National Artist BenCab brings his iconic figures to life in bronze

For decades, National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera has captivated audiences with paintings of women wrapped in flowing fabrics, their figures caught between movement, vulnerability, and quiet strength.

Now, the celebrated Filipino artist is bringing that distinctive visual language into three dimensions, exploring the sculptural possibilities of the human form.

His bronze sculpture “Three Muses,” created in 2024, is among the highlights of “BenCab: In Honor of Form,” an exhibition at Gajah Gallery Manila running from October 18 to November 22, 2026.

The work features three women brought together by dramatic folds of bronze drapery. Their peaceful expressions contrast with the sweeping fabric that appears to twist and move around their bodies.

Unlike a painting, the sculpture invites viewers to walk around it, discovering different relationships between the figures from every angle.

The exhibition also features BenCab’s 2017 acrylic painting of the same title, offering visitors an opportunity to appreciate how his fascination with women, fabric, and movement translates across artistic mediums.

From Sabel to sculpture

BenCab’s exploration of drapery is deeply rooted in his most recognizable artistic subject, Sabel.

Inspired by a homeless woman he encountered in Manila in the 1960s, Sabel became an enduring figure in Philippine contemporary art.

Her makeshift clothing, often depicted as swirling layers of fabric, evolved into a powerful visual expression of human dignity, isolation, and resilience.

Over the decades, BenCab transformed these images into increasingly abstract compositions, where fabric itself became as expressive as the human figure.

His sculptural works extend that exploration, turning the illusion of movement on canvas into physical forms that occupy space.

A National Artist still exploring

Named National Artist for Visual Arts in 2006, BenCab has spent more than six decades developing one of the most recognizable visual styles in Philippine art.

Although best known for his paintings, drawings, and prints, his engagement with sculpture demonstrates the continuing evolution of his artistic practice.

In “Three Muses,” bronze takes on the softness of fabric, while solid figures appear to move within a continuous flow of drapery.

The result is unmistakably BenCab, but experienced from an entirely different perspective.

At an age when many artists might simply revisit their greatest achievements, the 84-year-old National Artist continues to explore new ways of expressing the human form.

“BenCab: In Honor of Form” is on view at Gajah Gallery Manila until November 22, 2026.