Tag Archives: david griggs


Bad Boys at Manila Contemporary

"Wandbild" by Albert Oehlen

Albert Oehlen, "Wandbild"

First, graffiti in a museum.  Now, tattoos in a gallery.  Witness as Bad Boy art turns legit, and Manila’s welcoming response to this development.  A show that carries a title as provocative as Painting With A Hammer To Nail The Crotch of Civilization with artist Manuel Ocampo as the curator is bound to draw in the art scene denizens.  Throw in work by his colleagues, the likes of international art superstars like Albert Oehlen, plus free tattoo sessions on selected days of the show’s run, then you even get the dwellers of the alternative art scene to trek to Makati.

Manuel Ocampo mural

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Pow Martinez Gets LOST

Pow Martinez, "Flushed", oil on canvas, 6ftx 7ft

I got lost getting to LOST.  I made a wrong turn the first time I dropped in on LOST Projects, Manila’s newest alternative art space.  I came two days before the venue formally opened, and the sign outside had still been covered up.  The ground floor gallery slash artist’s studio smelled faintly of paint, and its walls dazzled with a fresh white coat. Continue reading →


Death is Alive at the Art Center

Kiko Escora, "Bungi"

In the absence of any exhibit notes or artists’ statements, it seems safe to assume that The Death of Death (Is Alive and Kicking) is a group show about death.  Simply go by the number of skulls up on the walls of the Art Center at SM Megamall.  It would have been nice to understand what went behind the more subtle, less archetypal works.  But then again, sometimes a piece should just hit you, make an impact on first impression.  After all, art need not always explain the meaning of life.  Or in this case, death. Continue reading →