Afterworld Obliteration

Afterworld Obliteration

OPENING:
Thursday, January 17, 2019 , 6pm


EXHIBITION DATA:
17 January 2019 to 23 February 2019
Alliance Francaise de Manille
209 Nicanor Garcia street, Bel Air II, 1209 Makati City

Dexter Sy, a Filipino artist represented by the gallery 1335MABINI, conducted an artist-in-residence at the Centre Intermondes (La Rochelle, France) from August 1 to September 8, 2017, as part of the Philippine Artist Residency Program (PARP), which is a call for collaborative projects between Alliance Française de Manille, 1335MABINI and Centre Intermondes in France.

Over the years, Dexter has shaped his own style, combining Persian rugs, painting and ink and pen drawings. In France, he created works evoking the violence and terrorism that can hit both France and the Philippines. There are cut-outs in the form of robots representing evil, robots being perceived in Asia as destructive beings. The drawn parts represent hell and the victims of violence and terrorism intertwined with graphics from the tradition of Indigenous Filipino groups. The use of the Persian rug echoes the significant presence of the Muslim community in the Philippines (more than 20% of the population). The works also make use of Christian symbolism; Christianity is the majority religion in the Philippines.