.uk for more details