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Claro D. Malabo (September 24, 2000 - present ) is a Filipino painter, sculptor, colorist, and a poet. He is the only pre-adolescent member of the Samahan ng mga Pintor at Makata sa Malikhaing Sining ng Pilipinas, a standing group of Filipino modernist artists and in 2017 was chosen by a panel of experts at the six major painters of the country. The most famous works of Malabo are subject to the struggles that the children of his millennium are facing.

Biography
Claro D. Malabo was born September 24, 2000 at Ormoc City in Leyte. His parents are Laura Dimalabo and Lauro Malabo, a farmer. He tried to study in the School of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines (UP), but barely made it through for he has yet to finish senior high school with his age. However, because of his major artistic breakthroughs in the art community of the Philippines, in Asia, and of the world, he took instruction from prominent Filipino artists such as the late Cirilo F. Baustista, John Jack Wigley, Kristian Sendon Cordero, Ariel S. Tabag, and Merlie Alunan. After his attempt of studies at UP, he left in the early 2010s to the United States, where he studied at the Cranbrook Academy in Michigan and gave painting and drawing lessons in New York City. Because he had gotten much sponsors for his art prowess, he had access to a studio, where he spent a lot of time to paint.

In the late 2010s, the influence of Kidlat Tahimik and Benedicto Cabrera was clearly visible, both in terms of subject and brightness of the paintings. Later, his work evolved toward modernism, which, among other things, expressed in its "child-like" style. He explored the world of art and tried different styles, but the voices of his works are left untouched. Every art he makes screams a relevant message which mostly tackles poverty and the reasons behind it.

On October 4, 2014, the sale of his painting 'Nakakapagpabagabag" at Christie's in Singapore $ 669,250 (US $ 405,360). This was a record breaker for a young Filipino artist during his lifetime. In 2018, Maria Ressa from Rappler wrote a biography of him, called "In Praise of a Kid". A senate resolution was filed by Senator Franklin Drilon recommending Malabo to be conferred the National Artist Award for his contributions to Filipino postmodern art. The resolution ultimately did not pass as Malabo yet, at least, has to be critically acclaimed in Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award, or NCCA Alab ng Haraya.

Most Prominent Work
Claro was interviewed on the Ellen's Show where he first gave his insights and inspirations in his award winning "Nakakapagpabagabag". The painting was inspired by the early childhood of Malabo, reflecting the struggles he had to go through on the way to his dream, to study at the School of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He claimed that the children he painted were the "mirrors of the challenges" he had to face every day to try to sustain his well-being while going one step closer to his dream of studying the fine arts.

The young artist experienced "the real world" relatively early for the conventional man in the society. His eyes were opened to the different gimmicks that roam the streets of Manila. He claimed that the wit of the kids that roam the streets was something different. This was the main inspiration of his painting "Nakakapagpabagabag". Furthermore, Malabo explained that the sinister or mysterious looks that he had given the children was a sign that these children are not immature people, but are the kind that could outsmart others through the different "tricks up their sleeves".

Claro claimed that the different elements of art he had known were the products of the different styles he had learned from the various graffiti-filled walls he had seen. He expounded that the true essence of this art was not in the precision and mastery of his techniques at a very young age, but was the story and the part of his life which he was able to translate into his canvas. This painting he made when he was ten years old won the 2nd prize at the Manila Grand Opera House Exhibition (2015), and was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most precise artwork made by a ten year-old.

Style and Artistic Development
Being a gifted child, Claro started holding a paintbrush at the young age of five. He started experimenting with strokes and colors by just using watercolor and recycled papers in his home. His mother noticed his skills and started providing him different media to experiment on. The child prodigy then took his interests in more intricate media such as oil paintings, wood carving and graphite.

Growing up, he was always asked by other people for his artworks. People would buy his artworks through commissions but sometimes are disappointed due to his unnatural sense of detailing. This led him to focus and experiment more on colors and depiction of emotions. A rich bank manager once approached him and told him how he liked his style very much as it conveyed a perplexing yet, authentic vibe. This led him to his first considered masterpiece at the age of 9 where he sold his artwork for PhP 4,000.

In February 2011, he started sculpting marbles and was able to produce 200 sculptures within just a year. He was getting bored during that time and instead got into poetry where he would make Sonnets and Limericks about his life as a child and the people around him questioning the existence of life. Later on, he got back into painting as there was this drive within him to make art using strokes and colors. His art style was mainly modernism.

From the beginning of his career, Claro exhibited a hidden interest for politics as if he already understands the struggles of the oppressed in his country. This made him to be more critical in his artworks which did not only aim to expose the dilemma he sees but also call out for reform.

Critical Evaluation
Malabo’s art was considered by many of his followers and supporters as a new way of looking into the life of Filipinos in every social status where both reality and fantasy are combined. According to his avid supporters, he was able to express the Filipino culture in all of his artworks which included hospitality, “bahala na” attitude, family oriented, mañana habit and others. These concepts can be observed in his paintings, sculptures, poems and his other works of art.

Some critics argue that Malabo’s art is ironic for he understands the oppression of his countrymen and yet does nothing practical to help them. Furthermore, these critics argue that Malabo is slowly being taken to the world of Capitalism due to his award winning artwork being sold in Singapore. According to these critics, with the amount of fame Malabo has, he should be able to shed some light on the issues of the country for the international audience and find a solution for them. Some other critics argue that what Malabo has done is enough as he has showcased the importance of the Filipino culture and the problems surrounding the country.

Awards
2nd prize at the Manila Grand Opera House Exhibition (2011) for "Nakakapagpabagabag"

1st prize of The Philippine Art Association (PAG) (2016) for "Malakas ang Guardian Angel Ko Sa Itaas"

2nd prize of The Philippine Art Association (PAG) (2017) for "Mga Ilaw sa Daan"

1st prize of The Philippine Art Association (PAG) (2018) for "You Do Note"

3rd prize at The 33rd DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Competition (2018) for "Bakit Ako Matatakot, eh Advance Ako Mag-isip?"

1st prize of The Philippine Art Association (PAG) (2019) for "Etneb Takwarents"

1st prize of The Asean-Philippines Painting Contest (2019) for "Gusto Kong Sumabog"

2nd prize at The 3rd Philippine Kana Art Competition (2019) for "Wala Na Finish Na"

Collections
There are collections of Claro in:


 * The Ateneo Art Gallery, Manila, Philippines.


 * The Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, Pasig, Philippines.


 * The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Manila Philippines.


 * The Yuchengco Museum, Makati City, Philippines.