Elmer Borlongan

(b. 1967, Sta. Mesa, Manila)

Elmer Borlongan began painting through a children’s workshop led by Fernando Sena. He later studied Fine Arts, majoring in Painting, at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Early in his career, he joined key artist collectives including Grupong Salingpusa (1985-1992), Artista ng Bayan or ABAY (1988-1990), and later co-founded Sanggawa (1994-1998), which shaped his commitment to collaborative, socially engaged art through exhibitions and mural projects.

Borlongan’s work is grounded in expressionist figuration. He distorts proportion and scale to intensify mood and meaning, using elongated forms, sparse backgrounds, and a muted palette. His figures, often caught in mundane or precarious situations, channel psychological tension and social critique without resorting to realism or decorative excess. His painting is direct, drawing-driven, and emotionally charged.

He has received numerous awards, including the CCP Thirteen Artists Award (1994) and the Metrobank Award for Continuing Excellence and Service (2004). In 1996, he was artist-in-residence at ARCUS in Ibaraki, Japan.

Borlongan’s work has been shown in exhibitions across Singapore, Copenhagen, Sydney, Tokyo, San Francisco, New York, and Paris, and is represented in major institutional collections including the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, Singapore Art Museum, Bencab Museum, and Pinto Art Museum.

Since 2020, he has returned to printmaking, a self-taught medium he re-engaged during the pandemic. He now runs Pasilyo Press, a print studio in San Antonio, Zambales with his wife, artist Plet Bolipata.