Filipino architect-artist and former Dubai expat Dexter Modesto. ARCHIVE

Filipino architect-artist and longtime Dubai expat Dexter Modesto has passed away at the age of 44, leaving behind a legacy of creativity, generosity, and a zest for life. Modesto was found dead in his bed at his home in Nueva Vizcaya in the Philippines on Sunday (September 14). Responders said there were no signs of foul play, and he is believed to have suffered a heart attack. His wake is being held at his family home, and he will be laid to rest on Saturday (September 20). He is survived by his younger sister, Michelle, who is based in Sharjah. Their parents and brother Jonathan died in previous years. News of Modesto’s death shocked friends and colleagues across the UAE, where he had spent nearly two decades. He returned to the Philippines earlier this year to start anew, opening a small carinderia he named Nabsugak—which means “I am full” in the Ilocano dialect.

A life cut short, a life embraced

For his childhood friend and distant relative Junar Aquino, also an architect in Dubai, the loss felt especially personal. “Dexter was not the type who stayed long in our province. He got easily bored and would always go back to Manila or Dubai,” Aquino told Expat Media. “But this time, it seemed like he was there to stay.” Modesto recently opened a small carinderia called Nabsugak. The eatery, just a few weeks old, offered comfort food like goto and arroz caldo, with a hand-painted signboard he designed himself. Aquino remembered their last conversation, where he teased Modesto about finally enjoying the simplicity of provincial life. “I told him, isn’t it nice to appreciate our hometown? You don’t need a lot of money to be happy here,” Aquino said. “He agreed. He said life in the province is beautiful, simple. That’s when I realized he was finally embracing it.” Their reunion was supposed to be in December when Aquino returned for a vacation. “I feel cheated,” Aquino said softly. “He left too soon.”

From shuttlecocks to masterpieces

Modesto spent nearly 20 years in Dubai, where he built a reputation as both an architect and a self-taught artist. His most notable works were made from discarded badminton shuttlecocks—materials he first noticed during a dark period in his life. “I was so depressed at that time,” he told Expat Media in an interview. “I saw these used shuttlecocks on the ground and thought, ‘We’re just the same, useless.’ Then I decided to turn them into art, the way I wanted to make something of my life.” His unique pieces, ranging from portraits to a replica of the Burj Khalifa, were showcased at galleries including the Jameel Arts Center. He created over a hundred works, some gifted to badminton champions, others raffled off to inspire players. “It was my advocacy to recycle shuttlecocks and show people that no matter what state your life is in, there is always a bright side,” he said.

The friend who cooked for everyone

For those who knew him, Modesto’s art was only one part of his identity. Cooking was his “love language.” Entrepreneur Gilbert Espiritu of e-commerce store Calidad, his friend and housemate in Dubai for a decade, remembered how Modesto expressed care through food. “If he wasn’t in the badminton court or busy with art, he was in the kitchen. He would cook for you, feed you, make you feel important. That was his way of showing love,” Espiritu said. Modesto’s specialties included Ilocano favorites like igado and pancit, dishes he proudly shared with friends. “He was generous to a fault. If he had something, he gave it away,” Aquino said. Espiritu added, “What I’ll miss most is how he always reminded me to take care of myself, to eat healthy and stay active. He was a true friend.” Florence Pia Yu, Editor-in-Chief of Expat Media and former editor of gulfnews.com, first met Modesto in 2018 when she assigned a reporter to feature him as part of a pioneering online section on Filipino stories that she launched in the UAE. “He told me that was his first media interview in the UAE, and he was very grateful,” she said. “He was extremely talented but also down-to-earth. Even when he was gaining attention for his art, he remained humble. We featured his work again in 2022 in Expat Media.” During his last exhibit in Dubai last year, Modesto left a message that now reads like a parting note: “How good are wings without the courage to fly?” Though his life ended suddenly, Modesto’s story continues to inspire: the architect who turned trash into art, the badminton player who found healing in play, the friend who fed others with love, and the dreamer who finally embraced the simplicity of home. “He gave so much of himself to others,” Aquino said in Filipino. “He didn’t need riches to be happy. He was already happy cooking, creating, and giving.” As he is laid to rest in the province he once rarely visited but eventually called home, Modesto’s legacy endures—in every shuttlecock turned into art, every meal shared with friends, and every heart he touched. /Expat Media
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