Despair

 

2011

Oil on pre-made wooden boxes with transparent acrylic lids

 

The Despair Series is a continuation of the Metaphysical Armor concept.

To ‘capture’ an idea I literally drew (or painted) using ‘nothing’. All the visual representations are illusions. Despair is an illusion. 

 

I

 

II

 

This series is also influenced by a Brimstone in Fire song that shares its namesake.

 
Music: Mikah Azurin, Alfredo Bunye & Christian Igna
Lyrics: Mikah Azurin
 
… Escape your brain and take control
life is not found safe at home
no one else can face your plight
so smash your cage and fly outside
 
Tear up the maps and walk past the edges
out to the zones where monsters will be
they’re waiting to teach you the wisdom you’re needing
so sit at their feet and learn how to see
 
Through the lies you sow to hide your blunders
the tricks that keep your pride intact
until you leave your fear behind
there’s no escape from despair

 

These works are part of a group exhibition called Regalo at Avellana Art Gallery. The wooden boxes were given to all participants to compose with.

 

Dirty Little Sphinx

Oedipus and the Sphinx by Gustave MoreauThis started out as a pencil drawing, which was eventually digitally manipulated.  I’ve always been fascinated by sphinxes and intend to create a whole series based on the subject –if not strange mythological creatures at least. On the left is one of my favorite paintings: “Oedipus and the Sphinx” by Gustave Moreau.

“Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?”

Noneuclid “The Digital Diaspora” from the album The Crawling Chaos

Ouroboros

2010

A result of my ventures in ‘digital painting’ using  Photoshop + a Wacom Intuos 4 Pro tablet.

The Ouroboros is a recurring theme in my work.  This version is an amalgamation of the tail-eating-serpent, and the Biblical machinator of ‘The Fall’.

Gen 3:14 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.”

It  is now the logo of our recording studio: demiurge-digital.com

Immolation “Majesty and Decay” from the album Majesty and Decay

Metaphysical Armor

Flow Issue 5.1This piece was borne from the works of Lucio Fontana whose most significant works rebelled against the two-dimensionality of the canvas.  Though he focused on hacks and perforations, I felt that his thesis could be further developed by adding more context into the space interplay.

The original artwork is a carefully hand-cut pencil sketch in my journal, which I’ve altered for web purposes. This work was also featured in issue 5.1 of a local publication called Flow whose staff accommodated the painstaking die-cutting involved to faithfully represent my idea.

*  *  *

People find solace through an entity that is not physically tangible — the “God” concept.

Flow Magazine Die-cutBecause of its nuances and diversity, spirituality is often a personal and uncomfortable subject. Yet, on a grander scale, the idea of a supreme being is accepted. Interestingly, even to contradict the existence of such a being gives one a rationale to lean on.

One cannot help but feel that this social hesitance is due to people being embarrassed to express faith in the other-worldly, or what cannot be proven to exist. But, despite these reservations, many continue to find strength, reassurance, and comfort in ‘it’.

Because of the subject’s sensitivity, it felt appropriate to use an object from Philippine popular culture to satirically represent it. The “barrel man” is a small statue found in souvenir shops and literally comprises  a man covered by a barrel –which upon removal reveals nudity and grossly enlarged genitalia. Similarly, faith is widely recognized, just not often discussed.

The barrel covers the statue’s nakedness, just as an invisible presence protects and helps us manage our experiences. This presence is concealed from others by our personal relationship with it, in spite of how much we rely on it to face the rest of the world. Through it we continue to find the strength to go on with our existence.

Atheist “Displacement” from the album Elements