Kublai Millan

Kublai was born in Cotabato City, but grew up in Davao City. He is of Ilocano Settler stock. His paternal grandfather, Simeon F. Millan, was one of the two editors of the 1952 Cotabato Guidebook (a major source in Mindanao historiography). His father, Rey Ernesto Millan, is a leading mover in the bamboo industry.^[2]

He studied Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

After graduating, he returned to Davao City, painting and sculpting about subjects relating to the culture of his home island. Mindanao has been the dominant subject matter of his art.^[3][4]

Kublai started his career when he made all the artworks both inside and outside of his family's hotel Ponce Suites in Davao City, which is managed by his mother. He has since produced more public monuments and murals, and along the way his paintings have gained the attention of collectors.

In 2010, he was commissioned to make the Nativity Scene at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the first non-Italian artist to be thus commissioned^[5]

In 2017 Davao City conferred him with the Datu Bago Award, and in 2022 he was given the Gador Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines for his work in promoting Mindanao's culture and arts.

Millan is noted for his many public monuments, having built one in almost every province in Mindanao.

 

Among his most prominent monuments are the Durian monument outside Francisco Bangoy International Airport, the monuments at Davao City's People's Park, Davao City's Eagle Pavilion and Clock Tower in front of Davao Cathedral, the Roundball in Surallah, South Cotabato, the Bangkapayapaan Monument in General Santos City, the Kampilan monument in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and the "Risen Christ" in a church in Tagum City. Recently, he created the Rano Memorial to commemorate the Rano massacre in Digos City, Davao del Sur, the monument for Kabang in Zamboanga City, the Bantayog ng Kapayapaan in Camp Aguinaldo, and a monument for the fallen soldiers of the Siege of Marawi^[4]

A recurring characteristic of his monuments is the use of material with interesting provenance. This is the case with his Carabao monuments (in Davao City and Tagum City), which uses upcycled beds from the Southern Philippines Medical Center, and with the Tears from Heaven Monument in Marawi, which is made with repurposed roofs from Ground Zero in Marawi.

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  The Agung House in Kapatagan, Digos City, Davao del Sur
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  The Carabao Monument at the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, made of upcycled beds from the hospital
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  The Lantapan Monument in Lantapan, Bukidnon
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  The Tears from Heaven Heroes Monument in Camp Ranao, Marawi City, using repurposed roofs taken from the Ground Zero of the 2017 Siege. The bullet holes were intentionally left uncovered. Drone shot by Ar Ar Nwebe
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  The Memorial to the victims of Typhoon Pablo in Cateel, Davao Oriental
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  The Roundball in Surallah, South Cotabato

 

Millan is one of Mindanao's most prolific painters, with a still growing body of work already reaching the thousands. His paintings have been exhibited all over the Philippines, and have gone on show abroad on several occasions.

His earlier body of works, which reveal his development as artist, are housed in Ponce Suites in Davao. It is his more recent and more colourful oeuvre of paintings (called "Kinublay" by writer Karlo Antonio Galay David^[6]) that are more widely known.

The oeuvre draws stylistic and creative inspiration equally from both Mindanao's visual traditions and from foreign and contemporary influences (particularly the works Joan Miro and Abdulmari Imao).

The largest series of this oeuvre, 'Probinsaya', is in collections all over the country. His most iconic paintings are the 'Lullabyes,' his visual representations of peace. They are most prominently visible as murals on the Davao City National High School's walls.

Some known collectors of Millan's paintings include Vice President Sara Duterte, Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Nancy Binay and Francis Escudero, and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

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  'The Net of Life,' 2013, this painting hangs in the entrance of SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang Premier in Davao City
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  A 2023 iteration of Millan's 'Lullabyes,' rendered on a repurposed roof from Marawi's Ground Zero. The holes on the painting are bullet holes from the 2017 Siege.
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  'Journey to Becoming,' 2018, features the Lullabye motif as background to hyper-realist depictions of Mindanao's people. It has also been used as mural for the Davao City National High School's fences
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  'Ulan sa Marawi,' 2009, one of the earliest paintings in the Probinsaya series
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  'Modern Mebuyan,' 2022, a collaboration with life partner, the singer Maan Chua. The breasts are made of Chua's 'Ahungan' beaded accessories
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  'Bata Bata,' 2012, paintings Kublai made in collaboration with his children.
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  The iteration of 'Sunrises' (2022) given to former President Rodrigo Duterte
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  Prints of the 'Pakpak' series at Kubs Kafe in Marilog, Davao City (which Millan co-owns)
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  an iteration of 'Dalisaya,' publicly viewable in Davao City's Abreeza Mall
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  Various iterations of 'Boredoodles' (2022), paintings made on upcycled scratch paper
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  'Perfect Pair,' 2020
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  A special iteration of the Probinsaya series, gifted to the family of Senator Bato dela Rosa

Aside from making his artworks, Millan is also an active cultural mover in Mindanao, with years of engagement in various communities all over the island. Many of his monuments also come with community development projects.^[7]

One of his longest partnerships is with the Talaandig of Lantapan, Bukidnon. Collaborating with Datu Waway Saway, he played a key supporting role in developing Talaandig Soil Painting.

 

Millan is the President of Lawig Diwa, Inc., through which he leads in the organizing of projects that support arts in Mindanao. One of its flagship projects is Mindanao Art, the biggest art fair in Mindanao.^[8] Through the foundation he also organizes engagement initiatives with Mindanao's cultural communities, rebel returnees, farmers, fishermen, and other sectors outside the art scene, as well as conducting workshops and mentoring programs for the island's emerging artists.