Daniel was born in Metro Manila in 1966, and moved and raised in Pasig since 1973, and by the early 1980s was already sculpting figurines and small décor forms using whatever was available around his family home. He describes it as a “…hobby born of boredom”, which arose whilst he was briefly ill and confined to bed. Through the years of his schooling at La Salle Greenhills and on to the University of the Philippines, his flair and imagination captured the attention of others and in August 1985 he was featured in Panorama Magazine where the resourcefulness, spirit and sensitivity seen in his creations was highlighted.
One of the foremost sculptors of his generation Daniel dela Cruz has constantly been developing his art and has never failed to create unique and memorable exhibitions. Early 2006 at the age of 39, Daniel embarked on his greatest challenge to date. Seeking to mark his turning 40 with a special achievement he broke out from the constraints of product designing and ventured into the world of Art. Using skills and knowledge derived from all his exposure to product manufacturing Daniel came up with a completely new and revolutionary technique of hand-carving and hand-forming metal sculptures. This led to his very first exhibition in the role of an artist-metal sculptor which was held in The Ayala Museum in August of 2007. Entitled “Kandungan”- (“A Mother’s Lap”) – a tribute to women in our lives. It was a life-long dream come true, and a huge success, with Guests of Honor Architect Lor Calma, National Artist Arturo Luz and Phil. Senator Loren Legarda cutting the ribbon. Since then, he has been stunning the local and International art scene with his constant innovation and evolution in his work, no two exhibits are ever the same and there is always a huge amount of anticipation for his shows. He has a loyal following of collectors not only in the Philippines but also in Hong Kong and Singapore with his popularity in other countries constantly growing and expanding. His crowning achievement to date is the creation and the installation of the country’s largest Crucifix which stands 7 meters high. This Crucifix was installed in September 2016 at the St. Michael the Archangel Paris Church at 10th corner 39th St., Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. He has also created and installed in December 2017, “Alab ng Puso” a tribute to the Filipino soldier at the Bonifacio Global City. Just recently, Daniel was given the distinct honor by being the chosen artist to design the torch and medals for the 30th South East Asian Games hosted by the Philippines and held from 30 November to 11 December 2019.
As a way of giving back to the community, he co-founded the Visual Arts Helping Hands Foundation with the specific goal of raising funds to provide medical assistance to artists and members of the visual arts community.
Daniel lives in Pasig, Manila with his wife Monica and three children, and his home life is an abiding passion from where he draws much inspiration which gives meaning to his work. Never content with his success He constantly strives to push the envelope with his art by developing ever more challenging pieces.
Exhibit
