Benjie Cabangis (b. 1957, Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino abstract painter whose work reflects decades of sustained studio practice, teaching, and engagement with contemporary Philippine art. Working primarily through abstraction, he explores the expressive possibilities of paint, color, texture, and layered surfaces, creating compositions that balance structure and atmosphere.

He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of the Philippines in 1978 and has since developed a distinguished career as both artist and educator. A longtime faculty member of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, he served as Chair of the Department of Studio Arts and was later conferred the title of Professor Emeritus.

Cabangis has mounted 31 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions in the Philippines, Asia, and the United States. His works are represented in public, private, and corporate collections, including the International Finance Corporation (World Bank), the Philippine Consulate in New York, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

In 1978, he was recognized as a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award, identifying him among the significant young artists of his generation. His other distinctions include the UP Gawad Chancellor Award for Outstanding Visual Artist, the Fernando Amorsolo Professorial Chair in Painting, the Jose Joya Professorial Chair, and the UP Arts Productivity Award. He is also included in the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.

Recent paintings continue Cabangis’s exploration of abstraction through layers of texture, gesture, and accumulated marks. His process is both intuitive and deliberate, allowing each layer to conceal, reveal, and transform what lies beneath. Drawing inspiration from landscape and atmosphere, his paintings unfold through the accumulation of marks, textures, and subtle shifts of color, creating meditative spaces that invite reflection, sustained looking, and a heightened awareness of place and time.