Far Eastern University opened a virtual exhibit last November 11, 2021, honoring the life and works of Nonoy Marcelo. It showcases almost 230 artworks within a simulated 3D gallery of FEU Manila’s Nicanor Reyes Hall (NRH) and is divided into seven galleries that can be viewed until February 14, 2022.
Severino “Nonoy” Santos Marcelo was born on January 22, 1939, in Malabon. He was famous for and widely known to be the creator of the iconic strips “Tisoy” and “Ikabod.” A brave cartoonist whose works left a critical mark in the history of Philippine Art and our society was a 1998 CCP Centennial Artist Awardee and nominated as a national artist.
Marcelo first emerged as a political cartoonist when he was a cartoonist of the FEU Advocate. First, he ran a comic strip about student life, “PTYK.” Later, this series developed into the comics series “Tisoy,” inspired and modeled after his Humanities professor, Alfredo “Ding” Roces.
His comic strips and characters like “Ikabod Bubwit were grounded on a deep understanding of local politics, history, and culture. His comic strips and editorial cartoons were always political and would poke fun at the ludicrous, impartial, and outrageous side of an issue or personality. Nonoy and his comic strips created a world that reflected in the social-political landscape of the ’70s, 80’s, 90’s up until 2002 and tackled issues and topics that remain relevant to this day. His caricatures were spot on, emphasizing the most distinct feature of his subject.
Nonoy made the Tamaraw logo, which is now used on our school athletes’ jerseys, UAAP, and several other sports.
The exhibit looks back at Marcelo’s major career milestones as an artist. It will feature original drawings from the private collection of Atty. Saul Hofileña and selected works from Far Eastern University’s The Advocate.
Sources: Nonoy and his Phenomenal Pen and Wit webinar; FEU-IARFA