A Batangueño master muralist

It is rare for muralists to gain recognition in the field of visual arts, yet Ezmyr Noel Batain of Malvar, Batangas, stands as a remarkable exception. In 2024, he was among more than a hundred artists featured in a book on Batangas art and its artists, co-published by the University Press of First Asia and Diwa Learning Systems Inc. The volume also celebrated other noted Batangueño artists such as Arturo Luz, Romulo Olazo, Manolito Mayo and Ramon Orlina.

In the book, Batain was hailed as a “master muralist” whose works enliven many public spaces in Batangas — from resorts and basketball courts to gyms and other community hubs.

Art had always been second nature to him. Though he began but did not complete a Fine Arts degree at the Far Eastern University in Manila, his passion for visual expression never waned. Batain went on to carve his own path as a professional artist, becoming part of Project Pugad Baboy, where he contributed to a special tribute to the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

From the late 1990s until 2008, Batain worked as a muralist in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, later becoming one of the most sought-after wall artists in his home province. In Saudi Arabia, his mother Myrna recalled, she once referred her son to Princess Al Jawhara after he encountered difficulties with his previous employer. Under the Princess’ patronage, Batain worked as a design artist for her business selling glassware, dinnerware, and decorative trays based in the iconic Al Mamlaka Building.

He also designed the venue for the royal wedding of the princess’s daughter. Among his most notable international works was a striking mural of a Saudi eagle for the office of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud himself.

Rooted in Batangas

Back home, Batain’s work in Malvar featuring basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was featured in a 2023 international documentary about the “Black Mamba.” The piece cemented his reputation in Batangas as a master of large-scale wall art — though his œuvre extended far beyond murals.

His best friend and fellow artist, Carlo Pagulayan — renowned for his work with Marvel Comics — described Batain as an “outstanding artist” who “should’ve been famous in the art world.” Pagulayan recalled that Batain began as a comics artist before turning to oil portraits, eventually finding his true calling in murals.

“With his love for the NBA, his most celebrated works were of the league and its biggest stars,” Pagulayan said. “And those ballpen portraits of players? Just breathtaking.”

Sold piece

Pagulayan also shared that Batain’s art was deeply personal. “He painted and made murals not for his own benefit, but for the people he loved — for his niece who fought and won over leukemia, for his mother who lived with him, for his children whom he proudly watched finish school, and most recently for his grandchild.”

Over three decades of painting — spanning comics, portraits, and murals — Batain finally sold his first piece, an oil-on-canvas painting depicting international icons of music and visual arts. The work, which once hung tacked behind his door, is now part of the collection of a major contemporary art museum in Cebu.

Ezmyr Noel Batain passed away peacefully in his sleep, leaving behind walls and hearts forever marked by his artistry.