ALVIN ZAFRA
A consistent honor student during his early school years, Alvin Zafra attended the University of Santo Tomas (1995) where he took up Painting as a major under the College of Architecture and Fine Arts. After one year, he transferred to the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, Diliman Campus, where he finished the course (BFA Painting). He was awarded the Dominador CastaÑeda Award for Visual Essay (Best Thesis, 2000) for his seminal work Argument from Nowhere, a painting of epic proportions utilizing a drawing technique he referred to as ‘Object/Medium’. This approach uses the destructibility of palpable objects, including human bone structure (most especially the human skull) as a drawing medium. The artist chose abrasive paper (sandpaper) as a drawing support and is continuously using sandpaper in creating his artworks.
The artist already had two solo exhibitions – Destroy/Erase/Improve (2001) at BigSkyMind and Paper Trails (2005) at Future Prospects, both at Quezon City, Philippines. He has participated and is still participating in numerous group exhibitions along with young and contemporary Filipino artists.
Zafra currently works as a Production Designer and Art Director for independent films, music videos and television. He is also a project manager for BeSpoke Trading, a manufacturing company that specializes in customized modern furniture. (written by Rhine Bernardino)
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