Batilyo 

Born on 26 June 1952 in Batangas City, Philippines, Mr. Virgilio Cuizon, also known as Batilyo, is a multi-awarded art impresario, curator, seasoned artist, Filipino community leader in Germany, founder and managing director of an organization of Filipino artists called Kapatiran at Ugnayan ng Natatanging Sining at Talento (KUNST) Filipino, and a member of the International Council of Museums since 2022.

Among the significant awards he received include the 2004 Presidential Citation “Banaag Award” conferred by former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2014 Continental Art Leader given by ArtLead, 2016 Plaque of Recognition given by A Cappella Manila, 2019 Eminent Person Award given by Batangas Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas, 2021 MVP (Most Valuable Pader) given by Arte Bauan, 2021 Presidential Citation “Banaag Award” for the valuable contribution of KUNST Filipino (Kapatiran at Ugnayan ng Sining at Talento), an organization of Filipino artists founded by Mr. Cuizon, 2022 “Gawad Namumukod -Tanging Ambag” given by A Cappella Manila, 2022 Kampayga Award for the Banderitas Festival Competition in Cuenca, Batangas, and 2023 Hall of Fame Award “Luminary of the Century” given by Balisong Channel.

As part of his advocacy to promote Filipinism, an art movement in the Philippines which showcases the unique identity of the artists as Filipinos through their artworks, Mr. Cuizon organized international exhibitions in partnership with Philippine Embassies in Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, London, Rome, Paris, The Hague, and Ottawa, to name a few, featuring a diverse collection of artworks by Filipino artists.

He is also a renowned and accomplished Filipino curator having exhibited at the Riccardi Medici Museum in Florence, Italy in 2013 and 2014, Museum of Young Art (MOYA) in Vienna, Austria in 2008 and 2014, Chelsea Gallery in London, UK in 2009, 2011, and 2015, and Stilwerk Gallery in Berlin, Germany in 2003.