South East Asian Artists Magazine Roger Rishab Tibon Low Browing by Roy Espinosa

Vol. 2 issue no. 5 P 250 (5.25 usd)

SoutheastAsian A R T I S T S

M A G A Z I N E

Arts • Culture • Events

Ingrid Aimee: The Life of an Average “ Working Title” Color of Music by Artist Network Staff How the Pandemic Impacted Artists in 2020 by Vanessa Childers

LowBrowing with Roger "Rishab" Tibon

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Arts • Culture • Events Published Quarterly Ruth Chua Editor in Chief

Filarts Inc. Publisher

Roy Espinosa Creative Director

Ingrid Aimee Vanessa Tan Gana Mark Shellshear Arnaldo Mirasol Writer/Contributor

Editorial and Satellite Business Office Blk 4 Lot 13 A Gemini Street Cruzville Subd Brgy. Kaligayahan Quezon City 1124 Email: filartspublishing @gmail.com

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CONTENTS: Page 5 Customers by Mark Shellshear Page 6 Ingrid Aimee: The Life of an Average “ Working Title” Page 20 Color of Music by Artists Network Staff Page 26 How the Pandemic Impacted Artists in 2020 by Vanessa Childers Page 28 Cover Story LowBrowing with Roger Rishab Tibon

South East Asian Artists Magazine

From The Editor

We are halfway through year 2021 and I am optimistic that before the year ends, we would finally see “the light at the end of the tunnel”. I am talking about ushering to “new normal” with the roll out of the vaccination which aims to achieve herd immunity to defeat the Covid 19 virus that has affected the whole world for more than a year now. With the easing of community quarantines, art shows and exhibits are slowly being allowed “face to face” interactions albeit on a limited capacity. This is good news because for me, nothing beats personal or actual viewing when it comes to art appreciation. Glad to know that artists continue to hold art exhibits despite the pandemic, on settings adapted to the current situation. Let us hope that soon, other art-related events and activities would be feasible again. On this issue, I find Ingrid Aimee’s “working title” article timely; it echoes most people’s emotions on the current situation – tired, worn out, drained, exasperated. These sentiments are but common; yet we should not let them get the best of ourselves. It is okay to feel dispirited sometimes, but it is not okay to to wallow in gloom. Nothing is permanent. Situations or things will change. Personally, whenever a situation seems daunting to me, I always believe in the saying that “this too shall pass” - magical words for me.

Ruth Chua South East Asian Artists Magazine

“ Kingaroy woman.” In this painting I wanted to combine my woman in the landscape series and show the peanut silos of a country town called Kingaroy in the distance. I also wanted to show her at sunset; she is sitting on the lush ground as the night is coming. it can be seen in the beautiful blue part of the sky. This painting was nearing the end of the series and the images in the painting were getting simpler and simpler. One of my favourites. Acrylic on canvas.

Customers.

s Artists we have to learn to deal with the good customer and the difficult customer, the one who changes their mind, thinks your paintings are too expensive or the one who can’t find any painting that will match her curtains and on and on. Customers are part of doing business and we need them, best if we can always have good customers rather than the difficult customer. The problem is it’s hard to tell the difference until you start talking to them. We could run away and hide and use the excuse that I am an Artist and someone else should sell my Art for me, but unless you are very popular, that is not going to happen; you have to sell your Art. So embrace customer service as a highlight in your life because it means people are interacting with you and your Art and you are getting their attention and getting known and out of that may come sales. Once the customer buys from you, work hard on building a relationship with them so they become a friend and collector rather than just another customer.

Mark Shellshear

0947.647.34.65 markshellshear@gmail.com galeriadelasislas@gmail.com

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Life of an Average By: Ingrid Aimee “Working Title”

I know what it’s like to feel tired – and not just in the physical sense. The world that we live in is an exhausting place to be. It is wearing. It is thankless. It is endlessly trying and scarcely rewarding. You’re tired simply because you live in it. You’re tired of loving too much, caring too much, giving too much to a world that never gives anything back. You are tired of investing in indefinite outcomes. You’re tired of uncertainties. Tired of grey. I know you haven’t always been this worn out – that there was a time when you were hopeful and pure. When your optimism outweighed your cynicism and you had an infinite amount in you to give. I know you have been chipped away and worn down piece by piece – a broken heart here and an un-kept promise there. I know the world hasn’t always been kind throughout the games you’ve played and that you’ve lost more times than you have ever won. I know you’re feeling uninspired to try again. I know. Because the truth is, we’re all tired. Every single one of us. By a certain age, we are all nothing more than an army of broken hearts and aching souls, desperately searching for fulfillment. We want more but we’re too tired to ask for it. We’re sick of where we are but we are too scared to begin again. We need to take risks but we’re afraid to watch it all come crashing down around us. After all, we’re not sure how many times we will be able to start over. We all think we’re alone in our exhaustion. But the truth is we’re tired of each other – tired of the games we play and the lies we tell and the uncertainties we present to each other. We don’t want to play the villain but we don’t want to play the fool either. So our guards go up. Our defences rile. And we take on the role that we loathe to see played because we’re not sure what choice we have left. I know how impossible it can feel to go on trying and giving and becoming when you are exhausted straight through to the soul. I know that the cheerful ideals you were once promised now seem tired and hopeless. But here’s what I beg if you’re this close to giving up: give it one more try, with feeling. I know you’re tired of your attempts. I know that you’re at your wit’s end. But the truth about that second wind of passion is that you’re never going to realize you have it if you do not keep on running past your first.

We’re all more resilient than we think, and that’s an indisputable truth. There is always more love that we are capable of giving, more hope that we are capable of having, more passion that we’re capable of unleashing and flooding out into the world. We just don’t walk far enough down our own roads to reach the point where we’re seeing those actions pay off. We want immediate results and when we see none, we give up. We let the exhaustion stop us. We grow frustrated with the lack of feedback and we assume that means we have to throw the entire attempt right out the window. Because here’s something we all loathe to admit – none of us are inspired every day. We all get exhausted. We all get discouraged. And we’re allowed to work on through those feelings. Just because you’re beaten down and worn out and sick of the life that you’re living doesn’t mean you’re not making a change. Every person you have ever admired has had times where they felt utterly defeated in the pursuit of their dreams. But that didn’t prevent them from reaching them. You’re allowed to stumble slowly towards your biggest transformations. It doesn’t always have to be a blazing, flagrant affair. Some parts of life happen quietly. They happen slowly. They happen because of the small, careful choices that we make everyday, that turn us into better versions of ourselves. We have to allow ourselves the time to let those alterations happen. To watch them evolve. To not grow hopelessly frustrated in the in-between. When you’re tired, go slowly. Go quietly. Go timidly. But do not stop. You are tired for all the right reasons. You are tired because you’re supposed to be. You’re tired because you’re making a change. You are exhausted for all the right reasons and it’s only an indication to go on. You are tired because you’re growing. And someday that growth will give way to the exact rejuvenation that you need.

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“Cruciātus”

11in ×13in Mixed Media on Paper Giddy 2021

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DANNY Ostrich Egg Artist “Wow! Using Ostrich Egg as a medium in art is very unique and beautiful, you deserve a special place in our industry” commented the National Artist Napoleon Abueva in 2007 during his 1st solo show, Whimsy. Coming from a very supportive and well-loved icon in the art industry was indeed reassuring for the newbie self-taught artist. The success of his first solo show at Gallery Nine at the art promenade of Megamall hit the ground running for a second exhibition “Pananampalataya – Faith”, the following year. The back to back shows were well received by the art collectors, art critics and fellow artists thus giving him a swift entry into the Philippine art scene. Since then, his works have been staple in the local art scene. Rayos del Sol’s works have been shown in international exhibitions in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore through Dave Art Gallery And Kambal Art. Danny Rayos del Sol wears many hats; he is a multi-awarded humanitarian worker, a businessman, a corporate executive and a resource speaker. He later found his true calling in art when a gallery owner invited him to exhibit his collections of hobby creations of carved Ostrich Egg. Now he is a visual artist and curator of ManilART, the National Art Fair and the Annual Sculpture Review. He currently heads the NCCA - National Committee in Art Galleries NCAG under Sub-commission on Heritage. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Born in Taguig, he first obtained a degree in BS Psychology at the Far Eastern University with further study at the University of Toronto and an MBA at the Ateneo de Manila University. He recently completed a course in curation at Sotheby’s Institute of Arts. Rayos del Sol’s medium, ostrich egg, is perhaps the most unique in the Philippine sculpture today. His body of works, depicts figures, patterns – both original and derivative of folk iconography shows his advocacy on freedom, peace and inner spirituality, a retrospection brought by his student activism during the Marcos era. The distinct expression of art in ostrich egg is a product of long experimentations. The fragility and intricacy of his workmanship requires steady hands and precision, comparable to surgeon’s hands. His own rendition of various subjects and big installations integrating wood and metal, has taken the traditional African craft of ostrich egg and elevated into fine arts. For this, he enjoys the niche, “ang nag-iisang ostrich egg artist ng Pilipinas – the only ostrich egg artist in the Philippines”. Most popular among collectors are his religious images that are typically lighted that helps them engage in prayer. Hence, Rayos del Sol is ecstatic as he is able to help in his own small way in the evangelization of Catholic faith. Rayos del Sol as humanitarian worker uses his art and influence to raise funds to help victims of catastrophes. He organized “heART Heals” an art therapy session given to the children victims of a major catastrophic earthquake in Mindanao. At the height of COVID-19 in 2020, he initiated Art-for-a-Cause rallying the artists to donate their work including his own piece in an Art Auction. This initiative raised a significant amount to help medical front liners from all over the Philippines as well as the then victims of the Taal volcanic eruption. He also advocates the alleviation of the economic situation of fellow artists. Together with Richard Buxani, a brass sculptor, they began another auction, Art-for-a-Living. Proceeds

were used solely to help needy artists during the pandemic. Currently, he is working on a major collaboration project, together with wood sculptor Agi Pagkatipunan for ManilART 2021 in commemorating the 500 years of Christianity.

Art Heals

Diwata Ostrich Egg 2018

Hapunan Ostrich Egg

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prolific artist for 40 years, Philipp Badon developed his artistic style early, influenced by surrealism, fauvism, expressionism, cubism, abstraction and very recently, abstract expressionism or ABEX; artistic styles that are patronized by modernist, yuppies and millennial art collectors. He is adept at several art techniques such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpting in various mediums. Over the years, he has continued to explore and evolve his distinct style and experimented with some, especially ABEX which gives him freedom and joy as he wield his colorful brushstrokes on the canvas like a burst of overwhelming feeling of great happiness which he wants shared to his audience. Philipp has had more than 30 solo art shows and over a hundred group shows locally and internationally. Motivated by the desire to inspire the community, his current show, ART BURST!” displays a collection of Philipp Badon’s abstract expressionistic pieces in his signature fauvistic colors taking you into the brighter side of life amid the prolonged quarantines caused by the COVID-19 crises that we are in right now. The featured pieces are therapeutic to the artist which he hopes to be therapeutic to his viewers as well. Happy viewing and see the brighter side of life in this art celebration in the time of pandemic, ART BURST! Abruptionalism Series 1 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in

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Philipp Badon, One Man show title Pandemic Artburst New Collection on Abstract Expressionism.

Abruptionalism Series 2 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in

Abruptionalism Series 3 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in

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Abruptionalism Series 4 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in Abruptionalism Series 5 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in

South East Asian Artists Magazine

Abruptionalism Series 6 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in Abruptionalism Series 7 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in Abruptionalism Series 8 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 30in

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r. Mahima Gupta, a freelance artist, global art convener, curator, organizer, teacher, motivator, and a full time mom, is originally from India, now based in Florida, USA for almost 2 decades. She has a Ph.D. in Drawing & Painting from University of Rajasthan. Jaipur, India. Her topic for Dissertation was, “Leisure in the Arts through the Ages: A comparative study of the themes on Leisure in Indian and European Painting with special reference to 16-19th century” (2006). She did her M.A. in Drawing & Painting, where she was the University Topper and Gold Medalist, with First Division & First Position (1997-1999). She also holds a degree in B.F.A. (Painting), from Rajasthan School of Arts, Jaipur, India (1993-1997). Mahima was a proud recipient of the prestigious University Grants Commission of India (UGC) Junior & Senior Fellowship for Doctoral work (2000-2005). She was also awarded the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi Student Scholarship (1998-1999). Mahima was awarded at the 10th Kala Mela organized by the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi, Jaipur, India (2002). Also awarded at the All India Exhibition of Arts, by Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, India (2001). Mahima is a proud recipient of the Bhoor Singh Shekhawat Memorial Padamshree Kripal Singh Shekhawat Award (1998). She was also awarded by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s appreciation award (1999). Dr. Mahima’s article on, “Mapping Leisure Across Borders Through the Art in Painting”, was published in the book, ‘Mapping Leisure Across Borders, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK (2013). She was invited presentation of the paper at the xvii World Congress of Sociology of the International Sociological association, Gothenberg, Sweden, (July 10-17, 2010). She also participated in Indian

Ph.D., M.A., B.F.A. (USA)

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Sociological Society’s xxviii All India Sociological Conference, Main Theme ‘Globalization and the Indian Society’, held at IIT Kanpur, India (Dec 18-20, 2002), and presented her paper entitled, ‘Leisure in the Arts: A Socio Aesthetic Analysis of the themes on Leisure in Painting’. Mahima also participated in the WLRA World Congress on the theme ‘Leisure, Tourism and Environment: Issues for Human Development’ organized by World Leisure and Recreation Association in collaboration with Indian Leisure Studies Association and UNESCO at Jaipur, India (1993). Her fiber glass installation “Azure Delight” was displayed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-USA, for over a year & was sponsored by the PNC bank for the Kite Fest (2006). She recently had a solo virtual art exhibition, Joy Story, ‘Splashes of happiness’, Artest an art abode Gallery, New Delhi, India (2021). Artraaga, India another online solo show, Euphoria. Her paintings have been printed on the covers of several national and international books and magazines, prominent among these are L’Archive des Origins (2008), France and new books catalogue, Transaction Publishers (1962-2003), Rutgers University, NJ, USA, “Human Values & Social Change”, (2000) Rawat publications Jaipur, India. Mahima has participated in many art exhibitions in Russia, Mexico, India, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, America, Austria, Ecuador, Turkey, Germany, Panama, Costa Rica, Norway, Syria, Australia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, UK, Azerbaijan, Korea and Philippines. Her private collections are in India, Canada, France, Turkey, USA, and The Netherlands. Mahima has worked in many different art styles & mediums. Mahima is a nature lover and loves traveling, dancing and is fascinated by the Primitive and Folk/Tribal art of India. Recently being honored as the only Guest of Honor

representing USA, by Moonlight Gallery plastic arts, Nada Foundation for Fine Arts &The Other Face Association, Syria (2021). She is also being honored as the Most Influential Women for the year 2021, by Writers Capital Foundation. Dr. Mahima Gupta (USA) Guinness World Record’s Record Holder Ph.D., M.A., B.F.A. Head Radart- IARF (International Artists Radart Foundation) https://www.facebook.com/ mahima.m.gupta ttps://instagram.com/mahimamodigupta

15 Colorful Grazers Mixed Media 8.5in x 11in

Euphoria Mixed Media 8.5in x 11in

Colorful Grazers Mixed Media 8.5in x 11in

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tephen Menon is a Malaysian printmaker and artist whose reputation has gradually spread not only in the country and the region, but also in European galleries and art circles. He graduated from the Kuala Lumpur College of Art in 1993 with a major in printmaking. However, his initial showing were in charcoal. He won the Incentive Awards, Open Show Pahang (2001) and Gallery Shah Alam (2006). In 2007 Stephen was a Finalist - Young Contemporary, National Art Gallery. In spite of his successes in charcoal, printmaking remained close to his heart. Stephen Menon’s first solo exhibition was “Me & Mao” (2010) at the Metro Fine¬Art Gallery. The exhibition consisted of 15 pieces of artworks [which were overlaid] on posters produced during the early part of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1968). It was a complete sold out show on the opening day. In his second solo exhibition “The Unmasking of a Legend” (2011) at MoMa Gallery, Malaysia, Stephen produced 26 screen prints and mixed media artworks on the legendary P Ramlee. His versatility and penchant for details for that show received many positive reviews.

Stephen Menon Malaysia

Over the past decade, Stephen explored and improvised further and pushed the boundaries of traditional printmaking. Working on a myriad of themes from socio-political, satires and spirituality, Stephen’s works received many positive reviews and are widely collected. His print artworks caught the attention of curators from around the world which led to invitations to exhibit and participate from Indonesia, to the UK and from far flung places as Bulgaria and Armenia. For example, In 2012, his “Sukarno Series-Pancasilla 2” screen prints were exhibited at Gaya Gallery, Bali. In 2014, his Tarot Card screenprint series was shown at the Start Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery in London. In 2016 another of his works was exhibited in The Gallery Shanghai, China before returning to the United Kingdom. In 2018 his diptych from the Adam & Eve Series entitled “Safety Matches”, was showcased at the London Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. In 2018 also, Stephen was chosen to participate at IPPAS (International Printmaking and Paper Show) at Jakarta, Indonesia. And closer to home, his Portraits of Mahathir from the “Wawasan 2020 Series” were shown at Valentine Willie Gallery in Singapore, 2012. In 2016, Stephen also won the Excellent Award – Portrait Society of America, USA. Since 2018, Stephen ha been shown work in 7 Biennales: • Jogja International Miniprint Biennale, Jakarta, Indonesia (2018); • 20th International Print Biennale Varna,Bulgaria (2019); • 12th Biennale International Miniature Print, USA

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(2019); • • • •

The 7th NBC Meshtec Tokyo International Screen Print Biennale (2019); International Virtual Engravist Printmaking, Biennale Istanbul, Turkey (2020); 4th Jogja International Miniprint Biennale (2021); 3rd International Print Biennale, Armenia (2021).

Stephen Menon’s thought provoking and avant-garde prints are most talked about amongst the art elites and very sought after by art collectors. He is also a resident artist at University of Malaya and he still continues to do shows and inspire other young artists to do the same. 121212 Religion and Mythology Mixed Media on Canvas 60cm x 60cm 2012 #aku bukan keling Screenprint / Oil on canvas / Oil paper 36cm x 46cm 2020

It’s Raining Pink • Screenprint Oil on Paper • 36cm x 46cm • 2020

The Hierophant a selfportrait Screenprint oil on paper 36cm x 46cm 2021

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Artist Statement: As an artistic professional, I am always looking for the next opportunity to translate what I experience into art. I have experience in a range of media. I love painting with Acrylic paints and Oil Paints. Also for Mandala arts I prefer Inks, pencil colors, Although I have my own preferences that I keep coming back to. If my style speaks to you, I would love to give my artwork to its new Owner and Collaborate with other artists and art professionals.

Snehita Gehlot I

am an Artist (Painting), Entrepreneur, IT Engineer, MBA, Photographer,Travel blogger, Visual Content creator and a ‘Happy go lucky’ girl. An Indian living in United Arab Emirates for 8 years. I am always thankful and grateful towards every little thing I have. As a toddler I saw my mother creating and teaching artworks and art became a part of me since then.

I started Painting and drawing as young as 3- or 4-year-old. I love painting and doing crafts, playing with colors, reusing, recycling and now teaching the same to my kids. In school and college age, I have participated in almost all art related events and competitions and have won many prestigious awards. Painting makes me focus on the minute details of the world around me and I get inspired with life’s colors, hues, highlights, lowlights, shadows, and different tones. When I paint it is my “Me Time” where I get to reflect on myself, if I am happy, I choose to paint and if I am restless, I choose to paint. Its stress relieving process which calms my mind and I love the process of being present. I prefer painting with bright colors and just expressing good vibes on canvas, Peace and happy feelings are the elements I love to paint. Paintings can create something which you can feel, express and enlighten without being vocal about anything. Every individual has different opinion and thoughts about every artwork. Its about what clicks you and makes you feel that ‘yes, it is perfect for me or my home or my soul’. My perception about art and paintings specifically is that art can bring you so much more positivity and connect with you more when you don’t choose it for just as a nonliving decorative piece. I believe it carry more meaning in it when you can stare at an artwork for many times and yet get excited and feel connected to it, every time you pass by the artwork you feel amazed, find something new, imagine something new, forget about everything for a moment and just get indulge in it, and can relate to it. There is no right or wrong in art. It is about who is looking at it and what does that little piece of painting make you feel at that moment. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Break the Glass Ceiling Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 70cm

19 UAE journey Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 70cm

Free Spirit Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 60cm 2020

Lion King Oil on Thick Frame Gallery Canvas 60cm x 70cm

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The Color of Music by Artists Network Staff

Four celebrated painters used the principles of music to advance composition and color. Any fine artist who is also a musician will attest that the worlds of painting and music share a wealth of commonalities. Two dialects of one language, these separate art forms have long influenced and borrowed from each other, and their interchangeable terminologies — composition, color, chromatic scale, tonality and rhythm, to name a few — reveal just how familial their connection is. Beyond theory-related terms, however, visual art and music also share the ability to convey mood, movement and emotion, thereby eliciting a strong visceral response from the viewer. What’s more, just as musicians and vocalists know when they’re in tune, so, too, can visual artists sense when they’ve hit a harmonious “chord,” and the composition and color sing.

The Virgin Adoring the Host by Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres 1852; oil on canvas, 15⅞ x12⅞

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JEAN-AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES Several painters throughout history, especially those who helped shape Modernism, were strongly influenced by music and musicianship. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), a French Neoclassicist whose frequent breaks with tradition and exaggeration of forms later inspired the likes of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, also played second violin in the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse while a student. Over the course of his career, the artist’s evolving knowledge of musical structure greatly informed his development and theories as a draftsman, painter and teacher. His conversations and collaborations with composers Charles Gounod (1818–93) and Franz Liszt (1811–86) were especially influential, and Ingres was known for making frequent analogies to music while teaching at the French Academy in Rome and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Nicolo Paganini (virtuoso violinist and composer) by Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres counterproof strengthened with graphite and white chalk on tracing paper, 9⁷⁄16 x 7⁵⁄16

“If I could make musicians of you all, you would thereby profit as painters,” he told his students. “Everything in nature is harmony; a little too much, or else too little, disturbs the scale and makes a false note. … Rightness of forms is like rightness of sounds.” South East Asian Artists Magazine

JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER 22

James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) was no stranger to the synergy between art and music. In the mid1860s, he began titling his paintings with such musical terms as symphony, arrangement and nocturne, referencing the correlation between the variations in musical tone and the variations in color value. Unlike Ingres, who emphasized the harmony of nature, Whistler offered an alternative to naturalism. He was pioneering a compositional technique based on the possibilities of paint itself and the abstract qualities of the picture plane. Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe by James McNeill Whistler 1885; gouache and watercolor on oﬀ -white wove paper, mounted on academy board; 7⁵⁄16 x 5

He illustrated these and other points using musical metaphors in his famous Ten O’Clock Lecture, the tenets of which were foundational for the forthcoming Post-Impressionist and Abstract movements. “Nature contains the elements, in color and form, of all pictures, as the keyboard contains the notes of all music,” Whistler said. “But the artist is born to pick and choose, and group with science (knowledge), these elements, that the result may be beautiful — as the musician gathers his notes, and forms his chords, until he brings forth from chaos glorious harmony.” If Ingres had Liszt and Gounod as brothers in composition, Whistler had the respect of Claude Debussy (1862– 1918), as revealed when Debussy debuted his 1899 orchestral composition Nocturnes, inspired by Whistler’s later paintings. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Nocturne (Nocturne: The Thames at Battersea) by James McNeill Whistler 1878; lithotint with scraping on a prepared half-tint ground, second state of two, printed in soft gray-black ink on pale-blue laid chine mounted on ivory wove plate paper; 13½ x19⁵⁄16

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WASSILY KANDINSKY By the time early Modernism and avant-garde color theory arrived, music was doing more than simply informing painting. Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) and Paul Klee (1879–1940), in particular, were so influenced by music that one might call them composers who used color to create their music rather than painters inspired by musicianship. Kandinsky believed abstract painting was the best way to replicate the melodic, spiritual and poetic power found in music. He spent his career applying the symphonic principles of music to the arrangement of color notes and chords. He was particularly inspired by Synchromism — a movement based on the idea that color and sound are similar phenomena—and the composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951), whom he befriended and collaborated with to assign colors to certain musical notes. In his 1911 publication Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Kandinsky stated that “music is the ultimate teacher,” and further expounded on the ideas of synesthesia, the merging of two senses — in this case, sound and sight.

Rain Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky 1911; watercolor on paper, 10×12½

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Abstract Trio by Paul Klee watercolor and transferred printing ink on paper, bordered with gouache and ink, mounted on cardboard.

PAUL KLEE If Whistler made a noticeable turn from naturalism based on the improvisations of music, and if Kandinsky worked off of sound structure to create similar visual vibrations and frequencies, Paul Klee (like Ingres, a skilled violinist) took things one step further in his development of two major color theories: the Canon of Color Totality and polyphonic (many voices) painting. Klee considered 18th-century composers such as Mozart and Bach to be the pinnacle of musical achievement. He felt the composers of his time — Bruckner, Wagner, and, particularly, Strauss — only appeared more expressive on the surface but were actually chained to the melody and meter of their own music. This assertion became the starting point of his career-long mission to deconstruct Golden Age music and apply it to painting, thereby giving artists greater expressive power. His theory on the color of tonality, developed while teaching at the Bauhaus, examined the relationship and movement between colors, such as the circular movement between primary and secondary colors. His paintings that exemplified his polyphonic theory looked at how the sound of a painting changed based on the number of elements and stylistic devices employed. In his theories, Klee asserted that rhythm marks the movement of time in both music and art.

“I am continually being made aware of the parallels between music and the fine arts,” Klee wrote. “It is certain that both art forms are defined by time. That can easily be proved.” Article written by Allison Malafronte and first appeared in Artists Magazine. South East Asian Artists Magazine

How the Pandemic Impacted Artists in 2020 by Vanessa Childers

From the unsurprising losses to the unexpected gains, here’s how your fellow artists are faring after a year of canceled shows and stay-at-home orders.

Getty Images

We’re a year into COVID-19. Can you believe it? This global pandemic has been collectively traumatizing for too many reasons to name, which is probably why so many people report feeling like the year has both gone by in a blip and lasted an eternity. The crisis has also affected artists in very specific ways. On top of jobs lost, bills unpaid, and daycare or school put on hold, artists endured art shows being canceled, studio space becoming unaffordable, creativity plummeting to new lows, and more. (This isn’t to mention the worry, stress, and grief involved in navigating this “new normal.”)

How did the pandemic impact your art practice in 2020? Recently, in an insightful Art Bound podcast episode, Balancing Art & Life, artists Kuzana Ogg and Monique Crine shared their secrets to staying creative during the pandemic and balancing art-making time with other responsibilities. Then we asked you, dear readers, how you’ve been navigating life as an artist during this past year and how South East Asian Artists Magazine

the pandemic has impacted your art practice. You were gut-wrenchingly honest. From the unsurprising losses to the unexpected gains, here’s how your fellow artists are faring after a year of canceled shows and stay-at-home orders. As you read through these responses, feel free to chime in with your experiences in the comments below. (And if you haven’t already, check out these COVID-19 artist relief emergency funds and resources.)

Lack of Enthusiasm There’s no inspiration left in me. — Enrique C It’s hard to get to painting when I feel so much anxiety, and sometimes fear. I tend to stay busy with the everyday stuff instead. I need to feel somewhat Zen-ish to have the desire to paint. Sigh. — Laurie E I am not meeting with my painting group. Some days it is hard to get the enthusiasm going to paint. — Cindy R I am not as productive. I feel a low undercurrent of unrest with all that is happening re: COVID. It’s not a conscious thought, just a depressing vibe that creates disquiet. I allow myself to feel it, then wait for it to pass and work on something joyful. That’s the best I can do as we enter into round two. — Vicki L Ceramics? Yes, amazing. But painting? Not this year. I have no inspiration or enthusiasm for it, sadly. — Jaki P I’m selling some but creating nothing worth putting a frame on. — Randy E

A Welcome Distraction My painting improved in 2020. I think I’ve painted at least 30 pieces. Painting took my mind off what has been happening. — Sally T It is what has gotten me through all of this. — Barbara P

I am grateful that I can paint, so many of my friends do not know what to do with their time. I always paint whenever I can. I love the online courses from all over the world. — Adele P I do miss going to show openings, meeting and chatting with other artists. But I’ve gotten a lot of decent work done and the focus on all that painting has been a helpful distraction. — Carmella T

Cancelation Station I could not do my annual art tour of my studio. — Michael U Not one in-person show held. However, my two Etsy shops did okay, considering. — Pam C More time to paint, which I loved, so I produced more. Our art group challenged each other to complete a weekly 8×10. I had more commissions than last year, too. Sold more prints than usual. Our art group found a safe way to continue classes together. However, I really missed the art shows. Galleries were closed and a trip to Italy for an art show was cancelled. — Brenda B Normally, I teach many plein air painting workshops during the course of the year. This year’s schedule was canceled, canceled, canceled! But this gave me more time for my private practice of painting, and as I’ve been looking for more time to paint for myself, this was a plus. What’s more, shortly after the weight of the pandemic bore down on us, I started going out afternoons with my gouache and sketchbook, making daily sketches of the canyon behind my studio. I’ve completed three of what I’m calling my Pandemic Sketchbooks, Vols 1-3. These little hikes into the canyon have been a great solace! — Michael J

A New Focus I have had a lot of trouble creating when in grief from loss. So I have worked more on the administrative part of my business, and connecting with my collectors. — Arte B South East Asian Artists Magazine

I went to an art university. — Dawn E I decided to retire from the business of art and create only for myself and to learn. — Mary M I realized how much calm it brings to my life. It makes me complete. — JoJo

More Time to Paint All classes and workshops are virtual and not in person. And I miss my weekly painting group. But because I stay home more, I paint more. — Anne M As an art student, I lost valuable studio time and could only go two days a week. On the plus side, I was able to create a studio space in my apartment so that I can paint. I had more time to paint but less access to resources I sometimes would need. — Trisha Q I am one of the lucky ones and the pandemic has resulted in more time for art. All my art classes have been virtual and eliminated many hours of driving, which has allowed me to do classes on the other side of the country. The increasing prominence of Zoom and its like, which I originally thought (last year) would take forever to be widely used, is a game-changer. — Carr G Regular work subdued, but I’m painting my brains out. This past year I’ve been very prolific with my art. — Victor I have not been able to teach watercolor classes due to COVID, but I have gained so much quiet time in my own studio to devote time to my painting. Its the best thing. —Jeanne O

Increased Commissions 28

I’ve had more commissions, actually, from people who wanted to support small businesses like artists, while almost all shows were cancelled. It’s been hard to create art in general because I was closer to being a full-time artist, and this feels like it puts me back three years, not one. — Anna B It actually created new income from my paintings. I painted as a hobby, then retrenchment at work and quarantine gave me more time and ideas so I started selling and now have several commissioned pieces to work on. — Elmer E Lots more portrait commissions, less free time to learn. Exhausting in a good way. — Robin G

Creative Reinvention I started drawing again. — Steel V It has allowed me time to invest in creativity and nature, and coffee. I took up abstract painting as a new form of expression. — Corrie It changed my subject matter. I was doing a ton of mountain and climbing theme work and am now working on portraits and the figure. It was actually a good thing that happened to me. — Christine K Started painting (which I wanted to do for years) and improved greatly because of the pandemic. — Kristen A I started adding more introspective quotes and hopeful thoughts into my paintings. It’s been a time of reinventing the self as we’ve been alone with ourselves for months now. — Bethany C

Looking Ahead As we approach this weird anniversary of sorts, and as a vaccine enters the scene, it’s starting to feel like we can start to hope again. Even for the most skeptical among us, it feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel — even if it’s on the distant horizon. No matter how the next year unfolds, we hope to provide a creative space for you to find inspiration and connect with fellow artists. Happy creating, friends. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Empyrean Princess • Acrylic on Canvas • 36in x 24in

South East Asian Artists Magazine

Roger “Everything is a work of art. The greatest artist is God; no one can match his masterpiece.”

V isual artist Roger Tibon was born in Aklan, a province in the

Western Visayas region of the Philippines. He signs his artworks “Rishab”, a name he is commonly known in the art industry. Rishab was a young teenager when he first became fascinated in the field of Arts. He worked as a freelance artist/designer for the then popular Alemar’s bookstore where he became interested in paintings through constant exposure to art books, comic books, and animations. Early in his career, Rishab held several corporate jobs including working for advertising agencies as art director before becoming a fulltime visual artist. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Rishab is a self-taught artist. His only “professional” art education that may be considered is the Film Animation course he took from the Mowelfund Film Institute. Whatever art-related learnings he had, he acquired through his own desire and initiative. As an artist, Rishab’s style has evolved over the years. He was into abstract painting in the beginning but turned to Realism and Surrealism. Later on, he shifted to Pop-Surrealism and Lowbrow art. Now, he is into a “mixture” of all those styles. Rishab does not want to compare his works with any genre; he just works whatever his heart and mind takes him although he admits getting influenced by many artists, too. Among Rishab’s influences include surreal artists like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Frida Kahlo, realist art by the Pre-Raphaelites, Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Frazetta, and the works of Filipino illustrators Alex Nino. He then later added Picasso’s influence and the graphic illustrations of advertising artists like Ralph Steadman, pop surrealists and many others. Rishab was naturally ecstatic when he was invited by ChimMaya Gallery in Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, California to be one of the international artists and the lone Filipino who participated in a tribute exhibition honoring the great Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo in 2014.

Fragments of the Mind Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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In his early artworks, Rishab painted with watercolors and oil paint, but later shifted to acrylics for its versatility. When asked about this preference, Rishab’s response bespeaks of practicality and eco-friendly sentiments.

“Acrylic is unpredictable and harder to control than oil paint, but a fast-drying medium and less toxic for the lungs because you don’t need a highly-toxic turpentine to mix it. Cleaning is a breeze, too; you just need soap and water, unlike oil which you need kerosene, gasoline, turpentine, linseed oil or any oil-based cleaning substances.” He further added, “I am also familiar with other media, graphite, charcoal, pastels, mixed-media, etc. It’s just that Acrylic is my foremost and personal preference, but not to downgrade other media which are excellent, too.”

Rishab may well be called an artist through and through. Besides painting, he also does nature installation art and is a freelance art educator. He writes poetry, teaches Filipino martial arts and is an Indie film production designer on the side. Rishab had mounted several solo art shows and group shows in the Philippines, Taipei, Singapore, and in South Korea. He had his share of joining and winning in art competitions in his younger years and earned numerous awards and recognitions from international art associations, including in nature (in-situ) installation art. Rishab has likewise received invitations to join art residencies, symposia, and art fairs from international art groups from Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, USA, Japan, Vietnam, and Australia. He was the only Filipino artist invited to participate in the 2012 Art Revolution Taipei where his artworks were well received by Taiwan art enthusiasts. For Rishab, important events like these inspire and invigorate him more to create worthwhile art.

Musings of the King Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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33 Bridging Peace - DMZ, Korea

One of Rishab’s career highlights is his being invited to do an installation art at the Demilitarized Zone in Korea. He made the “Bridging Peace” installation art for the peace and reunification project organized by the YATOO art group in collaboration with the Dorasan Peace Park. The installation consisted of two images of individuals on opposite sides of a broken bridge, joining forces to lift the severed part of the bridge to conjoin them. Rishab churned out an impressive execution of a brilliant idea and I have to say the artwork literally screamed unity. “Shelters”, the installation art Rishab made to promote the crafts of the Atayal tribal people made use of the tribes’ indigenous materials sourced from the Hsinchu mountains of Taiwan. The theme was simple, yet it exemplified the way of living by the Atayal tribal people.

Installation in Taiwan Titled " Shelter "

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Another installation art masterpiece by Rishab is the “Peace Boat” built under the Gongju bridge in Gongju, South Korea. Rishab stamped the artwork “Filipino style” by making use of bamboos and other local indigenous materials shaped like a boat with three seemingly happy people enjoying the “ride”. One may interpret it as the boat being the carrier of peace, something that brings people together to work and live harmoniously in one setting.

Peace Boat - Kongju, S. Korea. Rishab will be having a solo art show this June 22, 2021 entitled “LowBrow Rhapsody” at the Arte Bettina Gallery located at the 3rd level of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines. Lowbrow art, also known as pop surrealism, has its cultural roots in underground comic, punk music, tiki culture, graffiti, and hot-rod cultures of the street. The artist describes the exhibit LowBrow Rhapsody “like fragments of an epic poem, or a musical improvisation; the series of fragmented and spontaneous works are acts of breaking free from conventional genres of art. It is highly subjective montages and random juxtapositions of ideas, elements and subjects like in a dream. The subconscious mode of the South East Asian Artists Magazine

mind dictates the flow and outcome of each piece. The conscious mode simply visualizes these spontaneous dreamings and given them permanent persona on canvas.” Rishab further adds, “there are no definite meanings - everything is open to interpretations; how the viewers appreciate them or weave stories of their own is allowed. There is no right or wrong stories. These series are simply workings of randomness like the erratic nature of the mind permeating freely anywhere, touching on everything, in and out of oneself, in waking, lucid dreams and deep dreaming states. Nothing is serious but may bring thought-provoking musings and ecstatic feelings.”

Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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Allow me then to give my thoughts and views on some of Rishab’s art works by following his “instructions”: A jester. King of the ocean. koi fish. An angel. These are my immediate initial interpretation on the art pieces by Rishab as seen per se. On the other hand, taking a closer and more intricate look on each painting, I could sense a story behind each one of them. Happiness exudes on the jester as he is surrounded by butterflies – little things that symbolize as a positive change or renewal, of hope and transformation towards betterment. That feeling of being encompassed with positivity, gaining strength and courage to embrace a new you. Where there is happiness, comes a time of loneliness. Such is the emotion I felt to the painting I would like to call “the fallen angel”. There is this certain tinge of sadness that the drawing gives out, (at least to me) may be because of the predominant color purple/lavender which suggests spiritual healing and mourning. The crooked wings echo the feelings of loss, failed dream, or difficulty. But then again as Rishab says, viewers are allowed to weave their own stories. What’s yours?

The Jester's Paradise Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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The Enchantress of Yore Acrylic on Canvas 48in x 36in

Rishab is a member of the Art Association of the Philippines, the Baguio Writers Group, and is an international coordinator for Yatoo, a Korean Nature Artists Group that pushes for and promotes “Nature Art”. Currently Rishab juggles between Quezon City and Baguio City, where he keeps an art studio. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Muktipada Muktipada Nandi India

started my art Career from school period and still counting and trying to contribute as much in this art field. In my school days I did many project works which was related to my academic studies , my elder brother and sisters guided me regarding this Job and my English teacher Sj. Subal ku. Parida and Science teacher Sj. Bidyapati Dey appreciated my art project and adviced me to pursue a higher education in BFA, after that I have completed my degree from Government College of Art and Crafts, Khallikote, Odhisa. 38

I have been continuing with my artistic creativities from my college days.I always prefer to do water colour paintings simultaneously like to do the nature competitions Acrylic on canvas. Basically gives more importance to mythological stories of figurative works that is of Lord Krishnna and Raddha. Generally I like to use heavy and bold colours on the canvas with abstract methods. Awards- Kabi Dinakrushana young artists shaman . Jaleswar young artist shaman - state awards for young watercolor artist and received many more award from different recognized organizations. As an artist with my innovations and ideas I have been organizing many art camps in the state. On national and International levels, my artistic observations are catching the aesthetics values of nature, and its dimensional forms . I have started an art platform for artist to expose art and artistic minds, with a foundation named Jaleswar Art Foundation. This Art Foundation organizes massive art activities in every year giving importance to children art activities and rural women's craft works for creating awareness and development. Radha and Khrisna Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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Krishna with Golden flute Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

Nature 12 Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 36in

Nature X Acrylic on Canvas 72in x 36in

Nature XI Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 24in

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ene Paras, originally from the province of Virac in Catanduanes happens to be the son of well-known artist, Efipanio Atencia. It is undeniable that Rene deeply admires Efipanio not just as his father but as an artist as well. He then met Pepito, a Modern realist coming from the City of Cebu who taught Rene the basic methods and techniques needed in painting . Sooner or later , Rene was able to use oil as his medium while concentrating on the style of modern realism. As far as one can tell, Rene has a certain fondness as he frequently paints old building and a busy road as his subjects. Specifically , he believes that an individual who sees old house and busy road is usually mesmerized with its beauty and elegance, therefore distracting the viewer from contemplating on negative thoughts. Clearly, he chooses his specific subjects simply because they represent symbolic figures and positive messages in life , which he wishes to impart through his works. Regardless of the fact that he wasn't able to pursue any formal education in the arts , it remains admirable since he was able to develop his artistic skill through the strength of his character and tenacity. Above all, he paints not only because it happens to be his hobby but also due to the fact that it has always been his life-long dream to do so. His heart's desire does not only wish to profit financially , his purpose in creating his artwork is to have an audience who will avidly appreciate his work. Moreover, he would like the message and value in his work to speak for itself. Being able to display his capabilities and skill through his involvement with group exhibits held at the Manila City Hall and Urdaneta has clearly benefited Rene in many ways. To this date, he is affiliated with art groups TANAY and FILBAS , who share the same passion and liking for the arts. South East Asian Artists Magazine

Habitation 2 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 48in

Habitation 3 Acrylic on Canvas 48in x 24in

Habitation 4 Acrylic on Canvas 24in x 36in

Habitation Acrylic on Canvas 30in x 24in

The City Acrylic on Canvas 36in x 72in

South East Asian Artists Magazine

How to Use Instagram to Take Control of Your Art Career by Artists Network Staff

Learn the 6 ways Instagram transformed this artist’s career and freed up more studio time. By Dina Brodsky I remember the first time I heard of Instagram. It was a 12-year-old student of mine who described it as “Facebook, but without all the useless words.” I was completely repelled by the idea of not only Instagram but social media in general. I felt like it destroyed our long-term attention span, and I could predict just how addictive and overwhelming it would be. What I couldn’t have predicted was that Instagram would wind up completely transforming my art career. It would lead me to the life I’d always wanted: a financially secure existence where a majority of my time would be spent in the studio, painting. I first started experimenting with Instagram because I had been told it was a good strategy for artists to supplement their website with less formal process images. At the time, my first son was a newborn, and my studio time was basically nonexistent, as was my sleep. I spent a considerable chunk of every night rocking my baby to sleep and browsing Instagram as a way to occupy my mind.

I was posting photos of the miniature painting project I had started before becoming a mother, and the images weren’t getting much of a response. But I liked seeing what some of the artists I knew were doing in their studio, discovering new artists and galleries, and feeling like I was staying connected, however vicariously, to a life that I felt very remote from at the time.

An “Aha!” Moment At some point of my sleep-deprived browsing, I came to an epiphany. The art that was getting the strongest response on Instagram wasn’t necessarily the best art; it was merely art that was presented in context and gave you a feeling of being part of the artist’s studio practice. I took some context shots of my own work, posted them on my account, and expected slightly higher engagement. Instead, my account exploded. It started to consistently trend in the hashtags I was using, hitting the explore page, and getting picked up by huge art influencer pages, which exposed my work to an international audience at a size I could have never dreamed of.

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The Algorithm Once I realized that Instagram wasn’t random or chaotic — that it was, instead, an algorithm, and, as an algorithm, it could be understood and used — I began to dig deeper into understanding it. Instagram is famously vague about its algorithm, so there wasn’t much information available online. Most of the people that claimed to be experts in social media didn’t seem to know any more than I did. Most of what I learned was intuitive. I experimented with the presentation of my work and the format of the post, and researched the correct hashtags for my work. (As it turned out, the library job I held while at university proved absolutely invaluable in understanding how hashtags work and finding ones that were the right size for my account.) I never changed the way I worked, or what I painted; the only change I made was in how to present the work correctly for this particular platform.

Taking Off Instagram gave me opportunities that I could never have imagined. All of a sudden, I had an audience far larger than the audience I would’ve had if my work was hanging in a gallery in a crowded thoroughfare. Eventually, I began to make sales directly through Instagram and established relationships with collectors and art writers. The next time I had a solo exhibition, all of the press I received, as well as a large proportion of the sales, came from Instagram. That was when I first understood what a powerful tool I had discovered.

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A Virtual Business Card Instagram, when used correctly, gives artists the opportunity to take control of every aspect of their art career without having to rely on galleries as gatekeepers. Instagram became a combination of my website, my mailing list, and an artist business card that I could exchange with a fellow artist, or drop into a gallery without being invasive. Eventually (through Instagram) I found two galleries I work with at the moment that I fully trust. They have been incredibly insightful and imaginative in finding exhibition and sales opportunities for their artists. Those few years without any gallery representation gave me a chance to take control of my own career, and that feeling has never disappeared.

More Studio Time And, all of a sudden, once I became more financially stable, I started finding myself with more time to do what I wanted to do: paint, and spend time with my children, rather than worrying about my finances and working multiple part-time jobs. And that has been Instagram’s true gift. I think of it as a virtual studio assistant that does all of the marketing, branding, and networking for me, leaving me with more studio time than I’ve had in years.

As an unexpected bonus of understanding how Instagram works, I actually spend a lot less time on Instagram than before. I embrace its value as a tool. But I’m also cognizant of its addictive qualities and its ability to distract us from what truly matters: being present in the moment, in real life. After a while, artists and gallery directors started asking me for advice on growing their own audience on the platform. I learned more about aspects of the algorithm and how they work. Because understanding the Instagram algorithm was so transformative in my own art career, I became passionate about teaching others to use the same tool. I eventually created a class called Insights for Artists, which breaks down the current algorithm, hashtags, presentation, influencer marketing, and everything else you need to know in order to find

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What Comes Next I was recently reading an autobiography of one of my favorite authors, Martin Amis. He was talking about writers during a time of revolution and how they have to keep an eye on “what goes, what stays, and what comes next.” The quote struck a chord with me since it could apply to a time of great change, which is what this past year, 2020, has been for all of us. And, possibly, for artists, what goes might be the art market as we knew it. So many galleries that were struggling anyway have not survived this year or might not survive the following one. Crowded art openings and art fairs might also be a thing of the past for a while (as will getting on an airplane to go to Art Miami because that’s where the rest of the art world is). What stays is art. People will keep wanting to make art, learn about art, collect art in a way art itself is more important now than it’s ever been. As for what comes next, we don’t quite know yet. But it might include a major shift in the power dynamic between artists and traditional gatekeepers, which isn’t a bad thing. It is more important than ever for artists to take and retain control over their own career. And Instagram has been an amazing tool that helps achieve this goal.

6 Instagram Tip for Artists 1. Present your work in context. Remember that the ideal presentation on Instagram is different than it is for a website. It’s “messier,” and more engaging. The ideal Instagram post makes a viewer feel like they’re in your studio, looking over your shoulder. 2. Keep in mind that a lot of your followers are there to learn from you. Think of some of your posts as mini-tutorials, which break down a part of your process and take people through it step-by-step. 3. Note that hashtags are both chronological (“recent”) and algorithmic (“top”). The optimal number of hashtags is 5-7 per post. They should be relevant to your work and proportional to the size of your account. That is, the smaller your account is, the more specific your hashtags need to be; the larger it is the more general they can get. 4. Post at a time of day that your followers are most likely to be online. This varies a bit for each account, but 7 am to 9 am and 7 pm to 9 pm tend to work well. 5. Vertical images have the best track record for engagement. When it comes to the orientation of your Instagram posts, horizontal or landscape-oriented photos have the lowest rate of engagement. Next in the lineup are square images, and the very best-performing photos are vertical or portrait-oriented images. 6. Remember that Instagram should be a tool, not an addiction. If you feel it is interfering with your studio practice, take a break from it for a bit. Keep your phone out of your studio, and do anything else you need to do to control it.

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Dina Brodsky is a contemporary realist miniaturist, painter, and curator based in Boston, MA. She has taught in several institutions including the Castle Hill Center for the Arts, the Long Island Academy of Fine Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brodsky leads Insights for Artists, which breaks down the current algorithm, hashtags, presentation, influencer marketing, and everything else you need to know in order to find an audience as an artist, and Instagram For Artists, a workshop helping artists learn how to use Instagram for marketing their art business. A recorded version of the Instagram for Artists workshop is available here. See more of her work at dinabrodsky.com and on her Instagram page, @dinabrodsky.

Dina Brodsky (Photo by Ben Chasteen)

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The Museum and Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

The Museum and Gallery

s dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting developments in the late 19th century to post-World War II art through 1970’s (Modern Art) and 1970’s to the present (Contemporary Art) in all media and creating a welcoming environment for its public appreciation. The Museum promote understanding and interest in art and artists through art shows and exhibitions, curatorial research and publications, and a variety of educational programs, including lectures, guided tours, and workshops. The Museum is an organic, changing place. Although all the works seen are part of our permanent collection, in order to show the full range of our holdings - over 2,000 objets d’art - and to accommodate important temporary exhibitions, certain works must occasionally be taken off view. Modern Art Modern Art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the South East Asian Artists Magazine

traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. More recent artistic production is often called contemporary art or postmodern art. Contemporary Art Contemporary Art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Some define contemporary art as art produced within “our lifetime”. Free Admission Come Visit Us by Appointment Mon - Fri: 10am - 4pm Sat, Sun and Holidays: Closed Moncada - Alcala - Bayambang National Road (Arboleda Street) San Pedro Ili, Pangasinan, Philippines museumgallery.ph@gmail.com

Delegates of Freedom and Love event who participated in the mural making in the wall of the museum.

French artist Salette Viana Le Cornet doing her mural

Ray “ Beng “ Duque discussing to the Freedom and Love delegates about the museum.

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Art in the time of Pandemic Ma. Socorro M. Tan Gana

n World Art Day, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay echoed her message, loud and clear, “Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (Eric Ganz, UN News, 15 April 2020) Twenty twenty is a radical stoppage to humanity’s daily fast paced, frantic routine. Covid-19 Pandemic profoundly strike the global communities. We suddenly found ourselves in lockdown, uncertain, and afraid of what will happen next. We physically distanced. We stayed home, while a new breed of warriors called the “frontliners” work outside to fight the disease and to save the afflicted. Economies and various institutions are compromised and began to suffer, especially the arts, both visual and performing. Theaters and museums are closed everywhere in the world. No concerts. No musicals. No plays. No cinemas. While we started to get bored and become restless staying and working home, the once unnoticed painting on our walls, become the center of our attention just like the scenic beauty of the places we travelled to in the past months. In the midst of overthinking and overwhelming fear, we feel a resounding solace examining the beauty of that piece of art. In the words of Autumn de Forest, “my goal as an artist is to create art that makes people look at the world in a different way” thus, allowing us to be in the moment with our thoughts and feelings. The time stops and we see beyond the pandemic, through the healing comfort of that beautiful piece of art before our eyes. Perhaps, if there is one virtue common to all of humanity, it is resilience. Despite the life changing impact of the covid-19 pandemic, institutions, such as the creative field of arts, choose not to succumb to this pandemic but rather aggressively find ways to reach out to people lockdown in their homes, while us, the people, in our own resilience reach out our hands for them. Through the power of social media, and advanced communications, the various creative fields, explore ways to help heal the communities within their grasp and bring creative comfort even in the face of formidable challenges. We have been virtual audiences to online concerts, musical plays, balcony singing, and museum tours

for the past year, and with all these, we feel a kind of warm embrace. From the biggest artists in the world, like the BTS who for the entire pandemic year consistently nourish their fans (“bts army”) with their soulful music and consistently remind the world about the power of resilience through their impeccable artistry, to the promising artists who are struggling with the crisis but still manage to console us with their respective arts, certainly, the world finds both healing and hope. During the celebration of the World Art Day in April 2020, UNESCO created the social media hashtag #ShareCulture as an invitation to all “to communicate their love of art by sharing it broadly”. They launched the ResiliArt Movement which “consist of a series of global virtual debates with renowned artists and draw support for the cultural world throughout the crisis.” According to the UNESCO Chief, Audrey Azoulay, “keeping art alive requires twofold approach of supporting cultural professionals and promoting access to art for all.”

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In the Philippines, the CCP and various art organizations shared how they fast tracked to online platform, both for visual and performing arts amidst the crisis. The Cultural Center of the Philippines held live virtual performances and online concerts. The Art Fair Philippines launched, online Art in the Park 2020. Tanghalang Pilipino and Philippine Educational Theatre Association (PETA), launched their digital spaces for their online performances. According to Maribel Legarda, PETA Artistic Director, “artists and workers in the ecosystem, including the displaced live production staff, have exhibited remarkable resilience. The growing appreciation of the public for arts in this time of pandemic is equally admirable. I think arts is the multicolored thread that binds us. Without it, what we value will disintegrate and leave us in a kind of limbo without color and rhyme.” (Franz Sorilla IV, “The State of the Philippine Art Scene During the Covid-19 Pandemic, August 7, 2020, Tatler Philippines). The covid-19 pandemic has in a better way, brought people closer to the various forms of visual and performing arts. Although, everything is virtual and online, we are excited to join virtual museum tours, watch online art exhibits; we read endless haikus, and spoken poetry. The thrill of watching online musicals, plays and replaying the concerts of our favorite bands and artists, and even binge-watching on Netflix of our favorite movies or television shows, bring us pure, and immense joy. Art in any form heals. “They are essential to our welfare – even our survival. The arts can not only help heal our bodies during these difficult times, they can help heal our souls.” (David J. Skorton and Lisa Howley, January 6, 2021, USA Today).

Art in the time of pandemic is a gift. Through the arts, we repeatedly find solace and healing amidst this generation’s worst crisis. Art in the time of pandemic is resilient. It persistently shows its audience to see beyond and hope unassumingly. Art in the time of pandemic is a joy to behold. In the words of Anni Albers “art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.”

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NUVE Heritage

Hotel Art Space 52

One of the world’s busiest business and tourist capitals, Singapore, has long been the art aficionado’s paradise. With such vast wealth of public galleries, creative events, and white spaces, no selection of the top contemporary art galleries can be comprehensive. Aside from better-known exhibition spaces such as Gillman Barracks, ION and Ode to Art, some strategically located art space such as NUVE Heritage Café Art Gallery are well worth a visit. This humble art space is one to watch. It places you within a 10-minute stroll of popular attractions such as Bugis Street Shopping District and Raffles City. This 19-room, 4-star hotel has conveniences like a restaurant, a bar/lounge, free in-room WiFi and a wall space dedicated for visual art. NUVE Heritage art space has become the hub of burgeoning artistic life for established and promising young artists. With only 2 set of spacious walls with high ceiling, the exhibition space is undeniably compact – but each show is allowed to breathe, with a surprising fluidity between the rooms and space to wander with the knowledge to communicate with the nature of the displayed artworks. Although the gallery platform is dominated by two-dimensional art forms, it champions contemporary artists with wide-reaching horizons, including sculptures. For those who enjoy art that tells a story, while staying at a cosy room, enjoying pastry and black coffee, this space exhibitions are unlikely to disappoint. By Abu Jalal Sarimon, abjartstudio@sg Art Organiser, NUVE Heritage Hotel Art Space 13 Purvis Street, Singapore 188592 Email : abjsarimon@yahoo.com.sg Phone : +6596647914 Webiste : contact@hotelnuveheritage.com

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Previous Shows

Imago Mundi 3 Nations Art Exhibition Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia December 2017

Enchanted Odyssey 3 Nations Art Exhibition, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Art dialogue with artists, Roy, Migz, Abu Jalal and Art Buyer Mr Damien, June 2019

My Place Your Place, Solo Art Exhibition by Allen Sanchez, young Philippine artist February 2020

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Espacio Manila and Artphile Gallery are twin spaces that foster the artisanship of Filipino virtuosos ranging

from conventional to contemporary visual masterpiece. These two galleries celebrate the intricate beauty of Philippine art, cultivating both fledging and prominent creators who significantly contribute to the local art scene. Albeit both serve as an avenue for various aesthetic sensibilities, Espacio Manila ventures as an exploration for the new media and contemporary expressions; while Artphile promotes the perennial pursuits of traditional artistic works. These two galleries continuously thrive since the inauguration in 2018, successfully hosting group exhibits by various artists as well as the Cebuano artists group lead by Orley Ypon, and the known contemporary art group, the KUTA Artist Group. They also held an exhibit for a cause by a three-man show between Bangladesh Pervaj Hasan Rigan and Nabila Nabi and the Philippines —Roy Espinosa. Espacio Manila also hosted Freedom and Love 2019 Plein Air Live Sketching with the visiting artists from all around the world. The twin galleries have been actively participating in ManilArt where they showcase the works of Roger San Miguel, Jean Govinda Marquesto, Mayi Peñaflorida, Pope Dalisay, Chito Borja and talents of their home-grown artists. Artphile and Espacio Manila is located at the 2nd level of Festival Mall’s Expansion Wing, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. For more information, email us at galeriecmg@gmail.com or reach us at 8 829 0831, 0998 964 0832 or 0917 829 3961.

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Fundarike No Tho Kametani Aya 2019

Peace and Unity through Art in Japan 2019

May Sky Katayama Kazuhiko 2020

Osaka is Japan’s second largest city after Tokyo. GALLERY wks. was founded in 2002 in the gallery district “Oimatsucho” of Osaka. At a unique location in the top floor of the apartment, the space is a simple white cube. It’s a very creative act to transform an empty space into an extraordinary world through collaboration between artists and galleries.The gallery owners are interested in a wide range of genres such as painting, sculpture, photography, lacquer art, pottery, installation, Contemporary dance. And the gallery presents a truly unique expression and is known for avantgarde activity. In 2019, a joint exhibition “Peace and Unity through Art in Japan” by artists from four nation, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan was held. In the first place, Osaka is a city that has opened overseas. In the 16th century, there was also exchange with the Philippines, which was called Luzon at the time. It is a town that has been interacting with foreign countries since ancient times. As a gallery in Osaka, which is blessed with a rich and rich culture, we can expect further. And finally, I pray that the art fire will continue even if the world suffers from CORONA. May the Asian seas be connected again by art. GALLERY wks. KATAYAMA Kazuhiko 1103, 3-14-26 Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0047, Japan works@r.sky.sannet.ne.jp https://www.facebook.com/GALLERYwks

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BRIEF

HISTORY

Galeri Shah Alam was founded under the management of Selangor Darul Ehsan Art Foundation on 26th January 1991 and was perfectly officiated by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah on 6th July 1991.

Selangor Darul Ehsan Art Foundation was inspired by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj when he was the Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Muda Selangor, where he himself has deep interest and fond of painting. To realize the inspiration, a discussion between Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Muda Selangor, YM Raja Zahabuddin Raja Yaacob (Prof. Dato’), Syed Ahmad Jamal (Datuk), Tuan Haji Mohd. Musa Ideris and Encik Kassim (Dato’ Dr.), the expert in paintings and design, museum and law was done in order to help implement Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Muda Selangor’s inspiration, in planning the outline of Galeri Shah Alam function and establishment under Selangor Darul Ehsan Art Foundation. This former Selangor’s Cultural and Tourism Office building with a traditional Malay design, was designed by Puan Maimunah Deraman in the early 1980s. Then, Shah Alam City Council renovated the building to facilitate the art activities in Galeri Shah Alam. Other than that, the building was designed with traditional Malay design and carving precisely demonstrated Galeri Shah Alam foundation objectives. Therefore, it was in line with the efforts made to the awareness, understanding, and appreciation toward art and integration of plural society in Selangor to popularize the nation’s visual and liberal art. Galeri Shah Alam as an art centre and tourism attraction in the Klang Valley, is located in the middle of Shah Alam city core. The beautiful building with exquisite traditional Malay art and design surrounded by the lake and recreational park added the ‘art’ value. Besides the peaceful and cosy atmosphere, it can attract more people to visit Galeri Shah Alam.

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Centre His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Sultan Of Selangor. (Chairman of Galeri Shah Alam) Sit from right of Sultan Prof. Raja Dato’ Zahabuddin Raja Yaacob (Board of Trustee) Ibrahim Bujal (retire), Iszuan Ismail, Khairulsani Ismail, Noor Mohd Ariff Hashim, and M.Hilmi Abd. Halim. Sit from left of Sultan Siti Nurani Adenan, Ratna Astuti, Nur Syafiqah Zainal, Shafinaz Ismail and Kamariah Mohammad.

The logo was inspired from a combination of soft elements of metaphoric and typography. The logo was made from a combination of the letters “SS” which means ‘Seni Selangor’, invented in abstract formation to highlight the art and aesthetic features. It also mirrors the functions and roles of Selangor Art Foundation in encouraging the visual and liberal art development. To specifically make Shah Alam as an Art City to popularize the nation’s visual and liberal art. To be the driving force of visual art and development a ctivity, also variety of liberal art studies especially in Selangor and Malaysia in general. To be the art reference for students of school, public and private institutions of higher education, and also to share experiences with the art activists especially the young generations. To be the centre of exhibition for the painters and designers, besides as the tourism attraction. To be the art heritage centre for the future generations. To develop appreciation of cultural art through exhibition, poetry reading, discussion and more. Roles of the Galeri Shah Alam • To Establish the Gallery Permanent Collection To acquire visual art works (drawings, paintings, sketches, sculptures, textile photography and others) from nation’s renowned artists from the early days until now as the permanent collections. The acquisition of foreign works is also made to enhance the Gallery collections. • To Organize Exhibition Organizing periodical exhibition by inviting nation’s artists either solo or in groups. Exhibitions by foreign artists and art institutions also being held especially to

Islamic Art Exhibition, Khat Caligraphy 2018.

give chances to the local community to evaluate and as a reference on art development globally. • To Organize Competition Art, photography and print art graphic competitions at South East Asian Artists Magazine

school, institutions of higher education, district, state and national level are always held as one of the ways to develop skill and new talents in visual art. • Art Education Programs like painting class, sculpture, print, textile and photography for children, teenagers and adults are held in line with main role of Galeri Shah Alam in its effort to provide art education to those who are interested. • Research and Reference Provides reference materials for research such as books, magazines, exhibition catalogs, photos and slides, brochures related to local and foreign local art. • Collaboration Programs Organize collaboration programs with National Art Gallery, National Museum, State Art Museum, local art galleries, local and foreign art institutions, government and private departments, local and foreign institutions of higher education and also foreign countries to ensure art programs can be done successfully.

Print making art activity by Faizal Suhif (Artist print maker and he is artist residency 2011)

Clients Charter Always ready to entertain, assist and give information to the artists, painters, art activists and art lovers. To give feedback to enquiries regarding the collections and collections information within seven (7) working days. 58

Always alert to the appropriateness of the needs to exhibit.

To organize Galeri Shah Alam Open Exhibition as a permanent annual activity. Besides additional programs such as drawing competitions, workshops, drawing classes, related seminars, symposiums, conferences, talks and talk shows also take place. Please follow us at: www.galerishahalam.com for any info about Malaysia Art scene South East Asian Artists Magazine

VILLA BOROBUDUR RESORT is one of the hidden gems of Indonesia, built in 2011 with the mission to provide its guests an unforgettable immersive experience of high-end luxury and privacy on an authentic Javanese way. The critically-acclaimed resort offers

seven private villas, all uniquely designed to provide exceptional views. VBR is

a favorite travel destination for Royal families from all over the world and has won many international awards for its quality and service. Redeem the following promotion-code on the website when making your booking: ASLIJAVA2019 @villaborobudurresort | +62 851 0052 5520 | www.villaborobudurresort.com South East Asian Artists Magazine

S’Kaki Art Residency + Art Gallery #skakiartgroup #skakiartstudio #skakiartresidency #skakiartgallery

Art space in S’Kaki Malaysia and is part of the growing artist network, meaning members in the space will have access to our Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Australian or over the world spaces for rent when they travel, with our S’Kaki Art Residency + Art Gallery .

‘Aim is to build a platform to bring our local art all over the world, and also bringing the world of art closer to us.’ Art For All Serviced Art Studio space and art Gallery for rent in Sri Rampai Kuala Lumpur on flexible week-to-month terms. Why Looking for Studio art space for working in KL? Whether you’re a solo artist or a larger team, S’Kaki space will find a space to suit with you ! Our S’Kaki Art Residency space brings Studio style Space to the capital, living with studio, Art Gallery space and hostel space for rent all available on easy, simple agreements.

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We offer a variety of spaces, if you are looking for a private space for just yourself or for a large team we’ve got you covered. Enquire now for more information and pricing. Price can negotiate. Directions / Maps:- https://goo.gl/maps/xFcRonFvLY42 7-2, Jln 67/26 Taman Sri Rampai, 53300 Kuala Lumpur Parking Onsite parking available. (Beside School) 61

Nearby Bus Stops Rapid – AEON @ Alpha Angle Shopping Mall. Nearby Train Station Wangsa Maju Station or Sri Rampai Station visit site: https://skakiartresidencyartgallery.wordpress.com

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Hongkong’s renowed artist Eddie Lui are are also on display at the Palm Artspace

alm Artspace is a contemporary art gallery seeking to promote a genuine appreciation and passion for Vietnam and international Arts, ranging from traditional to contemporary artworks. established by Vietnamese visual artist Dang Tuan set in the midst of a lush greenery. It not only conducts art workshops for the young and the young at heart but is also home to local and international art exhibits. The gallery boasts of paintings and sculptures of up and coming visual artists as well as established masters from the local and international art scene gracing its walls at one point in time. Diverse personalities flock the place to marvel at the visual art feast presented everytime the gallery holds an art show. Palm Artspace is dedicated to presenting artists who have brought esteem to Vietnam art by perfecting their skills and talents in traditional media and subjects. Palm Artspace, provides a venue for exploration of new media and contemporary expressions. It nurtures the fresh creativity of artists.“With PalmArtspace, we have given a space to artists who are bolder and more experimental in their creative pursuits. Their artistry could be described as contemporary but we could refer to them as the “Millennials” in Vietnamese art,” Palm Artspace gallery is located at 188A Thao Nguyen Ecopark Hung Yen Vietnam.

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Dang Tuan’s artwork are displayed in one of the events in Palm Artspace

Dorothea Fleiss artist residency at Palm Artspace 2019

From left to right : Eddy Lui , Dang Tuan , Nguyen Phuong Mai , Winnie Mac , Pham Huy Thong, Khong Do Tuyen , Le Dinh Nguyen, Vu Binh Minh , Vu Minh

One of the guest looking immensely at the paintings

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