Mark, who is one of the most sought after photographers in the Philippines – having shot most of the biggest names in fashion, show business, and society, has decided to take his career to the next level becoming one of Philippine art scene’s most anticipated artists. 

From his very first mixed media canvas work that fetched a record-high of P1.8M, he reveals his second work at Modeka’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” with another mixed-media work but in the form of a sculpture.

As an exhibiting artist, Mark’s works immerse the power of visual aesthetics in an intense rendering of reality. Far from the glamour shots of his work as a fashion photographer, Mark frames beauty in the stillness of people and nature.

Merging found materials with a resin sculpture, Nicdao forays into a form that represents a portal into the different elements of time.

The work consists of an easel made from the 1930s, which he acquired from a French septuagenarian artist while traveling in Montmartre —an area in Paris where 19th century masters like Degas, Van Gogh, and Picasso had lived. The easel was used by the French artist in his youth —a fact that amused Nicdao reflecting back on that time he was an art student.

In the same work, the glistening bust of a woman emerges from the air into an old wooden frame as if coming from an imaginary portal. Nicdao believes that portals and doors are always about decisions, and everyday, we walk through the different portals of life. In his own words he says, “The classic and (the) modern will always be in the alleys of my conscious and subconscious mind.” In his work for the exhibition, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, Nicdao offers his introspection on his life’s journey and on his artistic transformation as he continues to expand the scope of his ingenuity and imagination.