Coming back in full force, Art Fair Philippines will see a return to the historically fun and unique parking structure location of Makati CBD’s The Link. Hopefully this brings back some of the electricy that the fair has built up over the years prior to the pandemic.
Rainy season in Manila can be a difficult time, but combine that with an endless rush hour and you have every excuse to go full emo. A young Makati-raised artist named Sabadontt is capturing all the feels of these dreaded, water-logged days in a series of pixel art animations. Commuters stuffed in leaky stairwells waiting for an MRT that threatens to never show up. A student trying to hide under her umbrella pauses on an overpass, gazing off in existential crisis. Locals start to shed the day’s struggle in a communal break at the carinderia.
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.
Tattoos and coffee? Not your regular combo, but we made it work. As baristas battled it out during this weel’s annual Aeropress competition, held here at our very own Honeycomb offices, Pale Rose hosted a tattoo pop up in our media room. Situated in the back of the dimmed main room and its party vibe, the glass box of our recording studio shined bright like a fishbowl as guests submitted themselves to the needle for all to see. Although the majority of customers opted for the special coffee-themed flash tattoos available for one night only, Pale Rose is known for their traditional Western-styled Sailor Jerry tattoos. The shop aims to make their name by inking the classic hearts and sparrows and panthers onto a new generation of fans. And a few brave soles went for their specialty, with one customer getting his very first tattoo on the sensitive inner bicep, much to the approval of all the spectators.
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.
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