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 MoreMixed Media Future Shock by RJ Wolfgang
RJ Wolfgang is a one-man-band. Photography, design, layouts, casting, location scouting—he handles it all, combining these mixed media compositions into mini-photo zines that could be considered art projects in themselves. His most recent work has been a tech-heavy style, leaning on futuristic imagery, high-density locations, and Japanese lettering. While it may appeal mostly to fans of techwear, it’s hard not to appreciate the level of work and attention to detail that goes into each series.
Read MoreSupport Your Friends On Collabs And Family
Support Your Friends. It’s simultaneously a brand name and statement. They’re known for a few things, but their logo caught nationwide attention when Grab snatched it without permission. The ridesharing company was using it to advertise their merger with Uber last year. And while the move went viral, with fans stepping up to defend SYF, they’ve never told their story publicly.
The Jellyfish Karaoke, a Safe Space
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.
Read MoreBeing Nobody, A Brand Bigger than Itself
“Ego death,” says Kyle, one of the founders of Nobody Clothing, when asked to describe the ethos behind their streetwear brand. It’s a company that’s about being bigger than oneself. About escaping self-aggrandizement.
Born in Quezon City’s Cubao Expo, the group would hang out, sitting around on the compound’s curbs until midnight, scheming and designing. They wear the local badge proudly, making Cubao’s zip code a prominent element across their apparel.
Read MoreThe Challenging Illustration of Cebuano Artist Bastinuod
Illustration is often the most literal of the arts. Along with political cartoons, it’s rare that visual art comments so directly on contemporary issues. Cebuano artist Bastinuod makes good on that tradition, covering some hard-hitting local circumstances like election violence and land rights struggles. He expands on those topics to include the likes of domestic violence and traditional folklore. And he’s not preoccupied with negativity either, often broaching the area of future tribalism.
He finds his style through mixed media, often combining painting on canvas with printmaking techniques and digital art. It’s a blend of freehand characters and comic book color tones. And it’s an effective one too, one that’s both familiar and challenging. Folded paper marks bring to mind childhood comics while also creating tension and distress. Inkblots tether anger to nostalgia.
Read MoreThe Corporate World According To Tekla Tamoria
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 MoreTHE’s Block Party at Cubao Expo Was All About Community
Local 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.
Read MoreThank You to Bring the Fam to Cubao Expo
Thank You is a brand that sprouted from the concept of gratitude, and everything they do revolves around showing love and giving back to the people that surround them. They create streetwear and lifestyle clothing as part of their umbrella store, called the Thank You Gift Shop. Located in Malolos, Bulacan, the store showcases multiple brands and artists, selling stuff that ranges from coats to cookies. The products hail mostly from their hometown in Malolos, Bulacan, a province in the north of the Philippines, but they also feature artists from cities across the Philippines like Cebu and Cavite.
But no one is more important than their immediate family, and the brand revolves heavily around their daughter. It’s run by the married couple Alden and Mira Mallo, and they named their primary icon (a silhouette of a young girl bowing, as if politely saying “thank you”) Bliss after their child: “Gusto namin alam ng anak namin na family oriented yung brand namin, and ma-feel niya na para sakanya talaga to.” (“We want our daughter to know that our brand is family oriented, and we want her to feel that’s this concept is really dedicated to her.”)
Raise Hell Shreds with Daily Grind
Streetwear is supposed to be about community, so what better way to strengthen those bonds than collaborating with local artists killing it just down the street? A great example of this is Daily Grind‘s new collab with Raise Hell, which drops today. The line of fanny packs, bucket hats, and five-panel caps feature Hell’s Sailor Jerry-type illustrations in all-over patterns.
Raise Hell, also known as Raizel Go, is no stranger to the skateboarding world. She’s been painting on decks from Calle Skate Shop for a while now. She’s also designed boards for both Calle and Daily Grind. And you can find Raizel herself rolling around the streets of Manila on a longboard or a fixie. She’s even got her own fixed gear clothing brand called BRKLXX.
Read More