Benjie Cabangis is a Filipino painter and printmaker recognized for his distinctive approach to abstraction, where nature and representational imagery are transformed into minimalist grids and cubes. He studied both Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, later serving as professor and Dean of the UP College of Fine Arts.
Cabangis was honored as a CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee in 1978, and in 1999 received the Gawad Chanselor Award as the University of the Philippines’ Outstanding Visual Artist. Over the course of his career, he has mounted more than twenty solo exhibitions, including notable shows at Sining Kamalig (1980), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1982), Hiraya Gallery (1986), and Liongoren Gallery (1993).
His art is characterized by layered acrylic washes, stenciled patterns, and subtle figurative elements, evoking the fragmented nature of memory and perception. According to art critic Reuben Canete, Cabangis’ works allude to “rolling atmosphere and storm‑tossed oceans… rendered in cubes and grids that segment and bracket off spaces with minimalist precision.”
Through his practice, Cabangis has created a body of work that is both intellectually rigorous and poetically resonant, positioning him as one of the leading figures in Philippine contemporary abstraction.
