By Nickee V. de Leon/Asianjournal.com
MUSIC + CREATIVITY + ART = SPEAKER FRUITS. This is the existing philosophy of Speaker Fruits.
Born out of a common love for unconventional artistic expression and music, Speaker Fruits was established in November 2004 by a group of San Francisco-based Filipino-American artists.
Speaker Fruits is an art/design collective that began as live painting performances while listening to predominantly hiphop music. This form of improv art inspired its members to put their talents to good use by raising money for fundraisers and events.
However, the artists felt the need to slow down, because live painting performances were burning them out and compromising their art. They have adopted a more thorough and individualistic approach to their art and have been painting independently (still with the music vibe) at their own pace.
Speaker Fruits is: Dino Ignacio (Marikina), James Garcia (gaNyan), Gem Mateo (GEM) and Stuter.
Dino Ignacio (Marikina) is the fab flash animator behind “Maritess Vs. The Superfriends,” (a collaboration with Fil -Am stand-up comic Rex Navarrete) and the adroit creator of the now-defunct Webby Awardee site “Bert is Evil.” He earned a degree in Computer Arts/3D modelling from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and is currently the creative director of MYX, a music channel of ABS-CBN based in Northern California.
James Garcia (gaNyan) is an illustrator-painter who received his BA in Art from the San Francisco State University, majoring in painting and printmaking. He has showcased his works in gallery exhibits and events in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas. His influences include children’s books, cartoons, comic books, fantasy art, Filipino folktales and his peers. He is also the curator of the “Make Believe” exhibit.
Gem Mateo (GEM) is a painter-graphic designer. He has traveled far and wide to showcase his collection of rare images of The Legendary Botchok and Friends.
Stuter is an LA-based painter-illustrator-graphic designer. His works are influenced by skateboarding, grafitti, cartoons,comic books and artists such as Twist One and Dalek.
In an interview with the Asian Journal, James tells us how “Make Believe” came into fruition.
“I’ve just been wanting to show our crew at work and make it a more enjoyable experience by bringing along some of my friends who also have friends who are artists and some whom I met through Myspace.com. I got them all together to do the show,” he relates.
Asked if the “Make Believe” theme came before the process of doing the artworks, or if the artworks were already made before coming up with the theme, James states that it’s a combination of both, that the exhibit is a collection of earlier works and works made especially for the show.
The concept of “Make Believe” was actually a last minute decision. James believes that it is the gathering of artists representing themselves that matters most.
“Make Believe is just representative of its meaning, you know the traditional, usual definition kind of being imaginary and we conjure all these images and what not through art and try to create this world of images,” he quips.
James thinks that it can also be about breaking up the meaning of these two words: making things and believing in your art.
Despite the fact that the four of them grew up in different cultures, with Dino and Stuter being born and raised in the Philippines, their core influences are rooted on one common ground — they are all Filipinos.
James thinks that as a group of Filipino artists “we are very whimsical with our art and try not to take it too seriously, but at the same time, we also take it seriously. I think we all had the same kind of upbringing, we can understand each other a lot better, where we’re coming from when it comes to communication like getting a joke or reminiscing on things. I think that’s why we’ve been able to maintain our collective. We look at this as just the beginning, there’s going to be a lot more.”
In terms of his personal style as an artist, James cites cartoons and children’s books as his foremost influences. James wants to explore the elements of Filipino folktales and depict them in a new light. In “Kapre,” he combines the traditional attributes of this inherently Filipino mythical figure with his own contemporary interpretation.
James reiterates that “Make Believe” is a collaboration of 24 artists, not just the members of Speaker Fruits.
Guest artists include Rheavelle, Solace, Peekaboo, Downtimer, Angrywoebots, Boohi, Deesto, Ceecee(TYS), Santos, Roots, Munkone, Beatrock, Phoneticontrol,Chris Granillo, Yukako Ezoe, Naoki Onodera, Dramaone, Simbulan, Artivista and Scott Smitherman.
The exhibit had its formal opening last Saturday, March 3, 2007, with a live musical performance by Native Guns.
“Make Believe,” is currently on display at Lost Souls Café in 124 W. 4th Street in Los Angeles. The exhibit will run until the end of March. For more info, visit www.speakerfruits.com. (AJ)
