MANILA, Philippines?In art circles, the name Poklong Anading resounds, putting those who have heard of him in the know, and those who haven?t to shame. I made Poklong?s unlikely acquaintance three years ago while on a press trip to Iloilo. Poklong was with a group of artists from Manila who were taking part in a sort of exchange program with Iloilo artists. Poklong and I didn?t have any pretentious conversations about art or artists, but more down to earth things like tidbits of gossip going around the art world. We watched Bamboo perform live at a street party, and jumped up and down as the crowd did, sipped from the red horse grandes and puffed from very local cigarettes; the next day, he was with me when I tried my very first isaw from the street. A few months later, I was shocked to find out that my new friend with the onomatopoeic name was the buzzword on every collector?s lips. Soon, that name was named one of the thirteen artists of the CCP.

Poklong Anading is perhaps the hottest young artists today. Yet, as Magnet Gallery?s Rock Drillon says, he remains ?detached and humble despite his huge success.? He has participated in group shows in Hong Kong, New York, South Korea and Berkley and has had incredible sold out success in galleries in Manila.

Poklong?s integrity to his work as an artist is what differentiates him from other artists. The thought process of an artist is not always one that everyone can understand, and in many cases artists themselves cannot explain it. Every time I see Poklong, he takes time to explain the work in a way that doesn?t make you feel alienated. His genius comes from seeing things in a new perspective and trying to display that perspective to an audience. He starts with a simple idea and finds out ways to expound on them to make them the center of his art. When I visited his studio for example, he had a clear book that was sitting open on the floor, he explained to me that he was collecting dust. Dust? As he patiently indulged me he explained that the gathering dust created natural patterns on the plastic, patterns that are created by the everyday. From these patterns were born countless ideas depicted on canvas.

No Fear of Falling

Through his career, Poklong has shown that he is unafraid to try new media and to use that new medium to the fullness of its potential. From experiments with light boxes came an exhibition that added dimension to painting?s chiaroscuro; he utilized the medium of photography and highlighted light and shadow using the light box behind the photograph on transparency. The series of light boxes called ?Anonymity? covers the subject?s face with a pop of a flash bulb, playing on the whole idea of light. His video installations exploit the property of continuity that video and film have to offer, such as in the installation ?Dribbling Colors? where the color ?seeps? from one television to another seamlessly. Other more interactive installations such as the work ?Faulty Wings? places a mirror in front of one half of a seesaw. It obviously takes two people to start enjoying it, but gives the illusion that one is moving up and down on their own as they look at their own reflection. Poklong also plays with the idea of art. In the work ?Gaze? Poklong invited people to the opening of an exhibit. People arrived to an empty room, wondering where the works were. The aim was to make the viewers the central art piece themselves; the artist took a photograph of the people in the room and had that become the work of art. Turning the viewer into the subject is not entirely new, but Poklong brings a freshness to the abject-object discourse. Despite the incredibly innovative mediums he uses, Poklong is also grounded in a solid knowledge of art history, something rare in younger artists today. His sculptural installation called ?Doubting Thomas? would mean nothing to those not well versed in Renaissance imagery, as its geometrical shape would have one think of it as ?quirky? or ?edgy? as I overheard someone while viewing the piece. They failed to see that the finger sticking out was Poklong?s way of highlighting a Christian Renaissance theme in a modern and unconventional way.

Sold Out not Sell Out

His latest show, ?Fallen Map? has collectors and critics bedazzled and bewildered once more. The show is comprised of several collected pieces of painted concrete rubble, which was sold out on opening night. Poklong has reached the status of an artist with the golden touch, where anything he creates is something to be talked about. In an article about the show written by Marc Gaba, Poklong says, ?I wanted to make abstract flags or territories,? says Anading, ?that?s how I see them. I remove the illusion of their basis on the photos, and simplify the patterns to simple colors, in the way flags were designed-pure colors and shapes.? In his article, Marc Gaba states that Poklong?s latest show begs the question, ?what again is art, and where and what are we?? This has been asked for many decades and has found many tired answers to the tired question. Poklong?s exhibit, contrary to what Gaba asks, does not ask what art is, but rather presents the artistic process as the highlight of the show, while presenting a choice for the viewer. Each painted piece is arguably a work of art on their own, but Poklong also gives the viewer the option to imagine the broken pieces as a whole picture. Poklong?s works in his latest show once again proves that, yes, art can be created from anything, by anybody. What makes all the difference however, is the thought put into the work. My generation is fortunate to have produced an important artist like Poklong, who knows how to push the envelope with style. Poklong has an exceptional gift for balancing proportion, color and subject matter. A solid background and thought process turn broken pieces of concrete and squiggles on a canvas into art. That is what sets Poklong apart from everyone else.