Four of the country's leading contemporary art galleries — Art Underground, Galerie Stephanie, Village Art Gallery, and Vinyl on Vinyl — are proud to present "Crossover," a joint curation project showcasing the paintings and sculptural works by pop-surrealists Mr. S, GNCH, Reen Barrera, and SAIS.
The crossover takes place in four different spaces — each with its unique setting — offering a different immersive experience where ideas are allowed to meet and expand the universes crafted by each of the artists.
From Mr. S’ dreamscapes and SAIS’ starry- and wide-eyed portraits to the playful reimaginations and reflections on childhood and adulthood by GNCH and Reen Barrera, viewers are invited into curious realms and narratives.
Cavite-based SAIS joins the crossover as a part of Art Underground. A graduate of Fine Arts from the Technological University of the Philippines-Manila, he has been exhibiting works since 2020. Working primarily with charcoal and graphite, he is most known for his childlike portraits featuring a wide-set wide-eyed boy. These monochromatic representations convey the artist’s innermost thoughts, often evoking a sense of both yearning and wonder.
Galerie Stephanie-signed artist Mr. S is most known for his dreamy scenes of his eponymous character roaming the wild with feline familiars. Starting off as a graphic designer and street artist under the moniker ‘Mister Sasquatch’, the artist remains a vivid storyteller and world-builder, particularly inspired by both the aesthetic sensibilities and philosophies of Japan’s feudal era. Such influences have come to define his works’ contemplative quality and use of magic realism in dealing with contemporary themes.
Represented by Village Art Gallery, Gen Lazaro, best known as GNCH (pronounced ‘jen-ich’), is a self-taught artist with a background in illustration and design. A skilled draughtsman, initially working on concept art for film and video games, GNCH — a stylized compounding of his name and the Nihongo word ‘ichi’ meaning ‘one’ — eventually went on to explore and train in gouache and various digital mediums. His signature surreal figures are reminiscent of childhood cartoon characters, rendered in forms and settings that tread the line between playful and unsettling. Graphite remains his medium of choice, harkening back to his early days as an artist.
Born in France and raised in the Philippines, Vinyl on Vinyl artist Reen Barrera’s artistic inclinations were evident early in childhood. The artist then begun with repairing wood carvings at church, which grew into an interest in collecting found materials to create toys and figurines. Today, Barrera’s works make fond references to childhood memories, while incorporating vernacular phrases, and streetscapes. Tinged with nostalgic longing, his figures are most recognizable for their nonchalant expressions which contrast with the artist’s signature expressionistic render, as he continues to draw inspiration from children and their carefree dispositions.
Crossover recently opened at Vinyl on Vinyl in Makati City and Galerie Stephanie in Mandaluyong City. Subsequent events are scheduled to take place at Village Art Gallery in Muntinlupa City on November 17 and at Art Underground in San Juan City on November 18. The collaborative project is set to conclude on November 30.