Tang Contemporary Art is proud to announce the opening of Myths and Truths: Recent Work by Rodel Tapaya on November 3, 2018, in the 2nd space of Beijing. Curated by Matthias Arndt, this exhibition will present a range of monumentally scaled paintings alongside medium scale works, an installation piece and film.
Utilising a range of media — from large acrylic on canvasses to an exploration of under-glass painting, traditional crafts, diorama, and drawing —Tapaya filters his observations of the world through folktales and pre-colonial historical research, creating whimsical montages of his characters. Each work has its origin in Tapaya’s reflections on a particular time or place that possesses an enduring resonance, from its correspondence with the formalistic and psychological implication of the grid in his earlier works to protracted ventures which excavate and interpret myth and folk aesthetics.
 Rodel TapayaThe Beggars Bowl Acrylic on Canvas 300 × 500 cm 2018 |  Rodel TapayaRetrieving the Fire Acrylic on Canvas 183 x 244 cm 2018 |  Rodel TapayaEight Headed Monster and the Tree of Life Acrylic on Canvas 244 x 335 cm 2018 |
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 Rodel TapayaWater Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink Acrylic on Canvas 300 × 500 cm 2018 |
RODEL TAPAYA
Rodel Tapaya (b. 1980) has become one of the most-watched artists from the Philippines in recent years. He appropriates archetypes from Filipino folk legends and oral histories, expanding and molding them into a visual language that is all his own. Tapaya’s stories are full of magical visions; he re-examines every myth, reflecting on a sense of cultural belonging. By interpreting them through a new artistic lens, he creates an interaction between popular culture and ancient myth.