The drama of Cabangis’ linear art, is striking for he seems to say he is trying to make something that doesn’t exist in nature until he makes them, as well as express a wide range of visual experiences and moods of imagination that are integral parts of the artist’s character that cannot be expressed in other forms. Cabangis’ work is embedded in his personal experiences and explores the processes of remembering and forgetting.
Zean Cabangis, trained as a painter, uses acrylic and emulsion transfer as his medium. The use of transfer technique allows him to reproduce multiple photographic images and create a sensation of accumulated layers. The subject matter of his work consists of reconstructed memories, objects and scenes from everyday life, even film scenes as well.
He is a recipient of multiple prizes: Most Outstanding Thesis of 2006 (College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines), Gawad Chancellor Award for Academic Achievement (Shell Student’s Art Competition, Manila, 2004), Faber Castel Painting Competition (Finalist, 2008) and most recently Artist-in-Residence at Southeast Asia Group Exchange Programme, Tenggara, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2011).