Bios

Edgar “Egai” Talusan Fernandez was born in Manila, Philippines in 1955.He graduated from the Philippines Women’s University College of Music and Fine Arts with a major in advertising. A painter who often signs his work simply “Egai”, Fernandez established his reputation during the years of the Marcos regime and the imposition of martial law on the country. An activist involved in nationalist causes, he was one of the prime movers of social realism in Philippine painting and sculpture in the late 70s and 80s. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Philippines and abroad including Japan, Paris, Australia, Spain, and Singapore. Throughout his career he has been the recipient of numerous awards, most recently named the Araw ng Maynila Awardee for Painting in 2006. His paintings have been selected for several stamps of the Philippines—in 1993, 2001, and 2003. He was a founding member of Concerned Artists of the Philippines, has served as president of several organizations including the Art Association of the Philippines, the Christian Art Society of the Philippines, and AGOS KULAY, a watercolorist group. His most recent appointment is as the head of the National Commmittee on Visual Art, National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCAA) for 2008-2010.