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Fernan Odang’s Surreal, Socially Charged Paintings

Fernan Odang's surreal paintings and drawings explore the social and political issues of today. From sexual themes to absurd portraits of political leaders, there’s both a terror and humor in each of his paintings, often cast in a single hue that underscores the horror of the proceedings. The self-taught artist currently resides in Manila.

Fernan Odang‘s surreal paintings and drawings explore the social and political issues of today. From sexual themes to absurd portraits of political leaders, there’s both a terror and humor in each of his paintings, often cast in a single hue that underscores the horror of the proceedings. The self-taught artist currently resides in Manila.

“[He explores] the idea of internal damage by depicting oppressive and corrupt systems that prey on the poor and underprivileged in a series of charcoal on paper works,” a statement says. “Odang chose to delve into issues such as sexual abuse, drug addiction, and political manipulation. He interprets the nature of abusers by correlating them with animals, using the image of pigs, for instance, as a stand-in for greed, or dogs as a proxy for sexual predators. In effect, his farcical subjects functioned as caricatures used to illustrate harsh realities.”

See more of his work below.


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