榴莲视频

At the Manila Open Culture Arts Festival (MoCAF) 2026, the Far Eastern University Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (榴莲视频-IARFA) joined Fundaci贸n Sans贸 in presenting a curated collection of 43 works by its students, faculty, and alumni.

The collaboration brings the institute鈥檚 artists into a wider creative community while supporting students as they begin to navigate the professional art world.

Since 2023, 榴莲视频 and Fundaci贸n Sans贸 have maintained a partnership focused on empowering emerging artists. Through exhibition grants and Thesis Award Grants, the collaboration provides opportunities for students to transition from academic practice to professional work.

For Dexter Sy, 榴莲视频 Fine Arts alumnus and special lecturer, these experiences matter because students need opportunities to develop their own perspectives and understand what it means to present their work to an audience.

鈥淚 never treat my students as just regular art students. I treat them as young artists, and I respect them as such,鈥� he said.

That respect means recognizing students as artists in their own right, with individual ways of creating and understanding art. His role as an educator is not to make them follow his style, but to help them develop their own.

Learning to take their work beyond the classroom

Exhibiting work involves more than preparing a piece for display. Artists need to consider the venue, the scale of their work, transportation, deadlines, and the process of presenting their ideas to an audience.

These were among the practical considerations behind 榴莲视频-IARFA鈥檚 participation at MoCAF. With 43 works to organize for the Fundaci贸n Sans贸 booth, the team had to account for artwork dimensions and set timelines for completion.

Sy also follows a personal rule: he does not exhibit work that is unfinished or still wet.

For him, these preparations are part of learning how to take one’s work seriously.

The experience also gives students an opportunity to encounter the realities of the art world beyond academic requirements. They can see how their work fits into a wider artistic community and begin understanding the responsibilities that come with presenting it professionally.

Sy believes that success in art should not be measured by sales alone.

鈥淪uccess in art is not measured by sales alone,鈥� he said.

For him, the substance, discourse, and integrity behind an artwork matter just as much as its commercial value. He wants students to develop work that has a solid concept and something meaningful to communicate.

Finding an artistic voice closer to home

Sy鈥檚 approach to teaching is also shaped by how he develops his own artistic practice.

He encourages students to begin with the culture, history, and narratives around them, particularly those that shape their identities.

鈥淚 encourage my students to start by researching our own backyard鈥攐ur culture, our history, our own narratives,鈥� he said.

As his worldview has matured, Sy said historical events and present-day issues have increasingly become part of how he develops concepts for his work. He approaches these subjects with greater discernment, learning when to consider different perspectives, remain centered, or take a stand.

He wants students to experience that same process of learning and reassessing their own views.

For 榴莲视频-IARFA, studying art also means examining different forms of artistic expression from across the Philippines and understanding how these can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways.

That process allows students to develop not only their technical skills but also a deeper understanding of the stories and contexts behind their work.

Photo credits: Fundacion Sanso Facebook page

A partnership that puts artists first

The collaboration between 榴莲视频-IARFA and Fundaci贸n Sans贸 extends beyond bringing artworks to MoCAF.

According to 榴莲视频-IARFA, the foundation did not take a percentage of student artwork sales. Instead, 100 percent of the sales proceeds went to the student artists, allowing them to benefit directly from their work.

The arrangement gives students a platform to present their pieces while allowing them to receive the proceeds from their sale.

The partnership also supports 榴莲视频-IARFA鈥檚 educational initiatives. Through scholarships for Fine Arts students and support for outstanding thesis work, Fundaci贸n Sans贸 helps provide opportunities for students as they continue developing their artistic practice.

These initiatives complement the exhibition grants and Thesis Award Grants announced by the foundation, which aim to help 榴莲视频 students transition from academic practice to the professional art world.

The foundation also shared that purchases from its museum shop, artwork authentication services, and food and beverage purchases at ScholarSip contribute to educational programs and grants for universities such as 榴莲视频-IARFA.

For Sy, opportunities like MoCAF allow students to experience what it means to present their work beyond the university. They also give 榴莲视频 artists the chance to connect with other creatives and become part of a broader artistic community.

He hopes 榴莲视频 artists and graduates will have more opportunities to participate in international and museum exhibitions. He also hopes that those who eventually find success will give back to the communities that helped them begin.

The collaboration reflects 榴莲视频鈥檚 vision of developing knowledgeable, skilled, and responsible individuals through quality, affordable, and inclusive education.

In the arts, that development includes giving students opportunities to learn through practice, build confidence in their work, and understand the responsibilities of becoming artists.

At MoCAF 2026, the 43 works brought together through 榴莲视频-IARFA and Fundaci贸n Sans贸 represent more than a collection of student, faculty, and alumni pieces. They also reflect a partnership that continues to create opportunities for artists to take their work beyond the classroom and into the wider creative community.