FERDINAND R. CACNIO is a nationally recognized visual artist— a metal sculptor, a painter and a graphic designer. In this interview, Ferdie takes us on his artistic journey through his sculptures that expresses his emotions, concepts, dreams, and the patterns he sees in life.


Ferdie’s sculptures particularly with a successful solo exhibit "The Dancer" in 2005, he bagged an award in the AAP Art Competition (Art Association of the Philippines). In 2008, he was the Gintong Parangal Awardee for Culture and Arts of the City of Malabon and in 2010, he was awarded the Parangal Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan by the City of Manila. His inventive art, which incorporates sheets of brass type of metal, garnered him of having 10 solo sculpture exhibits. He has also appeared in numerous art gallery exhibitions and art auctions that are steadily followed by art collectors.


Ferdie’s greatest achievement that came to national attention, is his 10-ft metal monumental sculpture piece entitled ‘Pasasalamat’, depicts fishermen drawing their nets filled with their harvest; it is installed between Rizal Drive and 3rd avenue at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig. It was part of the developer’s public art-making project in 2006.


Composed from steel parts, welded metal and then painted bright colours, Ferdinand Cacnio produced totally creative sculptures which had their origins in meticulous rendering of sheets of brass metal, and his sensitivity in portraying emotion. In effect they were fully three-dimensional collages, Cacnio presents his series focused on trees and the part they play in human life and people’s communities. Aside from these, Cacnio successfully conveys the grace and femininity of his pieces, he shows works from his earlier series of dancers as drapery either wraps or creates the environment from which his muses move—with still new insights into the dance as it is unfurled with uncommon grace by flamenco dancers to the flick of their fans and the turn of their heels.


His declared aim to ‘expand the language of sculpture’ has always involved ‘pushing at the boundaries to see where it gives’, and that remains his continuing strength: the constant self-challenging, the re-invention of his working methods at a time when most self-respecting artists are taking it easy or consolidating their past achievements.


With Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Civil Engineering from University of the Philippines and a 20-year work experience as graphic designer, Cacnio has emerged as a respected artist of a different discipline. His artistry traits has undoubtedly inherited from his father Angel Cacnio, a master painter and layout artist. “I was surrounded by so many artists. Their community gave me an informal training thus at early age, I always do things by my hand. I became aware of their concepts (in composition and colors). By observing them, nagkaroon ako ng idea sa art,” he says. Cacnio became the trusted art custodian of many interior designers. “I sold the paintings of my father’s classmates and friends like Florencio Concepcion, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Jose Joya, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok, and Napoleon Abueva, Tom Austria.” he says.


At the age of 28, after marrying Rowena “Bing” Castro, who is a 1984 graduate of AB Economics in UP and 1988 MBA graduate of Asian Institute of Management, he put up Atelier Cacnio, a graphic design studio whose biggest client was Pfizer. “I inherited my father’s talent and his clients. Talent is inherent, all you need to do is to nurture it. I read books because I have interest. I focus on pharma and real estate. I made innovations, and, I became regarded as an authority on design concepts for the needs of my clients.” he says.


Ferdinand Cacnio’s work features usage of hard and heavy materials to capture soft movements, sexiness, and light. His favorite subjects are dancers in 10 to 14 inches tall—twirling gracefully and passionately naughty. “My works communicate to two different types of people. I love dancers because I used to dance when I was a teenager. It depicts movement. I was really a good dancer, at alam ko na sa isip ko kung paano gagalaw ang obra ko. Kahit saan mo tignan, maganda.’ he says.


Ferdie's specialty is creating sculptures in 3D and his visions are in 3D. Unlike paintings and photographs which are 2-dimensional, his sculptures capture the beauty of his visions in every angle possible. For sculptures, he uses various construction materials because he is confident of their durability (that they will withstand the test of time) like metal, stone, wood, and glass. His favorite material to use is brass metal.


On the other hand, Cacnio’s fishermen and farmers in metal look so hard, small, yet stable. Showing them in groups, Ferdie tell stories of a class of simple folks and heroic individuals like odes to his two lolos: Flaviano Cacnio, a fisherman in Malabon, and Francisco Reyes, a landlord in Nueva Ecija. “When I sculpt fishermen and farmers in steel, ginawa kong marami sila, gaya nung kumpol-kumpol na tao.” says 51-year old Cacnio who is also a member of the Society of Philippine Sculptors (SPS), the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP), the Tuesday Group of Artists, and the Sining Tambobong.


Ferdie’s most important sculptural works, shows a farmer with a sack of rice climbing up a broken wooden plank have appeared at Hans Brumman Gallery in Makati in 2008. His Global Filipina piece was included in his first one-man show on dancers at the Avellana Gallery in Pasay City in 2005. In that year, it won second prize at the annual competition of the Art Association of the Philippines.


Numerous awards affirm his leadership role in the national sculpture field, Ferdie Cacnio did another show, entitled ‘High Spirits’, also at the Avellana Gallery in 2006. In 2008, he did his version of the UP’s oblation—the slim and graceful women hanging like mobiles from the ceiling masterpiece, he insists, that metals can depict flight, joy, levitation, and movement.


Ferdie Cacnio has earned national commissions and awards for his monumental public sculpture. His combination of sculptural form and metaphysical significance is integrated with architectural and environmental space to produce distinct urban spaces, including public parks. In the field of business and development, and even public service, the sculptures that he has created for various organizations in the government and the private sector were all meant to stand for and carry on the value of discipline, hard work and excellence.