VIEW FULL VERSION: Link
Title: Pinoy Art: Kwatro Kantos at 21 Grand in Oakland
Tags: Pinoy Art: Kwatro Kantos at 21 Grand in Oakland
Blog Entry: Filipino Collective Kwatro-Kantos (England Hidalgo, Lian Ladia, Marcius Noceda, Carlo Ricafort, Mel Vera Cruz) will squat on the grounds of the physical space of 21 grand in Oakland and explore it as a structure of relations both as a social environment and as a field of action. By use of paintings, sculpture, installation and video, the collective will also invite guest artist John Fortes to integrate his work with the environment that they have created. Kwatro-Kantos will be creating a morning-after- destruction, an exploration of rectitude and composition that will puzzle bureaucrats. Mel Vera Cruz's outraged graffiti inflected paintings is a mix between the purgatories of Heronymus Bosh with the cleverness of Jean Michel Basquiat. Carlo Ricafort's work is based on appropriated images and the use of planned chance. His pale abstractions evoke irreverence and grit, which are subtle yet potent. Marcius Noceda's surrealist paintings with digitized or erased images provoke the imagination to violent and dramatic degrees. His work daunts you on man's futile search for meaning, unity and clarity. Lian Ladia's curatorial concepts are inspired by fluxus' sensibilities disparaging the conventional market-driven art world in favor of an artist-centered creative practice. England Hidalgo's painting and mixed media work portrays immaculate chiaroschuro; layering historical facts, pop icons or punk music in one visual platform. John Yoyogi Fortes is a recipient of a number of grants, fellowships and awards both in East and West Coast. His work continues to address a broad spectrum of personal concerns ranging from social and political issues such as human rights, the environment and globalization to identity, family and memory. Breaking institutions yet working collaboratively, Kwatro-Kantos utilizes collective effort to break didactic thought and cuts chains loose. 21 grand is at the heart of the Oakland art murmur. It is an interdisciplinary arts space championing innovative visual and performing arts since 2000. VENUE 21 Grand, 416 25th St. (at Broadway), Oakland, CA 94612 , (510) 444-7263 DATE August 15-Sept 13 Artists' Reception: Sept 5 MORE INFO info.kwatrokantos@ gmail.com LINKS http://kwatro- kantos.com http://21grand. org -- http://barbarajaner eyes.com http://bjanepr. wordpress. com