Epjey Pacheco, Shift

Epjey Pacheco, "Homo Execessum (Man of Excess)", detail

Epjey Pacheco has turned his pen to himself. Shift, his one-man exhibit at The Crucible, takes us on an autobiographical journey. Through a variety of portraits, we witness him morph from a man preoccupied with the worldly to a more spiritual being. The reason for the change, however, does not figure in the show.

Homo Execessum (Man of Excess) hangs at the gallery’s extreme right. It is the exhibit’s largest piece, and also its best. Epjey has used ink, spray paint, acrylic, and collaged newspapers to depict the quintessential rock star. Allusions to earthly concerns— beer bottles, skulls, an occasional hourglass—are heaped together to form the rocker’s obligatory shoulder length mane, set off by a corona of rainbows. Epjey has piled on patterns and vivid colors to complete a really cool piece.

Directly across, at the gallery’s extreme left, Homo Simplex Medium (Man of Simple Means) is a diminished version of the excessive man. Smaller than the first portrait, Epjey has deliberately toned this down with less color and detail. It radiates references to peace and love.

The thirty postcard-sized drawings that make up the Shift series bridge the wall space between the two larger pieces. They let us in on the man’s transformation. Each piece progresses from the one before it, like animation stills.

Shift runs from 1 to 13 May 2012 at The Crucible, 4F Megamall, Pasig City. Phone (632) 635-6061 or visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crucible-Gallery