“I love my hoard of carved saints with missing limbs and accusatory faces.”
BIOGRAPHY
Victor Tomás Banzon Ancheta is a gay Filipino American multidisciplinary artist and writer whose work is rooted in identity, familial heritage, history, and religion. A storyteller at heart, he creates short stories and poetry, as well as visual works—installations, altars, sculptures, and paintings—that explore grief, the colonial past, post-colonial experiences, and cultural traditions. Through both words and art, he connects people, cultures, and communities.
Victor grew up in the Philippines before moving to Houston, Texas, where his foundation in the arts began at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). He continued his studies at the University of Houston–Downtown, focusing on Studio Art and Creative Writing, and served as general editor of The Bayou Review.
In his professional role, Victor works at the intersection of government communications and the arts. He oversees the Ceremonial Documents of the Houston Mayor’s Office of Communications, crafting proclamations, certificates, and letters of recognition that honor civic, cultural, and community achievements across the city. From 2021 to 2024, he also served as the community liaison for the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, where he curated exhibitions at Houston City Hall, managed the Houston Poet Laureate program in partnership with the Houston Public Library, and collaborated with Writers in the Schools on the Houston Youth Poet Laureate program. During this time, he also contributed to shaping policies for several of Houston’s cultural and arts initiatives.
A passionate advocate of Filipino heritage, Victor remains digitally connected to the Philippines. In 2006, together with Robby Villano Dela Vega, he founded Semana Santa Filipinas and Santos: Images of Faith—two online communities with thousands of members that helped spark a renaissance in Filipino ecclesiastical arts and renewed appreciation for the traditional craft of the Filipino Santero.
Beyond his professional and community work, Victor is a dedicated art collector. He gravitates toward antique Santos, folk art, and artworks with sincere, expressive qualities. His collection focuses on works by Indigenous artists and artists of color, particularly from Mexico, Latin America, and the Philippines.
Victor lives in Houston with his husband, their three black cats, and what he affectionately calls his “hoard of carved saints with missing limbs and accusatory faces.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
The world, as I see it, is a procession of angels and demons, saints and sinners—all eyeless engaged in a sacra conversazione with the viewer. My work draws deeply from my upbringing in the Philippines, a country steeped in Catholic tradition. This background inspired my practice of creating santos, or religious statues, using clay, resin, and wood. Through these figures, I explore themes of the human body, mortality, sexuality, and grief by appropriating divine Catholic imagery in acts of both reverence and irreverence.
My family's history is at the heart of my artistic process. The stories my mother shared about our ancestors have become inseparable from my work. My figures are eyeless, echoing my great-grandmother Valentina’s belief that “the eyes are the mirrors to the soul.” By leaving them blank, I convey a sense of incompleteness and confinement, a reflection of my own diasporic identity. I see my work as a tapestry woven from memory, mythology, and personal narrative.
As an immigrant and DACA recipient living in the United States, I navigate the ongoing weight of colonial and post-colonial history. My art gives form to these tensions, aiming to humanize immigrant experiences and give visibility to voices often erased or overlooked. Each sculpture or installation becomes a way of reclaiming my roots and staying connected to my heritage.
A Filipino proverb grounds my practice: “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” — “Those who don’t know how to look at their origin will not reach their destination.” Through my work, I look back—so I can move forward.
CURRICULUM VITAE
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024
Empathy Unveiled, The Jung Center, Houston, TX
Second Time Around, Jamestown Arts Center, Jamestown, RI
2023
Lumikha Arts Showcase - We Are Rising, Pilipino American Unity for Progress at the Orange Show, Houston, TX
2022
30th Annual ArtCrawl at Hardy & Nance Studios, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX
2021
A New Landscape/ A Possible Horizon - Texas Biennial 2021, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Pintura, ATBP, Philippine Consulate General Houston & Filipinx Artists of Houston, Houston, TX
Lumikha Arts Showcase - We Are Growing, Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Houston, TX
2020
Solo Show: Los Refugiados: An Exhibition by Victor Ancheta, Multicultural Education & Counseling through the Arts (MECA), Houston, TX
Solo Show: Meditations on Loss: An Exhibition by Victor Ancheta, MECA at TBH Center, Houston, TX
Faces in Pandemic, Organized by the Houston Asian American Archive, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Lumikha Arts Showcase - We Have Begun, Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Houston, TX
2019
Solo Show: Los Refugiados: A Nativity Scene in Support of Latin American Refugees, Bering Memorial Church, Houston, TX
Imagenes de la Madre, MECA, Houston, TX
Araw ng mga Patay, Avenue 50 Studio, Highland Park, CA
Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, Morbid Anatomy, Brooklyn, NY
SELECTED CURATORIAL WORK
2024
Grounded in Clay: Rooted in Community, Houston City Hall, June - September 2024; curated full exhibition featuring the ceramic works of Third Coast Clay Studio artists. The first installment in the “Feels like Home” series, the show explored what home and community meant to local ceramicists
2023
Escala, Houston City Hall, September - October 2023; curated full exhibition that was fifth in the Expressions! series with works by Salvadoran American artist, Darwin Arévalo
Garden Traces, Houston City Hall, April - May 202; curated full exhibition that featured the work of artist Naomi Kuo and showcased her ongoing research about Asian American home gardeners in the Greater Houston area
2022
Trans——fer, Houston City Hall, September - November 2022; as part of FotoFest Houston and as a tribute to immigrants, curated full exhibition that consisted of photographs and mementos of artist Veronica Gaona’s family
From Where the Son Rose: A Story of Immigration to the West, Houston City Hall, March - April 2022; curated full exhibition focusing on the work of Filipino American artist Anthony Pabillano
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2023
Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Works by Darwin Arévalo by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
The Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs to Showcase the Works of Queer Latinx Creatives in City Hall by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Announces Its Third Exhibition in the Expressions! Series with "Garden Traces” by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
MOCA Opens 2nd Exhibition in the Expressions! Series with Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
MOCA Opens 2023 Exhibition Series, Expressions! With a High-Tech Exhibit to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black History Month by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
2022
MOCA Concludes 2022 Exhibition Series, Putting Down Roots: A Series of Exhibitions on Art and Immigration by Victor Ancheta for City of Houston
2020
Faces in the Pandemic by Lillian Hoang for Outsmart Magazine
Faces in the Pandemic by Maggie Galehouse for TMC News
Local Asian American artists respond to the pandemic in new Fondren exhibit by Josie Garza for The Rice Thresher
“Those who don’t know how to look at their origin will not reach their destination.”
Follow me on Instagram @victor.banzon.ancheta to see my world of art and folk treasures, and read my insights on history. Join me for behind-the-scenes glimpses, rare finds, and the inspirations that shape my work.