The artist describes them as “metaphors of alienation, unfulfilled dreams and phantom pains.” Sculptures of a man and a woman, technically inspired by the characters of his rock opera, The Gray Ground, morph into various symbols of doom and life. Some have sprouted antlers, others tails. One is barely painted, looking like it was made from some thing’s tusk. One is painted red all the way — and not the cheeriest shade at that.
“The ‘Gothika Filipina’ toys (limited-edition sculptures) are my own versions of ‘American Gothic’ — but, in this case, my figures are all about dimly lit barrios, things stirring on top of nipa houses, and the old matriarch traumatizing the youngsters with malignant tales about dark beings and doomed beauties,” D’Bayan says.
Igan D’Bayan’s “Gothika Filipina” sculptures (a running theme for the artist, in which he applies his aesthetic and alternative ideologies to local cultural symbols and lore), were recently unveiled at Secret Fresh Sky Gallery, together with the exhibit’s anchor artworks, “Dioramas of Doom,” and his painting “Illuminacion 4: Sodom & Gomorrah V2.”
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The exhibit is on view until March 16. Secret Fresh Sky Gallery is located at the Ronac Art Center, Pan Philippine Highway, Makati.
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