Hersley-Ven Casero
Hersley-Ven Casero is included in Negros Island Stories as a Dumaguete visual artist and photographer whose work has documented the city, its people, and everyday life for more than two decades. Working across photography and visual art, he has developed a body of work closely connected to Dumaguete and Negros Oriental while receiving recognition in the Philippines and internationally.
Biography
Name: Hersley-Ven Casero
Location / connection: Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Field: Visual art / street photography / documentary photography
Education: Foundation University, Dumaguete City
Professional work: Multidisciplinary visual artist and photographer
Major local recognition: Negros Oriental Young Heroes Award for Visual Arts, 2018
International recognition: First Filipino artist awarded a sponsored residency at Chalk Hill Artist Residency in California, 2019
City recognition: Resolution of Recognition and Commendation as a Dumaguete Luminary, 2024
Major recognition: Outstanding Dumagueteño Award, 2025
Based in: Dumaguete City, Philippines
Hersley-Ven Casero — Significant Contributions
Visual Art and Photography
Hersley-Ven Casero has developed a career as a multidisciplinary visual artist and street and documentary photographer based in Dumaguete.
His work includes photography, painting, murals, and other forms of visual art, with Dumaguete and its people appearing frequently throughout his work.
Documenting Dumaguete
Born and raised in Dumaguete, Casero has photographed everyday life in the city for more than two decades.
His street and documentary photography records people, neighborhoods, shorelines, and ordinary moments, creating a continuing visual record of life in the city.
Islanders
Casero’s photographic series “Islanders” focuses on the relationship between Dumaguete’s communities and the sea.
The series documents everyday scenes along the city’s coastline and explores how island life, community, and the surrounding environment shape local identity.
National and International Recognition
In 2018, Casero received the Negros Oriental Young Heroes Award in the field of Visual Arts.
In 2019, he became the first Filipino artist awarded a sponsored residency at the Chalk Hill Artist Residency in California, United States. His photography and visual art have since appeared in exhibitions and publications in the Philippines and abroad.
Vogue Philippines
In 2023, Vogue Philippines featured Casero and his photography of Dumaguete in an article centered on his “Islanders” series.
The feature introduced his visual documentation of the city and its communities to a wider national and international audience.
Recognition in Dumaguete
In 2024, the Dumaguete City Council honored Casero with a Resolution of Recognition and Commendation as a Dumaguete Luminary.
In 2025, he received the Outstanding Dumagueteño Award for his achievements and contributions to the arts.
Contribution to Dumaguete’s Visual Culture
Casero’s career remains closely connected to the city where he was born and continues to work.
Through photography and visual art, he has documented changing aspects of Dumaguete while helping bring greater attention to the city’s contemporary arts community.