To make an art from your childhood memory is a different level of expression. Graffiti artist Dex Fernandez who is based in Caloocan, the Philippines, revealed in an interview that his infamous masterpiece was based from the parasite that infested his childhood pet dog and left a lasting impression on the artist. He is known for his iconic creation Garapata, and his psychedelic compositions that draw from street art, graphic design, and surrealist painting.
Fernandez employs a range of techniques, from collage to freehand drawing and photography, to create layered portraits and expansive murals that challenge the notions of high and low art. In this part, he incorporated the value of space as an element of his work. He uses walls, window glasses and murals as the medium of his graffities that enabled his works to breathe freely.
Dex Fernandez's art is informed by everyday experiences and the people he meets and encounters. Titled as a contemporary artist, for him, his works are meant to trigger an audience into thinking about social and political issues around them. Often, he uses elements of fun and humor as satire to open up critical reflections on pressing issues.
Garapata has spread all over the world, from streets, to buses and car windows, truly it's role as a garapata has made it to its peakest. Tote bags, electricity posts and shirts have those wide, expressive eyes, sharp nose, smiling mouth and 5 feet. Using appropriateness, affords to morph and scale the character in infinite ways without losing touch of its essence. Painted on different types of texture exhibited hybridity. The versatility of this character is enabled by its identifiable basic form, which Fernandez said is a product of evolution, which was guided by his advertising sensibilities.
He conceptualized the Garapata as an embodiment of the resiliency of the Filipino people. And that is where the symbolism takes place even deeper.
information source:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/09/10/garapata-used-to-have-hands/
https://ocula.com/artists/dex-fernandez/
photo credits: huffpost
