“Beyond Beliefs” runs until June 15.
Former Ad man Julien Tan is inspired by reflections of his childhood in an exhibit at the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall.
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For more than three decades, Tan was an artist in the world of advertising, creating ad campaigns for various multinational agencies. Today, he has his own local agency, Guerrilla Advertising.
He returns to the art circuit following the same spark of inspiration that drives his design work with his show titled “Beyond Beliefs.” But where advertising is an amalgam of synthesis and deduction, his art draws from enduring childhood memories.
Tan’s paintings are driven by his memories growing up in Roxas, Capiz. He explores these in various ways: through painting, drawing, and cryptic text. His art aims to capture seemingly mundane events that are usually taken for granted, but which we keep going back to later in our lives.
The artist’s approach is unintentional, like following the randomness of children at play. There are glimpses of childlike strokes, recreating scene fragments from bygone years.
“Freedom to express thoughts is key to my process,” Tan says. “I want to create art that is spontaneous and effortless, innocent and free expression. I want people to see art that unfastens and unlearns the rigidity of adultness, and one that harkens back to the wonders of childhood… how a child sees the world.”
“Beyond Beliefs” runs until June 15 at the 4th level of East Wing Shangri-la Plaza.
Banner: “Everybody Loves”
