For Conrado “Bim” Zabella Jr., movement has always been a way of making meaning. On the football pitch, it meant reading the play, anticipating the pass, and trusting the rhythm of the game. In the studio, that same instinct continues to guide his hand. What once carried him across the field now shapes his brushwork on canvas.
In the late ‘90s, Zabella played intercollegiate football at the University of Santo Tomas. Though his varsity stint was brief, he stayed active in the sport through alumni leagues and weekend matches. The same discipline and awareness he brought to football now inform his work as a visual artist.
Earlier pieces such as Cornerstone and Disciples reflect a contemplative and spiritually grounded approach. Cornerstone, shortlisted at the 2019 Philippine Art Awards, shows queues of figures of different races and beliefs walking together toward sacred spaces. Each one moves with intent, yet all follow a shared direction.
In Disciples, painted during the pandemic, Zabella revisits the Gospel story of the miraculous catch. After a fruitless night at sea, the apostles lower their nets again at Christ’s urging. The painting speaks of trust and persistence in the face of uncertainty.
This thoughtful balance of strength and grace continues in Collective Minds, a group exhibition on view until June 15 at Big Sky Mind in New Manila, Quezon City. Zabella joins fellow UST alumni footballers Zig Abella, Remy del Rosario, Jao Mapa, Joseph Papa, and Chuck Severino. All have long engaged in both sport and art, grounded in shared discipline and creative intent.
For this show, Zabella presents his Anonymous Series on unsung heroes. It honors those often overlooked: caregivers, laborers, and companions whose presence sustains daily life without recognition. The elongated figures are soft but steady. Their gestures are restrained, their forms and expressions grounded in a quiet resilience shaped by purpose rather than praise.
His compositions are deliberate, balancing motion and stillness while allowing space for reflection. Like a player scanning the field before making a move, Zabella approaches the canvas with clarity and control, attentive to timing and gesture.
In his world, every stride and every stroke, whether on turf or in color, becomes an act of focus shaped by patience and endurance.
