Learn more about one expat’s passion to make art accessible while uplifting the lives of Filipino artists
To say that Philippine-based expatriate, Jim Oakes leads a very colorful life would not be a stretch of the truth. Actually, the statement would be quite on point – figuratively AND literally.
The dynamic 67-year-old British national, who has lived away from his motherland since he was a lad, moved to the Philippines some years ago from Doha, Qatar. He relocated after 10 years in the Middle East, with 14 rescued dogs in tow (yes, you read that right!) and a heart full of colorful dreams.
As it turns out, Oakes is not only passionate about his adopted canine companions – he is also a champion of art, and uses the medium of expression to better the lives of talented young artists across the Philippines.
Uplifting lives through art
“I have always been interested in art, but I cannot say that I actually paint,” shares Oakes of his love for visual arts. This zeal for the creative medium of self-expression laid the foundation for the initiative known as Dohacreative, now also called Makati Arts, which Oakes co-founded in Doha over 10 years ago.
Oakes started the group with Eugene Mariano, a Filipino national who was working in a store room in the Islamic Museum in Doha, “a low paying job he (Mariano) took when his father died in the Philippines, leaving the family with no income,” Oakes clarifies.
Oakes narrates that he and Mariano started the group to aid overseas foreign workers (OFW) who struggled with meager incomes, despite their best efforts to succeed in a land not their own.

“There are many Filipinos working in the Middle East who often end up in situations where they go for months unpaid or underpaid by their employers,” Oakes notes. The art collective saw to change all that.
By word of mouth, what started as the combined push of two individuals determined to uplift lives through art grew to a collaboration of 10 artists who worked together for the betterment of their OFW community.
“We held several exhibitions in Qatar as well as began exporting abroad. The Philippines has thousands of aspiring artists most of who live in poverty, so we encouraged people to join us if only to get a regular income,” explains Oakes.
Art for all
Dohacreative continues to thrive on Philippine soil, while its mission to benefit the lives of artists remains as solid as ever. “All the artists are from the Philippines; five of them are students with the University of Tarlac and five from the University of the Philippines in Manila. One continues abroad and is working in Kuwait, two are now full time with me, and one has a job in Manila,” Oakes tells Expat.
Aside from its goal of improving lives through art, the group likewise strives to make the art accessible as possible. Thus, the artworks, which are acrylic paint on canvas, are sold at highly competitive prices. Each work of art is vivid and vibrant, both in palette and in theme, with a little bit of humor injected into it, so as to reach a greater cross section of the market.

Strokes of success
In the future, Oakes and Mariano are looking to further expand the group’s global reach. As Oakes puts it: “We aim to steadily expand our market within the Philippines but also to impact the online market across the world.”
The group also strives to pay their success forward. “We like to support any children-related charity in the Philippines, mainly via the British Embassy in Manila, the British Women’s Association and the American Women’s Association, both in Manila. We do this by donating paintings for raffles/silent auctions and giving a percentage of our sales when these groups have public fund-raising events,” notes Oakes.

Meanwhile, the group’s talented young artists continue to paint and preach the gospel of creativity – art inspires and uplifts, figuratively and literally.
Learn more about Dohacreative and Makati Arts on Facebook @makatiarts
 
By ANGIE DUARTE
Photos courtesy of JIM OAKES