Herve di Rosa in Manila

By Herve di Rosa

“The Philippines is a very particular place”, observed Hervé di Rosa over Thai food. “One foot in the west, and one in the east”, he added, stomping his feet in turn to make his point. “I also notice that the tradition of painting is very strong here, with young artists still taking it up.”

A group of us joined Hervé and his wife, Victoire, over dinner two days before his exhibit opened at DAGC Gallery. It was evident that the energetic, exuberant Frenchman had been enjoying his time in Manila, meeting artists, and going around to catch some shows. Romeo Lee, in particular, seems to have made the biggest impression, especially after a visit to the artist’s legendary studio. “One day we will make a museum dedicated to Romeo Lee. There is no one else like him!”

In Europe, notably in his native France, Hervé, 52, is considered a pioneer of urban art, what he calls l’art modeste, perhaps best described these days as lowbrow. His brand of painting, squiggly caricatures in vivid colors all crowded together, strikes me as a cross between Keith Haring and Robert Williams. While he currently makes his home in Seville, it is his hometown of Sète, in the South of France, that has benefited from his art. It is the site of the museum he founded, the Musee International des Artes Modestes (MIAM), an institution dedicated to the aesthetic he espouses.

Hervé has always had a yen for discovery. In the 1990s, he embarked on a world tour that led him to do a series of pieces incorporating the traditional crafts of countries he visited, lacquerware from Vietnam or basket weaving from South Africa. The Philippines did not figure on that trip so he’s always been curious. He made his way to Manila via good friend, Manuel Ocampo. Manuel says, “I’m not sure now how it happened, who actually did the inviting, but he wanted to come, so here he is!”

Manuel and Hervé plan to embark on another joint project, an exhibit of Filipino artists at the museum in Sète in October 2012.

DAGC Gallery, or the Department of Avant Garde Clichés, has made great strides in upping the profile of printmaking in the local scene. They’ve attempted to flip the staid and stuffy image of collecting prints by exhibiting pieces from hip contemporary artists, those interested in finding novel ways to work the medium. They’ve scored a coup exhibiting Hervé’s prints. The range of works installed by an artist of his stature certainly enhances their reputation as purveyors of the non-traditional.

The gallery’s second floor office has given way to a resurrected Pablo X. The Cubao mainstay closed its doors recently, but has reopened inside DAGC with the group show Modified No In No Out, an exhibit that should find favor with Hervé. Leaning towards graffitti and street art, the artists definitely share his sensibilities, those that can be classified as anything but modest.

Hervé DI ROSA-Manila and Modified No In No Out run from 10 December 2011 to 28 January 2012 at the DAGC Gallery and Pablo X, 2289 Pasong Tamo Extension, UPRC III Bldg., Makati City. Phone (632) 8172042 or visit www.dagcgallery.com