Las Vegas-based Filipino artist Gig Depio, acclaimed by critics in Nevada for his murals depicting socio-political issues in Philippine and American society, will hold his first one-man show in Manila, titled “Bring Home the Bacon: From Feudal to Neoliberal,” at the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA) Gallery in historic Intramuros, Manila.
The exhibit will be held throughout the month of June to coincide with Philippine Independence Day June 12. The reception day will be on June 21.
A dozen intense, large-scale paintings will be on display, including a 24 foo teach wide quadriptych on the influence of capitalism on Southeast Asian culture: a 16 feet wide diptych on issues surrounding immigration and the global exploitation of human labor; and a 7 foot wide work focusing on Philippine-America history at the turn of the 20th century.
“I see the show as a culmination point wherein all the major pieces I’ve painted in the past several years are in fact related to one another and are also a manifestation of my own socio-political and economic concerns,” says the artist.
The exhibit is curated by leading social realist Edgar T. Fernandez. “I am honored to be working with Egai Fernandez,” declared Depio. “We proudly share the same aspirations for Filipino artists.”
In a statement, Fernandez said “Gig’s imagery compels us to look back at history and its connection to contemporary political life. He will be using images like the Pinatubo eruption as a political message, as well as a changing landscape. I’m very much excited by this kind of work.”
Depio has mounted three solo shows in the state of Nevada and has participated in many group exhibits. Reviewing a group show of contemporary Nevada artists, Amanda Horn of the Nevada Museum of Art declared: “Gig is my favorite in the show because this has a socio-political commentary but he does it in a non-threatening way. There’s almost a cartoon-like quality to his work which makes it approachable.”
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