Troy Ignacio Goes To The Dogs

Troy Ignacio, "All Mine"

Troy Ignacio considers himself a social realist. His distorted, caricature-like portrayals of the people he encounters daily belie the seriousness with which he views issues such as poverty and injustice. He has adopted a stark, black and white palette to underscore how ordinary and matter-of-fact we look at situations that should cause outrage. A little girl allowed by her parents to dress as scantily as the dancers on a daily television variety show, or an old man forced to eke out a living hawking cigarettes, have been some of the subjects rendered in his oil on paper paintings.

In Dog Mode, the 32-year-old Ignacio’s solo exhibit at The Drawing Room, his subjects have all gone to the dogs.

The show’s title, he explains is “an anagram of the term God mode. Dog Mode talks about indifference, greed, and blind faith. I was inspired by how people tend to shelter themselves behind things or issues that give them the illusion of convenience, satisfaction, and happiness. In this series of artworks, the images conveyed are people acting out strange things.”

Ignacio painted all of his subjects donning dog masks, not of the cute-and cuddly-puppy variety. His canine faces are sinister and cunning; their pointed teeth hint at mischief. The masks act as shields, providing anonymity for outlandish behavior. They supply the perfect excuse for those inclined to do as they please— without fearing the consequences.

Troy also introduces something else in this show— his sculpture. Money Shot is a single piece composed of four works on paper and a black and white canine made from resin. The dog seems to have directed its pee to squirt on the portraits on paper. A splat of yellow paint stains the faces across it, the same stain that has formed a puddle at the dog’s feet. Troy says he intends to experiment with more sculptures. Judging from this piece, those should be worth looking out for.

Dog Mode runs from 10 December 2011 to 8 January 2012 at The Drawing Room, 1007 Metropolitan Avenue, Metrostar Bldg., Makati City, Philippines. Phone (632) 897-7877 or visit http://www.drawingroomgallery.com

A version of this post appears in the December 2011 issue of Town And Country Philippines. Visit https://www.facebook.com/#!/townandcountry.ph