Loading...

5 Highlights for the ALT Philippines Art Show

by

Ten of Metro Manila’s finest contemporary art galleries have put together a fresh and new tent-pole event for the Philippine Art Month calendar. It’s called ALT Philippines, and they are saying that they want to “re-frame the art show.”

Set in SM Aura in Taguig City’s Fort Bonifacio area, the show opened today and we were there at the preview to see what they’ve brought out So have they been able to do something different? We visited the show, and here are some things we saw that  made the visit worth the trip to SM Aura.

Read More

A Show of Force: Jade Suayan’s First Solo Show at Secret Fresh Gallery

by

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.


Despite what may seem like the overpowering use of purple, color usage and theory is impeccable at this show. Suayan uses plastic garments on some of her characters and observes translucency of materials and how hues change when passing through objects of another color. Colors of similar saturation are used in close proximity, toying with your eyes, messing with contrast, and creating a unique visual experience.


An interesting theme that carries through the exhibit is that of character selection, similar to that of a video game start up screen. It’s a design language that is subtle, but instantly identifiable to those who have seen it on screens over and over again. Alluding to another theme that has continually appeared in her work over the years: choice. Almost as a part of that subtext, the graffiti persona “SYN” also makes an appearance on one of the main walls.


Through message and through medium, the artist seems to be toying with reality. Ironically enough, reality seemed to be toying with Jade too because this show almost didn’t happen. At the height of her preparation for the show, a week before the opening day and after two months of perpetration, Taal volcano erupted. And because she lives and has her studio in close proximity to the volcano, she had to immediately evacuate, taking only two paintings with her.


But none of this prevented her from continuing the work. The evacuation center was kind enough to spare her a room where she could paint, and with the help of her boyfriend, they retrieved the rest of her equipment and unfinished pieces from her ash covered studio, brought them to the center and worked doubletime to see it through. Jade admitted that there were many moments when she really felt discouraged and was close to giving up but she manages to pull off one of the best shows in recent times, with the help of her family, her boyfriend, and the incredibly supportive team at Secret Fresh Gallery.

Nobody would have blamed her for pulling back and postponing the show. But in a way, her stepping up and taking the opportunity to come out of her shell and let the walls talk has become a testament to the unstoppable force that she is becoming. Nature’s fury has nothing on Jade Suayan or the persona that is SYN.


The show is entitled “Walls Could Talk”and is currently running in DJ Big Boy Cheng’s Secret Fresh Gallery in San Juan. See it until February 2, 2020.

How Archie Geotina Re-Opened the Discussion on Marawi

by

Don’t Miss Archie Geotina’s Show at Provenance Gallery. True to his street art roots, Geotina has chosen wheat paste as the primary media for this exhibit. We say primary because the prints are actually bonded onto aluminum sheets which have been wrought to communicate even deeper messaging. Utilizing this medium he has become very familiar with as a young graffiti artist, the images serve as primary way of starting his dialogue.

But that’s only the start. The prints are applied to sheets of aluminum, bent to resemble crumpled up pieces of litter, weathered, and slowly unfolded to reveal that which was simply thrown away. This technically classifies the works as sculptures and adds a weight to them that simply does not come across in photographs — ironically enough — especially since they basically all began their journey as photographs themselves. While this is a solo show, Geotina makes a point to thank his collaborator, Summer Puertollano for contributing the photography used in the works.

Accompanying the hanging works are a series of hand-sculpted ceramic sculptures. Limited to an edition of 25, each leaf laid on the skulls were also hand sculpted, the whole thing being made out of ember-fired porcelain. Extending the depth of meaning of the sculptures is their secondary function. It turns out that they are not merely decorative, but also serve as censers for incense sticks. Strategically positioned holes (such as in the eyes of the skull) allow for smoke to escape and vent out of the sculpture. It’s almost as if you are invited to continue participating in a performance art piece every time you light up a stick to burn in the sculpture.

And that’s another thing: aroma. The exhibit has a fragrance. One of incense , floral notes, and… mourning.

Add to that Geotina’s collaboration with Free the Robots & Similar objects for sound design and you see that this level of intention is evident across the board at Ground Zero. And intention is what’s going to be one of the things that will set Archie Geotina apart from the pack if he is able to continue with this level of depth of though and ability to communicate those thoughts through art.

Ground Zero is what the artist has named this show. Named to reflect the journey that they made to visit the literal ground zero of 2017’s Marawi conflict. It was a journey where they had to travel at a minimum of 100 kph to maintain the group’s security. It would be at this same ground zero that Geotina would leave a message of peace in the form of a street art mural.

A second message of peace is extended though the Ground Zero show, as a portion of the proceeds will be going to extend the support towards Marawi through the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement.

Provenance Gallery is in Shangri-La BGC, and Ground Zero runs until Feb 2, 2020.

Tyang Karyel’s Dream of an Art Sari Sari

by

Browsing through the artwork of Tyang Karyel evokes the childhood pleasure in small things. A single candy, a plastic toy, an old movie. As we grow older it’s a little harder to find joy in these things, but the Cavite artist puts a low brow art spin on things, refreshing their aura. Her pieces are art objects for the everyday fan, often made in cutout shapes or packaged in satchels. “I’m fascinated by cheap, local brands with weird designs and wobbly lines. I especially like product labels and ephemeral stuff,” she tells us. “Everything looks clean, crisp, and shiny these days. It’s too perfect so we forget about the simple stuff.”

Tyang Karyel's sari sari low brow art.
Read More

Distort Monster’s First Solo Show At Secret Fresh

by

Skateboarding. Punk rock. Graffiti. They’re all pretty aggressive subcultures, outlets that allow angry kids to express themselves. And Distort Monsters has been here for all of them since he was little. Whether out in QC on his board during middle school, running around Metro with a can in high school, or penning angsty punk songs all along, it was a way for him to channel his mood into relatively positive ways. And it paid off too, considering that he’s opening his first solo art show this Sunday, courtesy of the good people at Secret Fresh. [Full disclosure: Distort is now part of the Honeycomb team.]

Read More

Marcushiro Nada’s “Homecoming” opens in Pablo’s Post Gallery

by

The exhibition is Nada’s fifth solo show, coming off of a hiatus of six years since his fourth. So the title “Homecoming” is fitting, marking his return to the gallery setting. Those familiar with his personal street art style and murals scattered around the San Juan and Quezon City area will be interested to see how his style has evolved. And evolved it has, revealing a secondary meaning to the show’s title: come into the Nada household.

Read More

Water Water Everywhere Not A Drop To Drink: Bato At VoV

by

Empty, matte black figures suspended above dust piles in a small, windowless room and a dry faucet on the far end. It’s a bleak scene, one loaded with implications for our future if the world continues on its path. The installation is Dennis Bato‘s “Element Of The Past” show at Vinyl on Vinyl, which opened this week. And although meaning behind this piece of concept art is unclear at first glance, all it takes is a nudging from the artist himself to send its possibilities spiraling. He says it’s about the existence humans might face from the choices we’ve made, specifically the specter of water crises, which Manila only recently suffered through as millions of people faced limited access to water.

Read More

Endless Loyalty: JP Pining At Secret Fresh

by

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.

Read More

Edon Tuazon Fabreo’s Urban Philippine Dioramas

by

Sometimes it takes some distance for you to really appreciate your home. That’s basically what happened to Edon Tuazon Fabreo. Although he’d been interested in miniature scale models since he was a kid, it wasn’t until a trip back to Manila after spending a few years in Saudia Arabia as an OFW that he decided on combining the two loves.

Edon Tuazon Fabreo's Urban Philippine Dioramas
Read More