DAFI Artfest 2026 Saudade – Dabawenyo Artists Federation Inc – May 13, 2026

Saudade…

Of all the Davao Bloggers Society events I’ve signed up for recently, this was probably the one I prayed hardest to get into.

When I found out I made the shortlist, I was ecstatic.

Then came the harder part… convincing my wife.

… and after a lot of dishes washed and meals that didn’t get skipped, she said yes. Every day leading up to May 13 was agony in the best way.

See, art has always been a thing for me.

Back in Tacloban when I was younger, all I wanted was to be a comic book artist.

Marvel, specifically. I consumed so much comic book content I was basically obsessed.

Then at 18 I discovered oil painting after hanging out with local musicians who introduced me to visual artists.

I began painting seriously for about three years, produced maybe 50 pieces… sold about 10 to 12 of them.

Mostly early on, when I was at my most passionate.

Then I got jaded.

Eventually I let it go.

I’ve been thinking about picking it up again. Just need to clear a few things off my plate first.

So walking into DAFI Artfest 2026 wasn’t just a blog event for me.

It was very personal.

A walk down memory lane.

· · ·

Saudade

Portuguese · [sɐwˈðaðɨ]

A deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person, place, or thing that is absent. It carries the bittersweet knowledge that what you’re missing might never come back… but you still hold the love and the memory of it warmly.

It’s not just sadness. It’s not just nostalgia. It’s that specific feeling of being incomplete because something meaningful is gone, while still being grateful it existed at all.

That word has always meant something to me.

And as the theme of this year’s DAFI Artfest, it was exactly right.

Getting There

I arrived at La Herencia Davao Art & Events Pavilion early.

Then spent close to 30 minutes trying to figure out how to actually get inside.

There was no clear entrance.

No signs pointing you anywhere obvious.

I just stood there staring at the doors waiting for someone to go in or out so I could follow them like a lost puppy.

I kept scanning the area hoping I’d spot Noah or Princess Joem, who I’d seen earlier… figuring they’d know the way in.

Eventually I spotted someone slip through a side entrance and just chanced it.

The side entrance led to a small hallway lined with bags, dresses, little knick-knacks for sale and then to the small gathering area for speeches.

Then…

The main hall.

Oh man. High ceilings, good lighting, that exposed industrial feel with sparse fixtures and just enough warmth to make it feel like a place for art and not a warehouse.

Spacious.

Clean.

It was everything I hoped it’d be.

First time at La Herencia and I was not disappointed at all.

What Was Inside

DAFI Artfest 2026 brought together 15 art groups and galleries under the theme of Saudade, curated by Dadai Joaquin, who described it as “a deep longing for something absent, distant, or unremembered.”

Artists were assigned themes through random draw lots, intentionally pushing them outside their comfort zones. “Some artists have never painted vegetables,” Joaquin said. “And yet they’re given vegetables as the theme.”

That kind of constraint is actually where interesting things happen.

I slowly meandered through, just taking it in.

The hall wasn’t crowded yet when I arrived, which was actually nice.

Just me and the paintings for a while.

LOTSACOCKS

One wall I kept coming back to was the Bai Hinang wall.

Their theme was roosters.

I’m going to be mature about this and simply say there were a lot of cocks on that wall and I smiled like an immature child every single time I walked past it.

Kidding aside though, genuinely great work. Every piece had something going on.

…

There were two dark paintings that stopped me. A pair. Dusk and Dawn. I stood there probably longer than I should have. That’s the thing about art that’s actually working… it doesn’t ask you to stay.

You just do.

The cultural dance performance during the opening was something else. Indigenous performers, full presence, completely unexpected and completely perfect for what the night was trying to say. 

Watch it here →

The Speeches

We were herded back to the area where the speeches would take place before the ribbon cutting and I really loved the speeches at this one.

Not always the case at events like these.

But former DAFI VP Victor Secuya spoke directly about the economic realities artists face — rising material costs, unstable markets, the difficulty of sustaining a creative practice when the financial ground keeps shifting.

That one I could totally relate with.

I’ve always tried to tell people that art is not a frivolous hobby.

You need money to make it.

Or at least a reasonable number of resources you could pull from.

Paint costs money.

Canvas costs money.

Building a studio costs money.

And if nobody’s buying… you eventually burn out.

I know because it happened to me.

I Sold 10 to 12 pieces in three years and then the passion quietly ran out.

It was not sustainable for me.

What DAFI is doing, and what DAFI President Lito Pepito has been doing with the coffee table book initiative, giving local Davao artists documented visibility they don’t usually get in publications that tend to feature Manila names, that’s the kind of support that actually moves things. That matters.

There’s something about being in a room full of people who made things. Paintings, sculptures, mixed media pieces, all created by people from this city who are doing the work with or without recognition.

That energy is infectious.

I left thinking about oil painting again.

About what I’d paint if I picked it up tomorrow.

About what I let go and whether it’s still waiting for me somewhere.

That’s Saudade, I guess. Longing for something you let go of, knowing it might still be yours if you reach back for it.

DAFI Artfest 2026 runs May 13 to 16 at La Herencia Davao along F. Torres Street. If you missed it this year, watch for the next one. Worth going for.

Event: DAFI Artfest 2026: Saudade

Organizer: Dabawenyo Artists Federation, Inc. (DAFI)

Curator: Dadai Joaquin

President: Wehelito “Lito” Pepito (Datu Bago Awardee)

Venue: La Herencia Davao Art & Events Pavilion, F. Torres Street, Davao City

Dates: May 13–16, 2026Groups: 15 artist organizations and creative communities