Dexter Sy’S ‘AfterworlD obliterAtion’ At AlliAnce frAnçAiSe De MAnille GAllery

AllIAnce Française de Manille, in partnership with centre Intermondes, and 1335 Mabini Gallery, present Afterworld Obliteration, a solo art exhibition by Philippine Artist Residency Program 2017 winner Dexter Sy. The exhibit opens on January 17, 6:30 pm, and will run until February 23.

Sy, a Filipino artist represented by the gallery 1335MABInI, conducted an artist-in-residence at the centre Intermondes (la Rochelle, France) from August 1 to September 8, 2017, as part of the Philippine Artist Residency Program, which is a call for collaborative projects between centre Intermondes, Alliance Française de Manille, and 1335MABInI Gallery.

Over the years, Sy has shaped his own style, combining Persian rugs, painting and ink and pen drawings. In France, he created works evoking the violence and terrorism that can hit both France and the Philippines. There are cutouts in the form of robots representing evil, robots being perceived in Asia as destructive beings.

The drawn parts represent hell and the victims of violence and terrorism intertwined with graphics from the tradition of Indigenous Filipino groups. The use of the Persian rug echoes the significant presence of the Muslim community in the Philippines (more than 20 percent of the population). The works also make use of christian symbolism; christianity is the majority religion in the Philippines.

Sy is a Fine Arts graduate from the Far eastern University, specializing in Advertising. Since 2005, he has had solo exhibitions and he has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in china, Italy, Japan, Germany, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the United States. In 2011, 2012, and 2015, he took part in the Haslla International Open Air Museum Residency Program and the Haslla Art World Museum in South Korea. He has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prize at the Art competition of the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation in 2004, and in 2016 the Grand Prize in the Philippine Art Awards. currently, he is a lecturer in fine arts at the Far eastern University in Manila.

Alliance Française de Manille Gallery is at 209 nicanor Garcia Street (formerly Reposo), Bel-Air II, Makati city.