OTHERWORLDLY
Escaping into art is to be a witness to stories untold about an imaginary world; a creation of the mind which most often than not, collides with reality once the artist presses his paintbrush against an empty canvass. The artworks serve as windows, providing one a glimpse of tales told about creatures that cannot be seen by the untrained eye.
Having an affinity for playing around with realism, Thom Jopson, one of the resident artists of Qube Gallery, opens portals to a different dimension through his paintings. His recent exhibit Tales from Mino featured from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, introduces the way of life in an imaginary domain called “Mino,” which is a Visayan term for the supernatural.
Born in Tacloban, the 25-year-old artist completed his Fine Arts degree at the University of the Philippines Cebu. His recent exhibition is a continuation of the series which he started for his thesis entitled Imaginary Friends.
The artworks spark conversations about supernatural experience and whether it is in any form an accurate depiction of the world that lies beyond the grasp of reality and whether or not such domain really exists. The artist also introduces characters that have been heard about in stories around town but never been seen face to face.
Unlike most painters, Thom began his journey in art through sculpting action figures—those he read about in comic books and saw in animated films while growing up—out of old rubber slippers. His type of art has also brought him to delve into storyboard and conceptual art projects in many Cebuano films today.
His present creations merge science fiction and Visayan folk tales in a surreal environment which speaks of stories that will make one question what’s real and what’s not.