GALLERY KOGURE is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Filipino artist Dexter Sy. Through his unique artistic expression, Sy explores the multicultural and multiracial landscape of contemporary Philippines, drawing on his own background as a Chinese-Filipino to reflect the diverse identities that shape the nation today.

When culture and tradition are not transmitted from one generation to the next, legacies will be forever lost. And, so claims Sy, this is due to the disrupting influence of what comes from outside. The alien isn’t considered barbaric – as etymology would have it – but more civilized, even when it concerns junk food. And when legacies are lost, we will be forever lost forever as well: we cannot escape from the vicious cycle of self-inflicted colonialism and we will not be able to recognize our own Pinoy identity. Sy calls out to raise questions concerning Pinoynness: what is the meaning and value of Pinoy culture? Where do we come from? Where can we go from here? Can we love ourselves if we keep attempting to emulate what is essentially foreign? How can we make a stand in an era of globalization and neo-imperialism? To conclude: has the degree of self-harm already come to a point that a sensible sense of Pinoy culture has been destroyed already or is there still hope?

Dexter Sy, who was born in Manila in 1979, artistically approaches the cultural particularities of being a Filipino of Chinese descent. Abundant allusions to religious, traditional and contemporary matters are to be found in Sy’s carefully arranged paintings. Dexter Sy artistically translates the cloning of morphed cultural representations with stylized, two-dimensional paintings. Applying iconographic depiction in a classic pictorial composition, the artist emphasizes cultural patchwork. The works are reminiscent of thoroughly elaborated mind-maps and assembled selective retentions. It is as though the works are subconsciously staged as altarpieces estranged from its reliquary character through the depiction of nonreligious elements, contemporary references and a vibrant, traditional Chinese color palette.

Dexter Sy graduated from the Far Eastern University with a major in advertising and he teaches fine art at the same university. He has had numerous solo and group shows at home and abroad. And in 2016 he was the grand prizewinner of the Philippine Art Awards (Philip Morris). In 2017, Alliance Française de Manille awarded the grand prize to Sy and the award came with a residency in La Rochelle, France. He also participated in several other residency programs in South Korea.