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Lot Essay
"My works are inspired by the folk narratives series that are very rich in colour, figure, motifs and patterns. Everything started from depicting everyday life with a tinge of commentary and humor. Then I just found myself branching out to folk beliefs. I find Philippine contemporary art so alive and full of potential."
Rodel Tapaya
Critically acclaimed Filipino painter Rodel Tapaya's works depict piercing social commentaries on contemporary life. Winner of the prestigious 2011 APB-Signature Art Prize, the heart of Rodel Tapaya's work is his on-going amalgamation of folk narratives and contemporary reality within the framework of memory and history. Rodel Tapaya composes fantastic tableaus of colours and intricately layered compositions. The subjects of his social commentaries are composed of carnivorous and freakish characters which the artist has placed in varied and fantasized environs.
Tapaya’s trademark illustrative style epitomizes the portrayal of his mystical universe. As he juxtaposing his uncanny characters against a forested background woven through with magical flora and fauna, the viewer is brought on an enigmatic adventure through a rare glimpse into a hidden parallel landscape only visible through Tapaya's conjured visions. The central character of the stag dominates the composition and dwarfs the strange animal-human hybrids. Inverting the perceived hierarchy of the relationship between man, animal, and nature, Tapaya questions the negative impact of man on the environment by presenting us with a topsy-turvy fantasy where man is at the mercy of the environment.
Tapaya manages to infuse in his paintings the suspense across the spectrum of society's individuals. His use of foliage within the composition and various distortions of perspective result in a distinctively original visual language - from the mutant-hodgepodge of its characters to its subtle narrative threads, Tapaya is first and foremost a storyteller.
Rodel Tapaya
Critically acclaimed Filipino painter Rodel Tapaya's works depict piercing social commentaries on contemporary life. Winner of the prestigious 2011 APB-Signature Art Prize, the heart of Rodel Tapaya's work is his on-going amalgamation of folk narratives and contemporary reality within the framework of memory and history. Rodel Tapaya composes fantastic tableaus of colours and intricately layered compositions. The subjects of his social commentaries are composed of carnivorous and freakish characters which the artist has placed in varied and fantasized environs.
Tapaya’s trademark illustrative style epitomizes the portrayal of his mystical universe. As he juxtaposing his uncanny characters against a forested background woven through with magical flora and fauna, the viewer is brought on an enigmatic adventure through a rare glimpse into a hidden parallel landscape only visible through Tapaya's conjured visions. The central character of the stag dominates the composition and dwarfs the strange animal-human hybrids. Inverting the perceived hierarchy of the relationship between man, animal, and nature, Tapaya questions the negative impact of man on the environment by presenting us with a topsy-turvy fantasy where man is at the mercy of the environment.
Tapaya manages to infuse in his paintings the suspense across the spectrum of society's individuals. His use of foliage within the composition and various distortions of perspective result in a distinctively original visual language - from the mutant-hodgepodge of its characters to its subtle narrative threads, Tapaya is first and foremost a storyteller.