Jade Suayan has pulled out all the stops. It’s very rare to find an artist who can match their artistic vision with technical ability, and this is one of the things that makes this show so special.
Walking into the show requires you to bend your head, entering through a parking gate pylon into a concept exhibit where the entire room has been transformed into a purple parking garage.
When you talk about Manila streetwear, many local brands come to mind. But there are only a select few that sit confidently on top of that list. THE is one, if not the one. They helped pioneer the rise of streetwear culture in the Metro and are one of the reasons why many young people started their own T-shirt brands. And this week they’re celebrating their 10 year anniversary.
Family. It’s the basic unit of human connection, an integral part of existence, the root of one’s identity, usually composed of parents and children in the same household. Most consider the people they were born into and share a bloodline with as their family.
JP Pining knows who’s got a soft spot for their fuzzy little friends. In his second solo show at Secret Fresh, dubbed “Endless Loyalty,” he uses his trademark geometric style to illustrate different breeds of dogs, capturing them in riotous color. JP has a doggo to call his own, who is part of the inspiration behind this show, but another driving force was witnessing how people are changed by forming relationships with their dogs. Any pet lover would know what it’s like, and these bonds were on full display with all the pets running around that night.
The karaoke machine is ubiquitous in Asian life, so what better way to communicate with an audience? Anton Belardo’s new exhibit, The Jellyfish Karaoke, revolves around it. This is the third installment of her ongoing visual diary series Jellyfish Kisses, a playful and experiential searching of complex human emotions.
The paintings and sculptures all circle around Anton’s personal experiences of heartbreak, sadness, pleasure, and joy. Each piece has a karaoke code for a title. Once loaded into the machine, a pop song will play to help the viewer interpret, as well as relate with, the art piece.
Corporate life is not what immediately comes to mind when viewing Grace Period, Tekla Tamoria‘s current solo exhibit at Vinyl on Vinyl. But upon closer inspection, the clues and hints referencing work life in the concrete jungle slowly reveal themselves. Hanging structures made of paper strips resemble tall city buildings. Concrete legs firmly set beneath each lend an authoritative character. The pieces also bring to mind tiny office cubicles and their claustrophobic, trapped feel.
Even the materials Tekla uses are regular office supplies, such as fluorescent sticky labels and filing folders. She skillfully folds, rolls, and weaves these all together to create some truly quirky sculptures.
Read MoreLocal independent streetwear vendors converged on Cubao Expo this past weekend for THE Block Party. The rain was torrential earlier in the day, but by nightfall, it had lightened to a cool drizzle. And the leftover chilly air and wet streets deterred no one; this was hoodie weather after all. Expo is the very location where many of these young artists found their creative roots, and it was all organized by none other than THE, the brand regularly cited as pioneering this thriving Metro Manila subculture.
I only had a couple of hours to spend at Art Fair PH this year. It definitely wasn’t enough time to take in everything but I’m still glad I was able to go and have a good experience from it.
Here are my favorites from this year’s exhibits, dividing them into several categories that specifically speak to me.
Read MoreAt the top of my hitlist visiting Singapore last month was a trip to the museums. We were able to catch the multiple-venue exhibit entitled Minimalism: Space Light Object, a collection of over 100 artworks that look closely into the development of the Minimalist movement over the last 70 years.
