Monochaotic (Jude Crisostomo) is a Cebu-based photographer and image-maker, currently studying MFA Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art in London. His work moves quietly through themes of distance, presence, and the overlooked rituals of daily life. Using analog processes, hand printing, and alternative photographic methods, he explores what resists clarity, often approaching image-making as a form of quiet observation rather than declaration.
Balancing personal practice with commercial work, he co-runs White Brick and is active in arts education (SWU PHINMA), shaping programs in visual communication and supporting creative communities through mentoring and collaboration.
Education
Royal College of Art, London, UK
Master of Fine Arts in Arts and Humanities (2023–Present)
University of Santo Tomas, Manila, PH
MA in Marketing Communication (Candidate, Pending Thesis)
University of San Carlos, Cebu, PH
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Arts (2003–2008)
Skills
Visual Communication, Marketing Communication, Business Management and Administration, Creative Startup, Commercial Photography, Street Photography, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Creative Pedagogy, Curriculum Development, People Development, Film Production, Project Management, Event Production, Curatorial Approaches.
RECENT EXHIBITIONS & ARTISTIC PROJECTS
2025
Lucid — Curator, Gallery 460b, Cebu
Curated the debut exhibition for a new artist-led space, framing dreams as layered, non-linear states. Featured multimedia works across photography, text, and installation.
Ghost of Faversham — Exhibiting Artist, Faversham, Kent
A site-responsive photographic installation using unframed prints hung in the forest, exposed to weather and decay. Examined land use and environmental erosion as metaphors for loss and unresolved memory.
Whispers of Faversham — Sound Installation, Faversham, Kent
Collaborative installation using looped soundscapes from urban and natural sites. Visitors were invited to respond through movement and speech, creating an evolving sonic environment.
The Reluctant Participant (Degree Show) — Photography, Handprint, Inkjet, and C-Type Prints. Royal College of Art, Studio Building Battersea, London, UK
The work explores on the quiet tension between presence and detachment. Through split frames, reflections, and visual obstructions like people, or glass, the images embody a reluctant participation. They hold two distinct moods or movements in a single frame, capturing the still, unresolved, and emotionally honest.
2024
Still Not Still — Curator & Artist, The Tea & Gallery Cebu
Group street photography exhibition exploring how stillness can suggest tension, presence, or rupture. Included a public artist talk and one-day pop-up intervention.
That Is — Exhibiting Artist, Royal College of Art
Photo-text installation exploring gestures, half-movements, and the body’s silent language. Engaged with slowness as resistance and vulnerability as poetics.
Post From Space — Exhibiting Artist, The Tea & Gallery, Cebu
Speculative photo series responding to the prompt: “What if your future self sent a postcard to your present self?” Images were printed on fiber paper to evoke tactility, time, and decay.
Breast Friends Forever — Exhibitor, The Tea & Gallery, Cebu
Presented a photographic work on care and domestic ritual. Proceeds supported breast cancer awareness and survivor advocacy.
No Added Sugar — Co-founder & Producer
An independent showcase series hosted by our gallery, created as an additional platform for artists to present and share their work beyond traditional exhibition models. No Added Sugar offers artists increased visibility, space, and creative freedom. It provides a space for honest, unfiltered expression and serves as an opportunity to engage broader audiences in a casual, community-driven environment.
Makulay ang Buhay — Short Film Series, Writer/Director
Directed and wrote a three-part short film series that captures the small, everyday moments that make life more colorful. Drawing from Filipino visual culture and domestic life, the series highlights gestures, objects, and routines that embody warmth, humor, and meaning. It offers a quiet reflection on how the mundane becomes memorable.
Dibuho Kisame — Director, Writer & Producer (2020)
A documentary film highlighting the lives and practices of ceiling mural painters in Cebu’s historic churches. Blending oral history, art documentation, and visual anthropology, the film serves as a cultural archive of endangered craftsmanship and regional identity.
CURRENT & ACTIVE ROLES (2023–Present)
Program Head, BFA Fine Arts — Southwestern University PHINMA, Cebu
Designs and leads the fine arts curriculum, integrating community-based and contemporary practices. Manages program strategy, mentors faculty, oversees student exhibitions, and implements public-facing events to connect the university with the creative sector.
MFA Candidate, Arts and Humanities — Royal College of Art, London
Practice-led research exploring impermanence, care, and ritual through photography, performance, and sound. Recent outputs include site-specific sound installations and photographic works dealing with decay, displacement, and the unspoken.
Co-founder & Managing Director — White Brick, Cebu
Leads a multidisciplinary creative studio offering branding, photography, and creative & art direction services. Also spearheads studio-initiated projects including art exhibitions, workshops, and support programs for emerging artists.
Co-founder & Resident Maker — Making Space, Cebu
Develops programs focused on community-building, co-learning, and creative autonomy. Oversees strategy, partnerships, and workshop design for an inclusive, non-hierarchical maker space.
Co-founder — BlackPress (2020–Present)*
An independent art, lifestyle, and subculture magazine based in Cebu, dedicated to amplifying unheard stories and supporting local creative communities. Black*Press publishes zines, photo essays, and interviews that document underground culture, personal narratives, and alternative art practices.
Founder — Makers of Midtown
An ongoing initiative rooted in creative advocacy, community development, and cultural strategy, aiming to transform Cebu’s midtown into a dynamic, inclusive, and safe space for artists, designers, and cultural workers. Makers of Midtown actively lobbies for creative infrastructure, forms partnerships with public and private sectors, and organizes exhibitions, public programs, and site-specific interventions. It functions as both a cultural lobby and a creative platform, working to sustain artist-led urban revitalization through visibility, access, and collaboration.
Marketing Consultant & Co-founder — Thinker Co.
Advises businesses on brand identity and creative campaigns. Works with NGOs and startups to align design strategy with community impact.
Partner — Monohaus Design Company
An independent design studio based in Cebu, run in creative partnership with my sister, an interior designer. Together, we work on projects that merge architecture, interiors, and visual storytelling, with a focus on material sensitivity, functionality, and mindful design. Our practice spans design research, spatial branding, and collaborative prototyping rooted in local context and lived experience.
CREATIVE DIRECTION & COMMERCIAL WORK
Boysen Color Trend 2024 — Director & Producer
Boysen DIY Series (2017–2024) — Director of Photography & Technical Consultant
Warner Music Philippines — DOP, Full Album Anniversary Music Videos
Urbandub: Rebirth Album — Director of Photography
Rean Borela EP — Director of Photography
SunStar Yearbook (2018–2020) — Creative Director
ACADEMIC & CONSULTANCY PROJECTS
Curriculum Designer, SWU PHINMA (2022–2023)
Program Designer, University of San Jose–Recoletos, LIACOM (2017)
Assitant Instructor, University of San Carlos - School of Architecture and Fine Arts (2015-2022)
Creative Branding Workshops, Natures Spring Water & Cebu Design Week (2017)
USC Documentary Film Workshop, Mentor (2018)
Creative Entrepreneurship Workshop, Participant (2018)
Yabo Film Lab, Mentor (2023)
Portfolio Development Workshops (For Senior High School), Facilitator (2023–2024)
D&AD Portfolio Review- Portfolio Mentor (2022)
Woodworking Workshop, Facilitator (2023)
TALKS, PANELS & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Sonik Music Export Conference — Co-presenter (2023)
Design Sprint for Creative Cities — Key Informant & Guest Speaker
DTI & British Council Panel for Creative Cities — Panelist (2024)
Cebu Business Month — Guest Speaker (2023)
Globe Conference — Speaker (2024)
USC AdCon — Guest Speaker (2023)
CCCC Creative Conference Cebu — Speaker (2021)
Bohol FabX PH — Guest Speaker (2024)
Brain Juice Collective Workshop — Facilitator (2024)
ZeroThreeTwo Podcast — Featured Guest (2018)
COMMUNITY & MUSIC INITIATIVES
Pelican Street — Founding Member (Alt Rock Band, 2003–Present)
Threadfest — Founding Member (Streetwear Collective, 2010–Present)
Makers Market — Co-founder
Talks Around Town — Co-creator & Producer (2023)