The CalligraFilipino artist talks about his upcoming MoCAF special exhibit and his identity as a Baybayin artist.

Words Mika Geronimo
Photography Jennefer Sneddon

Before landing on his signature style of Baybayin art, which he dubs CalligraFilipino, Taipan Lucero first gained formal training in drawing and painting as a Fine Arts alum from no less than the University of the Philippines. Upon graduating, Lucero trod the path of advertising by kickstarting his firm, where he channeled his creativity into graphic design and marketing.

Much has changed since then, as the said firm “fell apart,” prompting Lucero to go solo. This and more were unraveled in a conversation on the lead-up to Lucero’s special exhibition with the Department of Tourism for the 2024 Modern and Contemporary Art Festival.

An anime enthusiast, Lucero was inclined to more traditional forms of art as a child. He was also more so drawn to the act of writing rather than studying as a young student, bagging “Best in Penmanship” awards during his elementary years. This seemed to have foreshadowed his career at present.

Today, you can find Lucero’s art in published books, as well as showcased at his local or international speaking engagements and exhibits. 

The seeds of Lucero’s CalligraFilipino took root during his time as a graphic designer in Kobe, Japan, where he was hired by a former American client who encouraged Lucero to train in the design and artistic philosophies of Shodo, or Japanese calligraphy.

“While I was doing that, I experienced firsthand how the Japanese love and respect their culture,” he said about the art form, which involves everything from one’s manner of sitting and preparation of materials, down even to their breathing techniques.

After quitting his job in Japan, Lucero returned to the motherland to apply what he had learned to our own native writing system.

The artist devoted himself to self-research via the Internet as well as by attending multiple conferences and festivals. It was here that he became well-acquainted with the different scripts of the Philippines, each adhering to the country’s different languages and its subsequent writing, phonetic, and grammatical conventions. Just as Baybayin is akin to Tagalog, Kulitan is associated with Pampanga’s Kapampangan, and Badlit to the Visayan region.

CalligraFilipino has uplifted Lucero and the art of Filipino script to the world stage. He has worked with government agencies like the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) for his solo exhibition "CalligraFilipino I: Baybayin Illumination,” held at Intramuros, where the Embassy of Iran promptly reached out to him for several collaborations. 

In 2022, Lucero embarked on a tour of the United States, appearing at several cultural heritage events at Google, a Golden State Warriors game, as well as San Francisco’s annual Pistahan Parade and Festival.

“I was, I guess, received well in the U.S., for Filipino-Americans because I think they are very hungry to know more about their history, their heritage, their ancestry.”

Having been well-traveled both locally and internationally in the promotion of his work, Lucero finds that art is indeed an integral part of promoting tourism. In the Philippines alone, each region boasts a diverse range of homegrown crafts, visual arts, performing arts, and more: “I think if you go through all the regions of the Philippines, you can find so many different art forms. It really lends to strong tourism.”

Ahead of his MoCAF special exhibition in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Lucero also looked back on a previous collaboration with the agency entitled Sining Eskinita in 2021. 

“Our goal then was to make public spaces safer and more, I guess tourist-friendly,” he shared. The street art festival saw Lucero and fellow artists paint murals along Baguio City’s lesser-known spots, depicting everyday life in the city. 

Lucero’s work can be classified as either graphic or handwritten. However, both modes of his process are aptly inspired by Filipino culture. From depicting the colors and figures of the mythical Sarimanok, to the Ifugao’s Linling-o, to his alma mater’s mantra of Dangal at Husay, Lucero’s work bears enough intention befitting of the nuances of the Filipino character, whether that may be in word, imagery, or meaning.

Art and culture enthusiasts can look forward to the CalligraFilipino artist’s four new works made especially for this year’s MoCAF. One of these features his Kulintang style, inspired by the Filipino brass gong of the same name, calling these his most “aesthetically pleasing” works yet.