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Two years ago, artists and friends Brando Limon Bati and Adler Llagas had a two-man show at ARTablado Robinsons Antipolo.

ARTablado, a Robinsons Land initiative launched in 2020, has been supporting talented Filipino artists by providing them with venues so they can showcase their art and reach a bigger audience. You can find ARTablado, a portmanteau of the words “art” and “entablado” (stage), at Robinsons Antipolo, Robinsons Galleria, Summit Ridge Tagaytay and Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila.

This month, Brando and Adler return to Robinsons Antipolo not for a two-man show but for an exhibit with their families. Their wives and daughters are artists as well and now, they’ve also joined the ARTablado family.

“Dreams to Reality,” which runs until September 15, is an art exhibit that celebrates the creativity and connections of the two intertwined families. The unique show brings together the artistic visions of two close friends and their families, who are united by their shared passion for art.

“Dreams to Reality” is a testament to the bonds that tie us together. Through their diverse styles and stories, the artists explore themes of family, friendship, and creativity, offering a glimpse into the shared experiences that shape their work.

At the heart of the exhibit are the fathers, Brando and Adler, who are both accomplished artists. The two, who have supported their families with their art, now serve as mentors for their wives and daughters.

Brando, who has been painting since 1982, is a Tanay-based artist known for painting figures and still life using oil, pastel, pencil color and watercolor. His work has received recognition and awards and has been exhibited all over the country and abroad.

Adler, from Baras, Rizal, is a self-taught landscape artist who has been participating in solo and group exhibitions in the Philippines and abroad since 1996. He was recently commissioned by the Church of the Latter-day Saints to do two mural-sized paintings.

In the early days of Adler’s and Brando’s artistic careers, their wives Lucia Llagas and Teresa Demeterio Bati doted on them and supported them in different ways—from making them coffee and cleaning their studio and brushes to taking care of the kids while their husbands were busy painting.

The husbands and wives also worked together in overcoming financial challenges. Teresa said, “I had a small business and would find other ways in case no paintings were sold so I could help my husband with our daily needs.” She also recalls going with Brando to deliver paintings he had sold.

Inspired by her husband, Teresa had actually started painting using watercolor in 1997 but put it on hold to focus on working and her business. Last year, upon the encouragement of Brando, she returned to her love for painting, filling canvases with bouquets of flowers done in acrylic. She has previously participated in a group show called “Dreams” and her work has been purchased by art collectors. Her artworks always remind her to be like flowers: “Bloom. But at the perfect time.”

Teresa is grateful for how supportive her husband has been throughout her art journey. “He always has a canvas ready for me,” she said.

Though she’s had experience in export commercial painting when she was younger, it was also Lucia Llagas’ husband who influenced her art journey. “I decided to start painting because I’ve always watched him working in the art industry, and he inspired me.”

Lucia finds relaxation and happiness in painting. “Dreams to Reality” is her second exhibit.

Brando and Teresa’s daughter Candys Bati Fulgado and Adler and Lucia’s daughter Aicel Lacerna Llagas were also inspired by their fathers to go into art. 

Candys discovered her passion for art and painting as a young girl, after witnessing her father working. In 2020, her father encouraged her to paint again and she did, using acrylic on canvas. Seeing her father and mother both paint continues to inspire her. Like her mother, she loves painting flowers—spring flowers, in particular, as she sees them as symbols of new beginnings, renewal, and hope.

She is proud to have parents who are both visual artists.

Brando hopes his daughter has learned from witnessing his perseverance in his art. He wants to tell her, “Keep going, no one can take your talent away from you.”

Aicel, the second child of Adler and Lucia, also adores flowers and has decided to make them the focus of her paintings. Aicel had grown up watching her father work but, she said, “I wasn’t initially all that interested in painting.”

That changed while she was stuck at home during the pandemic. She asked her father if she could give painting a try. “He said that I could, but that I should start with a pencil… I decided to sketch flowers as my theme, and I do so every day until it’s dawn.”

Aicel’s father Adler continues to be her biggest inspiration and motivator.  Aicel, who has already participated in several exhibits, is grateful to her parents for their unwavering support for her passion. “It feels good. Painting is a way for us to bond. It’s quality time for us.”

“I’m so glad that we now also get to paint together and even have exhibits together. Art really brings us together,” said Adler about his wife and daughter.

Brando is happy to see his wife and daughter painting as well. He said that their exhibit is called “Dreams to Reality” because that’s exactly what it is—a dream turned into reality. “A lot of artists dream about exhibiting with their families but it doesn’t usually happen,” he said.

“What started as a dream is now a reality. It’s so rare for an artist to have family members who are also as passionate about painting,” said Adler.

For the Batis and the Llagases, art is a family affair.

“Dreams to Reality” runs until September 15 at ARTablado Upper Ground Floor, Main Mall, Robinsons Antipolo.