ABOUT RUSS

Russ Ligtas earned his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in Cebu with a major in Painting. Before fully committing to his art, Russ worked with Kenneth Cobonpue as a designer at HIVE, a design house that produces interior accessories for the Kenneth Cobonpue line. He also taught Art at BRIGHT Academy while developing his thesis on performance-oriented paintings and assemblage. He is a member of Cebu’s only performance art group XO? alongside his mentors Raymund Fernandez and Roy Lu. His performances involve character design, poetry, film, and Butoh. He is also member of the international art association The Academy of Everything is Possible based in Dublin, Ireland, an institution that fosters art for spiritual awareness. Russ is also a writer of Cebuano and English poetry and other forms of the written word and is a member of BATHALAD INC., a literary group for Cebuano writers of the native tongue and perfomance poetry group The Really Bad Poets. He contributes for ZEE Lifestyle Magazine Russ loves nature, from the ocean to the mountains. He enjoys the company of cetaceans, even more than humans sometimes. Russ currently resides in the island of Cebu,  the Philippines.


PRESS

Selected Exhibitions and Performances
*within Cebu City, Philippines unless otherwise indicated

8th Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition, Bacolod City, November 2004
CAUTION (solo exhibition + performance )Crossroads, March 2007
Intersecting Here (with Patricia Mendoza and Ariel Yamba), UPVCC Gallery,  March 2006
RED (with Patricia Mendoza), Mooon Gallery, February 2006
Kabakaba ba ka (group exhibit), Kahayag Cafe, October 2005
Lachryma (solo performance), Crossroads, May 2007
La Puta Libertad ( solo performance), Crossroads, June 2007
Today Today Today, Now Now Now, the luxury of everything is possible-
and the price of knowledge (solo exhibition + performance), Gamayng Gallery, September 2008
A Thousand and One Tongues (exhibition + performance with Bambi Beltran), Gallery Q, May 2009
Color me Visceral (Performance for European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines), CFIF Center, July 2009
Appendices (with Patricia Mendoza), Gamayng Gallery, October 2009
One Visayas (group exhibition) Capiz, Iloilo, March 2010
Russ/Raz (performance exhibition with Razcel Salvarita), Luce Auditorium, Dumaguete City, July 2010
Rocking the Mouth’s Cradle (solo exhibition),  856 G Gallery, August 2010
Come Together (group exhibition), Lab-as Gallery, Dumaguete City, September 2010
Alampat-Искусство (Iskusstvo): Art in 2 Languages (Russia – Cebu Group Exhibition) Cebu International Convention Center CICC, October 2010
Pintor Kulapol (group exhibition), Gamayng Gallery, November 2010
Agi (Visayas Biennale 2010 group exhibition), Museo Sugbo, November 2010
Agi-anan (Visayas Biennale 2010 group exhibition), Museo Sugbo, November 2010
Art Traviata (group exhibition), Alternative Contemporary Art Studio,  November 2010
The Waking of Lazaruss (solo performance), Diwata Galeri, November 2010
Am, but and other uncertainties (Butoh performances), Bantawan Theater, December 2010
Rocking the Mouth’s Cradle (solo exhibition), Alternative Contemporary Art Studio, December 2010
Ceb – Mla (group exhibition), Ateneo Rizal Library, Manila, February 2011
Facing Extinction (group exhibition + solo performance) SM Art Center, February 2011
Mdm B. Niyaan (solo multimedia performance), Diwata Galeri, Cebu, April 2011
Happy. (solo multimedia performance), Diwata Galeri, May 2011
Recurring Dreams + Mdm B. Niyaan (video installations + performance), Picasso, Manila,  June  2011
 Mdm B. Niyaan (group show), Dance Forum Studio, Manila, July 2011
Happy. (solo multimedia performance), Carlos Celdran’s Living Room, Manila, July 2011
Sigbinikilat (performance pilgrimage with XO? Performance Art Group), Dumaguete City, July 2011
Cities After Dark (Butoh Performances), ADMU Fine Arts Theater, Manila, September 2011
Three Lullabies (Butoh Performances), Handuraw, October 2011
Project: Taji (Butoh Performances for Earth Island Institute) , Taiji, Japan, October 2011
Happy. (solo multimedia performance), Bantawan Theater, December 2011
Happy. (solo multimedia performance), Cebu City Museum, January 2012