If creativity at its core is about self-expression, defying the usual, and innovating from what is existing, then creatives are in a powerful position to stimulate change.
In the pursuit of unravelling the role of today’s creatives in our evolving society, we spoke with Dex Fernandez who spent his illustrious career dabbling in various art forms such as graffiti, mixed media, paintings, murals—all echoing messages of importance from societal critique, self-expression and discovery, and environmental advocacies.
He shares how he uses his art to disrupt systems in place and challenge the norms in hopes of healing communities and serving the country and its people.
On art that challenges
It was during one of his research visits at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) as a young aspiring artist and Fine Arts student when he encountered conceptual art by Ringo Bunoan and Kiko Escora.
“Seeing their installations was overwhelming. Everything was done so professionally, and I couldn’t imagine how such art would come to life. It gave me goosebumps!” he shares. This visit left him in awe, having witnessed conceptual art drawn from both personal and socio-political motivations. “Even now, I still remember that moment vividly. The experience was inspiring.”
Sometime later, he became part of Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP) (where Mark Salvatus and Auggie Fontanilla were a part of as well) as one of the first contemporary artists in the collective. PSP gave birth to his love for graffiti and budding curiosity about its history and cultural context.
His time at PSP served as a launch pad to scale his Garapata piece up which he started working on in 2005. He created Garapata (a Filipino word that translates to ticks) as a genderless character that encapsulates a Filipino trait that he experienced himself as he was growing up — resiliency.
Film and Digital Images by Eric Bico
Today, Dex infests Garapata wherever he can. The said character, while playful in appearance, became his ultimate satiric tool to instigate conversations on the most pressing socio-political issues in the country.
Eventually, Dex explored other ways on how he could infest cities with Garapata, “To make the Garapata infestation more practical and less risky to promulgate, we transitioned from huge posters to tiny stickers. Now, I can stick Garapata wherever I go, on whatever surface I want.”
On art that tells stories
From 2007 to 2010, Dex banked on the booming graffiti scene in the metro, but it limited his venues to share his art too. “Galleries then do not accept graffiti. For them, it’s not fine art,” he says. He started painting using mixed pop and surrealism. Despite having only a few galleries understand his artistic process and outputs, he continued playing with different media.
“There was this one time when I randomly decided to experiment on some vintage posters I bought from a thrift shop. I painted over some spots and I thought it’s cool!” he recalls. It was not just him who found the pieces cool as many art enthusiasts thought so too. All works were sold, and buyers demanded for more. When he ran out of vintage posters to work with, he saw an opportunity to make photographs his canvas. “It’s liberating to feel independent from digital tools. It’s like being a graphic artist without a computer’s help.”
He then had his first solo show at Pablo Gallery in 2010, the same year he launched – + *. This show tells a story of how the artist has so many layers of personalities. It connotes the negative, the positive, and everything between and beyond. Through his – + * artworks, Dex communicated how we cannot completely encapsulate an individual’s personality.
Just like who he is as an artist, each one of us has multitudes of narratives that cannot be depicted with one shot or a unilateral perspective. Working on – + * gave room for Dex to evolve as an artist. “I started to observe people’s psyche and see beneath the surface. I grew interested in people’s stories and found meaning in translating their words into visual art.”
This gave way for him to transition to yet another project where he used repurposed remnants of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, Leyte. In 2016, he conducted a research in Tacloban and devoted time to get to know typhoon survivors. Dex’s I Wander, I Wonder exhibition for Singapore Biennale 2016 was a stratified visual storytelling of how there are multitudes of stories for every Filipino in the context of micro narratives in the macrocosm. “I loved telling people’s stories through visual art, because I get to see my own life experiences and personal stories in them.”
On art that heals
While his previous works stimulate critical thinking among Filipinos and challenge existing systems, he wants to devote his current season to art that heals. Just like any other soul on earth right now, Dex is also trying his best to heal from everything that is happening around us.
He turned to nature and art during this very tough time. Spending time with nature, in serenity and simplicity, allowed him to step back and reflect on what truly matters in this life. “I found myself asking, ‘How can I help this planet heal beyond using eco-bags and can I help the people heal?’” Dex shares.
It was somehow serendipitous that Dex was given the chance to work with Playa La Caleta Resort (PLC) in Bataan, where he brought Garapata to a whole new level. Having been committed to eco-tourism and green initiatives, PLC commissioned Dex to create gaREEFata an underwater sculpture that will be part of PLC’s artificial reef program.
The underwater gallery is composed of discarded construction materials. This artificial reef program aims to provide habitat for various coral and animal species. Through this initiative, PLC aims to not only divert wastes away from landfill, but also preserve and protect the marine ecosystem. These art installations can also boost tourism in Bataan and eventually provide more livelihood for locals.
The concept of gaREEFata started with a random conversation with Migs Camacho owner of PLC Resort. “It was one of those wild ideas that you eventually forget, and I didn’t see happening, to be honest. But apparently, Migs was serious. He phoned me one random day, invited me to visit his resort, and the next thing I know PLC team is already gathering the materials we needed for the installation.”
gaReeFata was launched through a GaraParty by the beach last March. Since then, PLC has been monitoring and documenting the natural build-up of corals around the structure.
“I’ve seen outdoor museums and art installations, but nothing like using art for the benefit of nature. I would like to explore creating art for a cause, specifically for the environment. I strongly believe that this is an important role art has to start playing today and in the future.”
gaREEFata paved a way for other partnerships which Dex is very elated to work on in the next few months. He is looking forward to making art that is sustainable for nature. “Maybe if we help heal nature, it will heal us too,” he hoped.
Different media, different approaches, different purposes
His artistic process may have produced diverse series of art pieces, but one common trait is exhibited across all and it is his commitment to infesting—infested posters, infested photographs, infested walls, and infested natural sites. Through this, Dex inspires not just the artists of today but also the generations to disrupt what is existing, for the better.
He encourages creatives to use their talents to make this world a little bit better, a little bit safer, and a little bit kinder all whilst allowing oneself to transform and explore into different art forms, approaches, purposes, and versions of oneself without judgment.
He sees art playing a deeper role in helping societies see the truest contextualized version of every story. He encourages artists to devote their platforms to serve. After all, art can be a tool to educate societies in ways traditional education can’t provide.
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