Lao, Lianben

Born in Manila in 1948, Lao Lianben is an indispensable vanguard figure who helped redefine the trajectory of non-representational art in the Philippines. He sharpened his formal creative sensibilities at the University of the East during the late 1960s, a formative period where he began stripping away narrative figuration in favor of raw graphic and material experimentation.

Lao’s swift rise to institutional prominence was solidified in 1976 when he was named one of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Thirteen Artists—a selection that marked him as one of the definitive progressive leaders of his generation. Over a magnificent multi-decade career, Lao has built a profound international profile, staging landmark solo and collaborative showcases across Asia, Europe, and the United States, while continuously mentoring generations of abstract practitioners.

Education & Academic Distinctions
Alumni Laureate: Graduated from the University of the East (UE) School of Fine Arts, majoring in Painting.

1995: Recipient – University of the East Distinguished Alumni Award

1975: Recipient – Outstanding Achievement in Painting, University of the East

1970: Recipient – President’s Achievement Award, University of the East

Major Career Awards & Distinctions
1982: Grand Winner – Mobil Art Award, one of the most prestigious mid-career contemporary art acquisitions of the era.

1979: Named Critic's Choice – Ma-Yi Associates, Makati City.

1977 & 1978: Second Prize for Painting (Consecutive Years) – Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Art Competition.

1976: Inducted Vanguard – Thirteen Artists Award, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

1968, 1969, & 1970: First Prize (1968) and Second Prize (1969, 1970) for Graphic Art – National Shell Arts Competition.

Selected Milestone Exhibitions
Solo Conceptual Showcases
Lao has mounted continuous, highly influential solo presentations at the country’s most historically vital vanguard galleries and cultural institutions:

1998: In Silence – Art & Associates Gallery, Manila

1997: Sense of Light – Hiraya Gallery, Manila

1996: ABACUS – Institutional Solo Survey, Leuven, Belgium

1993: Lao Lianben: A Retrospective Feature – Ayala Museum, Makati City

1991: The South of the World – Il Sud Del Mundo Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Marsala, Italy

1989 & 1981: Dedicated Solo Expositions – Small Gallery, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

1985: Lao Lianben Survey – Museum of Philippine Art (MOPA), Manila

1975, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1990, 1994: Standard-Setting Minimalist Showcases – The legendary Luz Gallery, Makati City

1973: Debut Solo Exhibition – Solidaridad Galleries, Manila (Launched his professional studio career)

Two-Man Artistic Collaborations
Lao frequently engaged in dialogues with peer vanguards, creating historic dual-artist exhibitions that combined varying abstract systems:

1996: Lee & Lao – Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

1992: Lilia & Lao – Finale Art File, Makati City

1990: Impy & Lao (Collaborative showcase alongside master sculptor Impy Pilapil) – Ayala Museum, Makati City

1981: Albor & Lao (A defining meeting of Philippine abstract minds with Augusto Albor) – Hiraya Gallery, Manila

1978: Allan & Lao – Sining Kamalig, Manila

Selected Global Group Survey Exhibitions
Lao has consistently represented the high modernism of Philippine contemporary art across prestigious international bienniales and museum group surveys since 1977:

1997: 12th Asian International Art Exhibition – Centro de Actividades Turísticas, Macau

1996: 11th Asian International Art Exhibition – Metropolitan Museum of Manila

1994: 9th Asian International Art Exhibition – National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan

1994: Festival International de la Peinture – Château-Musée de Cagnes-sur-Mer, France

1993: Art Philippines: A Celebration – Empress Place Museum, Singapore

1983: Philippine Contemporary Prints – Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

1981: AAP Beijing Collection – National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

1980: Contemporary Asian Art Show – Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan

1980: Philippine Art Now – Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

1980: Seven Filipino Artists – Philippine Consulate General, San Francisco, California, USA

1980 & 1981: ASEAN Art Festivals – Staged across Jakarta, Indonesia and Bangkok, Thailand

1977: Philippine Contemporary Art Survey – Tübingen, West Germany

1977: IMF Art Exhibition – Washington, D.C., USA