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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
Filipino artist Gromyko Semper paints elaborate scenes with many magical realism elements. His detailed works are flat and often resemble illustrations, evoking a mixture of pre-Raphaelite paintings and Japanese anime. The artist just completed a series of paintings inspired by the philosophical concept of mythopoesis, a term that JRR Tolkein and scholar Joseph Campbell proliferated in the early 20th century. Mythopoesis refers to a work of art that creates its own mythology. With Semper's paintings, that certainly seems to be the case, as he has developed an elaborate visual language that taps into themes like pleasure, mysticism, and death. Currently, Semper has a two-person show with Gilbert Semillano at Artspace @ Net Quad in Manila.
Curated by artist Gromyko Semper, "Endangered Visions" is a group show with a wide breadth of artists but a short longevity. Set to premiere at ManilART, the Philippines' largest annual art fair, October 15 through 19, the show features dozens of Filipino and international artists who work with surreal imagery, albeit in vastly different ways. "'Endangered Visions' seeks to counterbalance an art world driven by a rapacious market with something more contemplative, subtle and challenging," said Semper in an email to Hi-Fructose. In addition to organizing the show, he will be one of the exhibiting artists alongside Jana Brike, Teiji Hayama, Kirsten Stingle and many others. Take a look at our preview below.