Provenance: Provenance: Art Verité

ABOUT THE WORK

Tapaya’s imagery is always predicated by native myths, which eventually intersects with society’s present concerns. His works reflect the tribulations of his country; he is, first and foremost, a connoisseur of tales, possessing a keen eye for stories and narratives. Be it carried from generation to generation via oral tradition or written down in epic poems, Rodel Tapaya finds a way to revitalize the narratives in his canvases. As all great storytellers do, he draws connections between the imagined and the real, history and the present day, and myth and current events. His artistry is one of the few bearers of Filipino folklore and legends able to cross the boundaries into the universal, being abundant in both meaning and imagination, and validating a vibrant and worthwhile return to the power of allegory in painting. Speaking of myths and legends, Hindi na Lalaki si Lucky portrays the popular Filipino myth that one’s height growth will stop when a person crosses them and doesn’t cross back. In the same year that he painted this work, Tapaya held an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila entitled BISA: Potent Presences.