From sea to sketch: Cristhom Selibio Setubal’s art of heritage and sustainability

When Cristhom “Dodoy” Selibio Setubal retired from years at sea, he could have chosen a quiet, uneventful life. Instead, the seafarer-turned-educator picked up a pen in 2016 and began sketching Iloilo’s built heritage. What started as simple ink drawings soon blossomed into a lifelong advocacy — one that now bridges history, sustainability and art.

In 2019, his early sketches found a home at the Museum of Philippine Economic History in Iloilo City, Iloilo, where visitors first saw familiar landmarks captured in striking pen-and-ink detail. But Setubal did not stop with paper. He turned to scrap and discarded materials — aluminum sheets, espresso pods, copper wire, beads, and even chicken mesh — to recreate Iloilo’s most iconic Spanish-era structures.

A tribute to heritage and family

The San Joaquin Camposanto, the first piece in his 14-part mixed-media series, carries deeply personal meaning. It was created in honor of his late father, with whom he shared a love for antiques. Like the cemetery chapel it depicts, the artwork became both a memorial and a celebration of enduring bonds — between family, faith and tradition.

Each piece in the series pays homage not just to the architecture of Iloilo but also to the layered stories of the communities that built and preserved them. By embedding heritage into his art, Setubal transforms static history into living memory.

Upcycling as advocacy

Setubal’s process — upcycling — goes beyond creativity. It gives discarded materials a second life, turning waste into valuable cultural statements. In his hands, a piece of copper wire becomes a cathedral’s intricate detail, while an old computer part suggests the solidity of church walls.

“I want people to see that what we often throw away can carry meaning, beauty, and history,” Setubal explains. “Art can remind us to care — for our culture, for our environment, and for each other.”

This philosophy of sustainability is not confined to his art. As a part-time maritime school teacher, he encourages students to blend practical knowledge with creativity and responsibility. At home, he passed his love for art to his daughter, who now paints, continuing the family’s growing legacy of artistry.

Iglesia: Churches reimagined

His ongoing exhibit, Iglesia: Heritage Churches of Iloilo, at the National Museum of the Philippines-Iloilo, reinterprets Iloilo’s most beloved heritage churches. Each artwork highlights the influence of Spanish colonial architecture — the intricate façades, patterned floors, and detailed windows and ceilings that reveal both Filipino craftsmanship and colonial history.

But in Setubal’s work, these structures are not mere architectural studies. They are reminders of identity, resilience and artistry —bridging the old with the new, the sacred with the sustainable.

The artist-advocate

Setubal is more than an artist. He is a cultural advocate, teacher, and father who found a way to unite his love for antiques, history, and photography with a commitment to sustainability. His art is both a call to preserve heritage and a challenge to see value where others see waste.

By transforming scraps into stories, Setubal reminds us that heritage is not only what we inherit but also what we choose to keep alive. Through his art, Iloilo’s historic structures endure — not just in stone, but in memory, in community, and in the hands of an artist who believes in the power of preservation.