The TUBO Art Fair 2025 features numerous talented artists, but one booth consistently draws smiles from visitors: the vibrant space of Pierre Famador, known professionally as Pikoy. His distinctive artistic style features square-headed characters with gap-toothed grins set against soft pastel backgrounds, creating visual pieces that evoke childhood innocence and pure joy.
From Childhood Dreams to Artistic Reality
Unlike many artists who face family opposition, Pierre enjoyed unwavering support from his parents throughout his creative journey. They encouraged his decision to build a career around his artistic talents. Initially hoping to study animation, Pierre found this specific program unavailable in Cebu and instead enrolled at the University of the Philippines' College of Fine Arts.
One of his notable works displayed at the fair includes Mahal Kong Pilipinas, his GSIS competition entry that beautifully portrays Filipina women and their diverse cultural backgrounds.
Professional Growth and Artistic Evolution
After completing his degree, Pierre recognized the practical need for stable employment and worked various corporate positions that significantly developed his skills in concept design, product presentation, and early-stage animation. Throughout his 16-year professional career, he maintained the mindset of a perpetual student, consistently seeking learning opportunities and genuinely enjoying every step of the creative process.
Even while working corporate jobs, Pierre continued pursuing his artistic passions by participating in local exhibitions with his UP group called Lumad and selling his artwork independently.
Full-Time Artistry and Notable Projects
In 2016, Pierre reached a turning point and decided to dedicate himself completely to his art. He returned to his roots in Busay, Cebu and established a unique three-concept establishment combining a tattoo parlor, art studio, and barber shop. As the sole operator serving his clients, this venture sustained him even during the pandemic, with the location away from the city center proving advantageous during lockdown periods.
Pierre's significant artistic contributions include being one of only 11 painters selected to interpret religious figures for the Dibuho Kisame project—the famous ceiling artwork at St. Peter and Paul Church in Bantayan Island. This passion project required ten months to complete, during which Pierre fully immersed himself in the island experience.
The Puppeteer Artist and Future Vision
When asked to describe his artistic identity in one word, Pierre chose "puppeteer." His fascination with puppetry began when he started creating handcrafted puppet designs for the Sinulog Parade, which quickly became crowd favorites. Each year, he eagerly returns to his drawing board, transforming concepts into sketches and eventually bringing these figures to life through performance.
His signature Pikoy style clearly reflects this passion for puppetry. Pierre shares his ambition to eventually produce full puppet shows in Cebu and explore where this artistic path leads him. Given his current trajectory and dedication, this vision appears not as a distant dream but as an inevitable future achievement.
