Inevitably Imperfect 2 Group Show

Based on the success of their inaugural exhibition in Bangkok in June 2013 The "Inevitably Imperfect" artist collective is coming together once again.

This July, experience a group exhibition of international scope organized by artists Dexter Sy and Dan Barry, as Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery presents Inevitably Imperfect 2. This exhibition showcases 8 artists and their personal interpretations of the purposely ambiguous theme Inevitably Imperfect - while simultaneously exploring layers of connections that exist within the New Contemporary Art Movement worldwide. Open to the public, the Inevitably Imperfect 2 opening reception starts 6pm on Wednesday, July 29th. Each artist will present multiple artworks that will be installed on two floors of Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery. The exhibition will run until August 15th, 2015.

“While brainstorming with Dexter, the artists that we would like to exhibit with in Inevitably Imperfect – We immediately made a list of artists whose work contained unique personal visions. Often, the works are emotionally charged, soulful and ambiguous in narrative, but full of enough signifiers of meaning for each of us to derive our own meanings from the work. ~ Dan Barry “

The final list of participating artists is diverse – in artistic process, in media, in content, and in personal background. Many of us have known of one another via social media, some of us have exhibited together in the United States and Europe, but this is the 2nd time that we will all show together as a collective – and our 2nd time exhibiting together in Asia. We were excited to see how this unique group of artists would interpret the theme Inevitably Imperfect.

Artists Featured: Dan Barry (USA), Jana Brike (Latvia), Edward Robin Coronel (USA), Jittagarn Kaewtinkoy (Thailand), Niwat Promma / Kai Chickenart (Thailand), Dexter Sy (Philippines), Lynyrd Paras (Philippines), Akira Miyamoto (Japan) 

Involutions by Jel Suarez

There’s something about Jel Suarez’s work that elevates it from mere appropriation into something else entirely. They are fitting depictions of Suarez’s imagination, experiences, and her thoughts. With “Involutions”, Suarez’s first solo exhibition, she has prepared her most ambitious set of works yet. After all, “involution” by definition could refer to intricacy and complexity. 

Every piece found in this collection is mesmerizing in their complexity, not only visually but also in their message. The surreal imagery is not only the product of the repurposing of the source material, but also of deconstructing and reconstructing them. It’s a classic example of making something new out of seemingly disconnected images, but in her pieces, there is an evident sense of mystery and wonder that goes with it, producing surrealist art at its most effective. The seemingly repetitive images almost form a dream-like tableau, a skewed depiction of a world both familiar but also jarringly different. 

With “Involutions”, Jel Suarez has given us a glimpse into her world: a world where classic art is turned on its head and the grotesque, the surreal, and the absurd are commonplace. There is a narrative that exists in all of her works, and “Involutions” is but the latest chapter in this narrative. It is also a waypoint in her artistic journey, showcasing her growth as an artist.

Appropriating and deconstructing image as a form of art may have been done before, but not with the same level of care and thought that Suarez puts into her work. 

While this is her first solo exhibition, there’s a confidence to Suarez’s work that should put people on notice. For Jel Suarez, art is a means for her to release all her frustrations and anxieties. And to that end, “Involutions” is akin to an exorcism in collage form. 

Double Feature Group Show

It's tacky, nauseating, yet such a shameful delight to watch. Insane,

bizarre, yet feeds our curiosity with brightness and comforting

horror. These oddball cult favorites contact the senses and

fascination of young artists Tyang, Quatro, Bins Palma, Wani and

Paksiw.

These vivid eyed five take on their cultographies and represent

significant film features to similarly double such harmony and

perception that it has. Goonies, Mars Attacks, Perfume, The Virgin

Suicides, Ghost World. These cult classic choices depict its memorable

film occurences for its weight.

As visual composers this is similar to their crafting that every

apparent minor detail is relevantly stitched together with great care

to create the fabric of their work. The reality that it imposes is

underappreciated that sometimes defects and failures bear instead of

triumphs. We ignore the great opportunity when we lose compassion and

discipline. There is not a bunch of shifts to take. In the end we all

have to write our ending.

You Are Here by Everywhere We Shoot

Curated by Everywhere We Shoot

Ara Asuncion / Acid House Post / Adam David / Aeon Barrameda / Aj Dimarucot / Amelie Vivas / Angelo Estrella / Anton Belardo / Apol Sta Maria / Archie Geotina / Bahagski (JP) / Bjorn Calleja / Brent Sabas / Broke / Carina Santos / Cenon Norial III / Charles Buenconsejo / Costantino Zicarelli / Crajes (Spain) / Dan Matutina / Dex Fernandez / Don Djerassi Dalmacio / Edrick Bruel / Electrolychee / Erick Encinares / Ernest Concepcion / Erwin Romulo / Ge Madriaga Mapa / Gerardo Tan / Geric Cruz / Harriet Tromeur (Paris) / Heima / Imagine Nation Studios / Inksurge / Isabel Santos / Jake Verzosa / Jayson Oliveria / Jeffrey Jay Arnan Jarin / Jel Suarez / Jigger Cruz / Joey Samson / Johanna Helmuth / JP Cuison / Jujiin Samonte / Jun Sabayton / Juvi Mae Ang / Karen Pimentel / Kris Abrigo / Leeroy New / Lena Cobangbang / Lendl Arvin / Lobregat Balaguer / Luis Antonio Santos / Lynyrd Paras / Maco Custodio / Mads Adrias / Mariano Ching / Marie Gan / Mark Salvatus / May Ann Licudine / Melvin Mojica / Micaela Benedicto / MM Yu / Neasden Control Centre (UK) / Nathalie Dagmang / Neil Pasilan / Nelle Vizmonte / Ness Sheen / Nicole Tee / Nimu Muallam / Oca Villamiel / Paolo Lim (AU) / Paulo Castro / Pow Martinez / Raffy Napay / Rabbithole Creatives / Ralph Mendoza / Ramon Vizmonte / Reese Lansangan / Rin Estrella / Rob Cham / Robert Alejandro / Romeo Lee / Ryan Villamael / Sanya Smith / Sharon See / Soleil Ignacio / Soler Santos / Sunshine Reyes / Tammy David / Tanya Villanueva / Team Manila / Teo Esguerra / The Greenhouse Project / Tinay Villamiel / Tokwa Peñaflorida / Tyang Karyel / Vernon Perez / Victoria Velasco / Yasmin Sison / Yeo Kaa / Yusaku Kawamura (JP) / Yvette Tan / Zean Cabangis / Zeus Bascon

Skywalker Benefit Exhibit

Featured artists include:

Soler Santos / Luis Santos / Dexter Sy / Dennis Bato / Miguel Paulo Borja / Anjo Bolarda / Jood Clarino / Renz Bautista / Rendy Dela Cruz / Iya Consorio / Andres Barrioquinto / Edric Go / Bjorn Calleja / Ren Quinio / Chalk Zaldivar / Yeo Kaa / Johanna Helmuth / Levin Paras / Erick Villaruz / Joyce Ignacio / Tano Panaligan / Dennis Gonzales / Aiya Balingit / Roy Rosatase / Jett Osian / Gian Miroe / Kiko Urquiola / Mark Alexis Toñacao / Whooop / Dennis Gonzales / Roberto Sanchez / Gabby Tiongson

Urban Modifications by Rai Cruz

Seize The Daze

Photography has always been embroiled in the question of impropriety: what is it that you seize, that you catch in a frozen frame, other than what is expected, if not what is obvious? 

Living within social media the discussion has become more complex, where the photography of daily life is about the creation of a perfected self, one defined by objects and moments deemed unique, or special. This is of course a delusion in itself, where the task of capture is about engaging a public via likes | shares | hashtags – asserting a relationship between one experience and another, effectively dissolving the specificity of experience into the creation of a virtual community.

If social media is the medium through which this crisis has been revealed, it is urbanity that cradles this disconnect between normalized (over-)shared experience and photography as individual expression. Contemporary urban development has created a financially mobile and technologically adept sector that lives this contradiction, oblivious to its toxic by-product: the dishonest re-presentation of individual lives and the creation of community premised on unstable commonality.

The task of capture is now not only improper. Photography of the everyday has become an act of boorishness, a vulgar display of one’s life in pictures. Imbued with new meaning and functionality by the one taking photos and the community that (dis-)agrees, the photographic subject is systematically decontextualized and necessarily disrespected.

Urban Modifications interrogates this state of affairs, revealing what these photographed objects ultimately become. Tourist attractions (tarsier, the eagle, the maya bird), everyday objects (a piggy bank, the lucky cat Maneki Neko, a camera, a gun) and subjects (a cat, the heart), and food (a hamburger, isaw on a stick, a mango) are exposed as nothing but disjointed parts. The artist’s signature wayward eye, nuts and bolts, innards and entrails, plants and flowers recreate these non-photographs, where all that is left of an object is its shape.

The critique is clear: the personal social media gallery is made up not of images that do justice to living, but of chaotic assemblages that reveal urbanity’s remains. This is what we use to define “us.” This is who we are. 

Welcome to this city, where we seize the daze. 

-- Katrina Stuart Santiago, May 2015.

Jeremyville in Manila

Jeremyville is a New York based artist with an Architecture degree from Sydney University. He has done collaborations with Nike, Mercedes, LeSportsac, MTV, Disney, Swatch, Diesel, Adidas and recently Uniqlo.

Aside from showcasing his work in numerous galleries around the world, Jeremyviile has exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, La Casa Encendida Museum in Madrid, the Madre Museum in Napoli, Colette in Paris, Cappellini in NYC, the 798 Arts District in Beijing, and is in many private collections around the world. Steven Heller, Editor at the New York Times, selected Jeremyville for his book 100 Best Illustrators in the world, by Taschen.