{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":45758,"auction_id":92,"set_id":121,"lot_number":"105","artist":"Rodel Tapaya (b. 1980)","title":"Urban Sprawl","starting_price":5000000,"signed_dated":"dated 2018","medium":"acrylic on canvas","size":"118\" x 196 3/4\" (300 cm x 500 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":null,"exhibited":"Tang Contemporary Art, Myths and Truths, Beijing 2nd space,  3 November - 15 December 2018<br /> Busan Exhibition and Convention (Bexco) Center, Art Busan 2019,  30 May - 2 June 2019<br /> The Link, Ayala Center, Art Fair Philippines 2020,  Makati City, 21 - 23 February 2020","literature":null,"write_up":"Rodel Tapaya remains as one of the most celebrated and influential Filipino painters of his generation, and a prominent figure in Southeast Asian contemporary art. His work serves as a bridge between past and present, weaving Filipino cultural narratives with contemporary issues to offer compelling commentary on modern life. By drawing deeply from Filipino folklore and pre-colonial myth, Tapaya’s paintings resonate with allegorical depth, transforming traditional stories into profound reflections on today’s social, political, and environmental challenges.<br /><br /> Tapaya’s use of folk aesthetics and mythical characters gives his artwork a unique narrative power, allowing his figures to transcend their origins and speak to universal themes. His intricate compositions merge imagination and reality, history and present-day concerns, creating surreal worlds that hold a mirror to contemporary society. The influence of German Expressionism, as well as the Mexican muralists, is evident in Tapaya’s use of vivid color, dense figurative forms, and a flat application of paint, bringing both aesthetic richness and social critique to his work. Tapaya’s narratives, often filled with surreal landscapes and symbolic characters, expose the interplay between humankind and nature, underscoring the repercussions of human actions on the environment.<br /><br /> In his exploration of the relationship between scientific truth and Filipino mythology, Tapaya’s paintings embody anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss’s view that myths operate within us, shaping our perceptions unconsciously. Through these works, Tapaya creates scenes of forests, mountains, and other landscapes that feel both familiar and otherworldly. By juxtaposing ancient mythical elements with contemporary environmental crises, he invites viewers to consider how human ambition and exploitation of nature can lead to disasters—our own \"earthquakes.\" This layered approach illuminates how folklore and myth remain relevant, revealing the timeless nature of these narratives and their resonance with today’s ecological and societal issues.<br /><br /> In this visually arresting piece, Tapaya masterfully intertwines elements of Filipino folklore with vivid imagery that speaks to contemporary social issues. The painting is a dense, surreal landscape populated with a variety of symbolic figures and objects—a skeletal animal, masked characters, and figures adorned in traditional garb—all set against a backdrop of contrasting colors and textures. The composition is both chaotic and structured, with flames, barren trees, and floating objects that evoke a sense of tension between destruction and resilience. Tapaya’s use of polka dots, bright colors, and exaggerated features lends a dreamlike quality to the work, emphasizing the duality between myth and reality. Each character seems to hold allegorical meaning, serving as conduits for stories that have roots in ancient Filipino mythology while addressing modern themes like environmental degradation, cultural identity, and human impact on nature. The piece invites viewers to explore the layers of Tapaya’s narrative, reflecting on how traditional beliefs continue to shape contemporary life and societal concerns in the Philippines. (Jed Daya)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":0,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":0,"userBid":5930,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"UNSOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":0,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":44488,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/92/121/lot/105.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":104,"next":106,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}