RODEL TAPAYA

Born in Montalban, Philippines, in 1980, Tapaya grew up immersed in the oral and pictorial tradition of his rural environment situated at the periphery of Manila, one of the world’s largest urban sprawl. As a student at the University of the Philippines, he studied alternative interpretations of supernatural traditions through Professor Damiana Eugenio’s scholarly work. Since then, he devoted his career to painting tableaus that not only illustrate but also reimagine her compilation of Philippine myths and fables.

Tapaya employs the fantastic to depict the coexistence of other modes of being alongside and within the modern present. In his wide-ranging repertoire of mythical beings—Tapaya conceptualises the fantastic as a form of temporal translation to various points in Philippine History. One writer observes that it “seems as though a conquest is taking place in reverse: it is the forgotten demons, the old spirits and divinities, that reconquer modern, secularised society”.

His smooth application of paint, cramped figurative compositions and mix of decorative surfaces comment on the constructed overlaps of the social, political and environmental issues. The concerns are visible in his palette, which captures both the vibrant locale and the darkness that overcast his figures that appear along the margins—serving as a reminder of the proximity of colonialism’s legacy. Since his earliest exhibitions Tapaya has utilized a range of media; from large acrylic on canvases to an integration of local crafts such as under-glass painting, metalwork, and diorama. His intriguing literary-based visual practice has made him one of the most recognizable names in the Southeast Asian contemporary art boom of the past decade.

Courtesy Ames Yavuz