Back to back shows this June

DREAM MACHINE by Edwin Tres Reyes

“People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes.” – Neil Gaiman

One way to moderate an artist is through his power as a storyteller. After all, all artists work with their own experience, constructing a visualized dream. The audience, therefore, is compelled to journey through the world the artist creates—in effect a character in the artist’s story. It doesn’t really matter if there is no logical outcome, or that the necessities of a plot structure are seemingly abandoned. Dreams, after all, never follow the elements of a plot, yet somehow people can still recall and narrate what happens. And this does not dilute the emotional impact of the experience.

In this case, artist Edwin Tres Reyes (b. 1972) is a dream factory, with a unique vision that is combined with a capable technique to realize it visually. John Lennon once said: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” Through Tres Reyes’ ability as an artist, these dreams – these pocket narratives – find their form in canvas and resin sculptures.

Thus, Dream Machine is more than a visual art exhibition. At its conceptual core, it seeks to capture the zeitgeist of an age where stories were told in their purest form—as the product of dreams. Utilizing a distinct technique, Tres Reyes creates canvas works that also find their volumetric form in identical resin sculptures. These are considered one works, symbolic of the process by which an individual dream becomes a collective reality.

Opening on 6:30 in the evening, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, the works in Tres Reyes’ Dream Machine find an appropriate home in Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery, in collaboration with 371 Art Space. Inside the artist community in Makati known as The Collective, Vinyl on Vinyl and 371 Art Space are among some of the most avant-garde independent shops and galleries. The Collective is located at 7274 Malugay Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City. They may be reached through landline at 727-8182 or email at 371art@gmail.com.  

Edwin Tres Reyes (b. 1972) is a product of the Fine Arts program at the University of Santo Tomas. Tres Reyes has won several awards in his career, including the On-the Spot Drawing Competition of the Central Bank of the Philippines (1986), the GSIS High School Competition (1988-1989), the Art Association of the Philippines Apec Stamp Design Competition Award (1996), and was a semi-finalist in the 1996 and 2001 Metrobank Young Painters’ Annual National Painting Competition. A Founding Member of the Guevarra Group of Artists, Tres Reyes has had several one-man shows to his credit and has participated in numerous group shows in the Philippines and in Singapore.

The works on display at Dream Machine mirrors the artist’s experiences as an artist juggling with the demands of the advertising industry. He infuses his practice with a narrative edge that is lined with the aesthetic nous of surrealism which lend a subliminal subtext to his works. His style recalls the a tradition of illustration and printing, acknowledging the importance those mediums play in crafting narrative. The artist works with the ideas of desire, and thus his works show characters at the onset of journeys. Witty and light-hearted political, his works and their openness to various interpretations make conversation pieces among his audience.

The artist’s approach to Dream Machine is to examine the manifestation of individual dreams, represented by canvas works, into collective reality—in this case, the volumetric representation of the canvas work as resin sculptures. These two tangible dream products are taken as one artwork—and available to collectors accordingly.

It is a unique approach that makes Tres Reyes’ Dream Machine an interesting show—one that definitely should not be missed.

Designer Toy Awards: Best in Resin Nominee !

Thank you Clutter Magazine and Designer Toy awards!

VOTE HERE! 

EASTPAK Artist Studio

 EASTPAK's Artist Studio event is happening on April 27, 5pm to 9pm at Vinyl on Vinyl, The Collective!

See the designs of featured artists Happy Andrada, Resty Tica, Apol Sta Maria, JP Cuison and Paolo Bernaldo.

Live performances by The ButcherCons, Moonstar 88 and DJ Gandhi Tuazon.

APOL STA MARIA

HAPPY ANDRADA

JP CUISON

PAOLO BERNALDO

RESTY TICA

Nurturing Homegrown Artists for a Cause

Eastpak and Bratpack Remix presents this year’s EASTPAK Artist Studio.

As a heritage brand, Eastpak is revered by individuals across varying interests and pursuits. With its dynamic range of models and styles, the brand adheres to different tastes. In particular, EASTPAK is close to the hearts of the alternative communities – supporting the likes of creative and innovative people in various industries.

It is for this reason that the brand came up with the EASTPAK Artist Studio, a project that involves converting blank EASTPAK backpacks (iconic Padded Pak’r bag) into one-of-a-kind masterpieces by artists from around the globe. The proceeds of the project go to a charity organization called Designers Against AIDS. The past editions saw over 130 artists including graphic designers, product designers, DJs, and even chefs to design over 200 unique Eastpak backpacks.

For the third time around, the creative platform of Bratpack that recognizes and supports local artists, known as Bratpack Remix, joined Eastpak to launch this year’s EASTPAK Artist Studio through an event held last April 27 at Vinyl on Vinyl at the Collective. In attendance to celebrate the collaborative project were hip media folks, celebrities, and members of the art scene.

The project aims to gather the best and most prolific artists in our land to represent the country and join EASTPAK’s roster of exceptional artists for a meaningful cause. This year, five local artists were tapped by EASTPAK and Bratpack Remix - chosen to promote creative freedom and social awareness.

In addition, the project also serves as a great platform to provide exposure to some of the Philippines’ most outstanding artists – propelling them to international acclaim. This year’s handpicked artists include a dynamic mix, featuring mavericks from different realms of the arts.

Such is Paulo Bernaldo, who has earned recognition as the bassist of Moonstar 88 and the Butcherons. Aside from his musical inclination, Bernaldo is also an award-winning music video director for both local and foreign artists such as Kamikazee, Parokya ni Edgar, David Archuleta, and more. To further elevate his aptitude for the arts, he is also a graphic and tattoo artist.

Representing the local fashion and art scene is Happy Andrada, co-owner of F*Art Fashion and a winner in a slew of design competitions here and abroad, including awards from the Miami International Fashion Week, International Emerging Designer of 2012, Swatch Watch design contest, and the Inspiring Young Filipino Entrepreneur Award by Go Negosyo 2010. Not new to representing the country abroad, Andrada brings pride for the country in international fashion events and art conventions.

Meanwhile, Resty Tica’s edge lies in his impressive art works. As a print graphic artist and award-winning painter, he is known for his abstract expressionist imagery driven by pop art sensibilities. Tica has participated in numerous group exhibitions, as well as award recognitions such as the Grand Prize for PLDT-DPC Telephone Directory cover art completion, the Artist of the Year Award of the TUP Fine Arts Gawad Pagkilala sa Sining, and more. He is also a graphic artist for network giant, ABS-CBN.

If not busy producing ideas for advertising, John Paul “Apol” Sta. Maria can be caught breathing life to characters in his comic books and art works. Aside from being a notable visual creator for the corporate industry, Sta. Maria is a well-loved in the art scene for his uncanny pieces that invokes humor and curiosity in the mind of the observer.

An exceptional trendsetter in the practice of graphic arts, JP Cuison is highly-recognized in the Philippine advertising scene and is a two-time representative to the Cannes Young Lions International Advertising Festival. With a knack for infusing the old with the new, Cuison’s taste has led him to be commissioned by heavy-weight brands like Puma, Asia Brewery, Manila Beer, Bench clothing, as well as concert posters by local and foreign musical acts such as Rico Blanco, Razorback, Mr. Big, Addison Groove, and Lymbic System.

EASTPAK and Bratpack Remix truly believe in the significance of creative expression and what its power shape and redefine the consciousness of the society. Through the EASTPAK Artist Studio, both brands get to support and nurture local artists in the country as well as contribute in a meaningful cause.

Dr Sketchy is back!

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Philippines presents: 'Ms. Sile'.

Calling all artsy earthlings! We've got a super special treat for you straight from outer space!

Head over to VINYL ON VINYL this 26th for some steamy sci-fi goodness featuring Muses Dear Prudence and Ms. Cola!"

Prepare for another dose of dames drinks and drawing!

APRIL 26, 2013
8:00 PM
PHP 300
20% discount for students with valid ID
Vinyl on Vinyl
The Collective, 7274 Malugay Street, Makati, 1203

CONTACT US!
dione@drsketchy.ph
alex@drsketchy.ph
http://www.facebook.com/DrSketchyPhilippines
http://www.twitter.com/DrSketchyPH
09177949564/0917 576 8558

Who says drawing can't be sexy? ♥

RAI x MENEER Workshops at Vinyl on Vinyl

 Meneer Marcelo and Rai Cruz'  Summer workshop BASANG BASA on April 20, 21, 27 and 28. Join us and learn the secrets from the experts! Limited slots only! 10% Discount for students! For reservations go to this link:
http://meneermarcelo.pandaform.com/pub/bgm9mi/new

ONGOING EXHIBIT: Hypnagogia, Brink of sleep

Hypnagogia: Brink Of Sleep

"The path bridging the conscious and the unconscious is ethereal, and the sensations we get from it, ephemeral."  Artist Tokwa Peñaflorida interprets the journey to sleep with sprites and spirits with long lush, hair, and spellbinding eyes that convey sensuality and voyeurism.  He also included different cultural concepts concerning dreams, such as the bangungot or batibat of Philippine folklore, the incubus and the succubus which are almost universal, and the use of dreamcatchers by the Native Americans.

Peñaflorida’s style is highly influenced by the works of Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Japanese pop art: the enhanced sensuality of the female, dreamlike, provocative, and cheekiness. As a result, his work is always, although subtly, highly emotional.  He uses different techniques such as wash, and mediums, mostly acrylic and watercolour, both fitting to bring about the gossamer and incorporeal elements of dreams.

For Hypnagogia, the artist exhibits melancholic “sleep creatures” which emanate a longing for the dreamer, as if hoping to be remembered after the enchantments of sleep wear off, their eyes, enticing, hypnotizing, offering themselves. The dreamer, in his consciousness, is either relieved or distraught, but nevertheless struggling to recall the sensations he felt—the dream itself.

One of the paintings in the exhibit, Recurrence,  is an illustration of Peñaflorida’s recurring dream wherein a naked woman holds a huge needle against the backdrop of a crystal castle. In recurring dreams, the dreamer is bound by confusion from the seemingly meaningless abstractions. Many would claim that this kind of dream is a prophecy or a reassessment of the dreamer’s state in life. Somehow it seems romantic to think that these dreams could just be a showoff of the enchantress, to show pointless things to the dreamer that is not normal. Nonetheless, it attests to the connection of the dreamer and his dream spirit.

Our suppressed and unconscious desires are presented to us as we cross the bridge from the conscious to the unconscious. According to Freud, our dream symbolisms are sometimes shaped by our life instincts or Eros  (survival, pleasure, and reproduction). This instinct creates a libidinal energy that is greatly projected in dreams, which is sometimes blatant, but most of the times hidden. Death instincts or Thanatos is, unconsciously, our desire to die. These instincts set the mood as to what, how, and who we see in our dreams.  

Contrary to the idea that dreams are considered to be the opposite of reality, it is, in its subliminal and truest form, a reality—a few intimate minutes with the dreamer and his undisclosed fantasies.

                                                                                                            -Yohan Belarmino

In the languid slumber of reality 

About the artist:  

Tokwa Peñaflorida

The young man as a portrait of an artist begins with the words indelibly inked on his two legs: Lorem Ipsum. He professes them to be part of his advocacy of the decorative absurdity. He is silent on the fact that they are the flawed preamble to a dissertation on pleasure and pain.

Like the phrase, the subconscious polarizes the readings of his artwork. There is a weight behind his apparent portraits of beauty. Languorous gazes, sinuous lines, and decorative effects points his stylistic influences: Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Audrey Kawasaki, Stella Im Hultberg. With them he shares the fixation of the malleable allure of the feminine. But his figures are often laced with confusion. He prefers to flaw them. The surfaces are tactile with imperfections, in layers or washes or phantom manifestations. His canvases are like lovely blossoms with the perfect worm in the heart of florid putrescence.

His recent works reflect the change from his earlier oeuvre, in which he explores the expressionistic character of his washes within his psychological vignettes, drawing from the subject of a darker eros--one kin and wed to primordial chaos.