OCCUPIED STATE OF BEING

Man has always dreamt of conquering the world and history has proven such ideals had become a very unpredictable journey for those who aspire to rule. Yet the idea of ruling is not actually limited to ownership, power and popularity – that to conquer is to actually experience the diverse life that shaped this world. In the present time we have witnessed everything within the accessibility and comforts of our own hands through mobile gadgets, television, magazine, social media and online sites. We have come to a point wherein reasons of conquering has become more experiential—to satisfy our senses, our curiosities and to learn diversity and connection of different cultural backgrounds, traditions and ideas in different countries as we become explorers than conquerors and that we live to co-exist.

As one of the most active, consistent and influential street artist in the Philippines,

Egg Fiasco has occupied many empty lots, walls and even moving platforms such as vehicles and even human beings. His practice eventually helped reshape the concept of Graffiti Art in the Philippines that even commercial brands, collectors, museums and other institutions embraced this particular art form as one of the most exciting movement since 2006. His dedication and contribution to this art movement allowed him opportunities to explore different traditions and converse with different people in different countries. Eventually leading him to reflect life beyond his own, beyond the streets of Manila and beyond the familiar landscape that encapsulate his own being.

The colorful style of imagery on Egg Fiasco’s work summarizes the exciting life he has seen and lived. It resonates a certain aspect of being aware and being care-free. It moves towards a familiar direction yet it gives a certain ambiguity that invites all of us to decipher. In this new series of work, he encourages us to reflect on the different landmarks of his career as an artist. These series of random yet carefully placed images are inspired from his own personal journey where the art he cultivated in Manila has lead him to walk the streets of China in 2010, Singapore in 2012, Indonesia and Mongolia in 2014 and last year in Hong Kong. It allowed him to consume the experience, to study the spaces, to live with the people and to understand these countries more. This collected memories eventually made him realized that in these moments he was actually the one being consumed and being occupied and that life has expanded to a more diverse understanding of the world he lives in, in the world he creates and the world he presents. Thus making him more passionate and excited to be critical in his own practice and in his cultural background as a Filipino artist.

In Egg Fiasco’s vision of conquering the world, he allowed these influences and inspirations to occupy him instead and that his interest lies in the realm of cultural exchange as it is always seen in the streets where life coexists within a state of being.

-J. Pacena II

WORKS

DOCUMENTATION