Carlo Gabuco

Born 1981 in the Philippines, Carlo Gabuco is a modern contemporary artist known for his investigative works based on human atrocities. With his quirky artworks, he aspires to portray narratives that do not fall under the purview of popular media. Primarily a visual artist, Gabuco uses several media to showcase the negative adversaries of humanity like pain and conflict. He has held several one-man shows and group shows across the world including, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
Moved by world events, Gabuco’s powerful images serve as a social comment on the recent phenomena. Emotionally, he captures scarring human incidents, and individually, each image showcases personal moments that stand as the epitome of time and penance. The paintings are raw and gut-wrenching, most of which are based on his own experiences, observations and interpretations. While showcasing the changing political landscape of the Philippines, Gabuco believes it is difficult to stay neutral, witnessing the heinous crimes. He triggers the viewer’s attention by making the public face these controversial issues with an aim to bring about intervention on some issues.
Gabuco largely paints using oil paints on canvas, driven by the seeming apathy towards the thousands killed during the war on drugs in the Philippines. It is evident through Gabuco’s works that art can help people connect with some aspect of social reality in a manner that they could otherwise not have without the aid of art. 
His work demonstrates that art fulfils a role in the life of the artist and it allows them to be in touch with themselves and who they become. Occasionally allowing them to address social problems since artists possess certain freedom to probe into controversial topics that might not be highlighted in the mainstream.
Gabuco currently lives and works in Manila.