EDUCATION KIT | ARTIST FOLIOS
DEX FERNANDEZ
PHILIPPINES
I Wander, I Wonder, 2016
DEX FERNANDEZ
I Wander, I Wonder, 2016
EDUCATION KIT
ARTIST FOLIOS
THE ARTIST
THE IDEA
Dex Fernandez (b. 1984, Caloocan, the Philippines) is a
Dex Fernandez’s artwork began with his observation
graduate of Fine Arts from the Technological University
of what he calls the “hoarder’s mentality” of Filipinos
of the Philippines. With a drawing practice sourced from
who accumulate objects that have no apparent practical
street art and found footage, his practice ranges from
function in everyday life, even as they may be displaced
paintings and drawings to murals, mixed media, animation
from their homes due to multiple natural disasters. By
and zines. By juxtaposing religious iconography with
interviewing these people and taking photographs of
pop imagery, children’s drawings, tattoo motifs and
the objects they keep, Fernandez aims to learn more
cut-outs from adult magazines, Fernandez’s eclectic
about his interviewees’ personalities and to interpret this
compositions challenge the traditional definitions of high
understanding in the form of collages that express how,
culture and fine art. By adding imaginary landscapes,
in his words, “material possessions become what we are”.
patterns, creatures and found images, he explores the
For him, photography is “a means of discovery, a tool
idea of found memories and appropriation. His work
with which to clarify visions and construct knowledge
has been exhibited locally and internationally, and he
about a particular city or place.”
has participated in international artist residencies since
2011. He is also known for his ongoing street art project,
Garapata. He lives and works in Caloocan.
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DEX FERNANDEZ
I Wander, I Wonder, 2016
THE ARTWORK
Acrylic paint
Site-specific installation, dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Biennale 2016 commission
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Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum
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OBSERVE AND DISCOVER
GUIDING QUESTIONS
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
1. Looking from afar, what material/medium do you
A.Think of items which reflect your desires and
think was used to make this artwork?
interests. They can be items in your bag, on your
desk, etc. Referencing the artwork, compose a self-
2. Now, look closely at the artwork and find out what
materials were used to create the murals. Given the
portrait made up of your face and these objects. You
can sketch it out or use an app to help you.
scale of the murals, what technique1 did the artist use?
B. Are there objects which you have not used for a
3. In this artwork, the artist uses collages to explore
long time in your home? Together with your family,
people’s tendency to keep objects that appear to
decide on the objects to keep or discard. You can
have no practical purpose as memorabilia. Focus on
donate the objects that you do not want [those in
one such collage and infer the person’s story. Share
good condition] to charity organisations such as the
your thoughts with your family or friends.
Salvation Army. You may be helping others who need
DEX FERNANDEZ
I Wander, I Wonder,
2016
those items more than you do.
4. The artwork began with the artist’s fascination with the
Filipinos’ habit of holding on to material belongings
despite the inconvenience and obstruction these
items might present, for instance when they become
fire hazards. What do you think is the reason behind
this habit?
5. Having examined the artwork at length, what was
the artist successful in communicating through the
artwork? What do you think is worth remembering
about the artwork?
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Technique: the method by which an artist employs technical skills or materials to create an artwork.
FIND OUT MORE
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
BIOGRAPHY
Dexfernandez.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016, from
ARNDT. ARNDT – DEX FERNANDEZ.
http://dexfernandez.blogspot.sg
Retrieved July 17, 2016, from
http://www.arndtfineart.com/website/artist_37292
dex Fernandez. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/user/dextuplanofernandez
DEX FERNANDEZ
I Wander, I Wonder,
2016
ARTWORK
Zielinski, S. (2015, Oct 28). Interview With
Dex Fernandez. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from
chinoy91 (2012, May 22). Live Art by Dex Fernandez
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-zielinski/
and Nemo Aguila. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from
interview-with-dex-fernan_b_8385490.html
https://youtu.be/2cMQ0LSE05g
Ryan & garovs (2013, January 16). :-) DEX FERNANDEZ
x PABLO GALLERY FORT by Everywhere We Shoot.
Retrieved July 17, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/57513406
West Gallery. Dex Fernandez – West Gallery. Retrieved
July 17, 2016, from http://www.westgallery.org/artists/
dex-fernandez
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INTERVIEW
ABOUT SINGAPORE BIENNALE 2016
AN ATLAS OF MIRRORS
AT ONCE, MANY WORLDS
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FROM WHERE WE ARE,
HOW DO WE PICTURE THE WORLD ­—
AND OURSELVES?
Humankind has always devised ways of seeing
beyond sight. Two such instruments are the map
and the mirror, which make visible more than
just physical terrains. While the atlas – a book of
maps – locates where we are and charts where
we want to go, the mirror shows us to ourselves,
sometimes unreliably, and in curious ways.
Through an exploration of the literal and
metaphorical characteristics of atlas and mirror,
An Atlas of Mirrors reveals artistic perspectives
that arise from our migratory, intertwining
histories and cultures, particularly in Southeast,
East and South Asia.
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ABOUT THE ZONES
NINE
CONCEPTUAL
ZONES
The main title of the Biennale is woven through nine
• GEOMETRY & GEOGRAPHY
‘conceptual zones’, or subthemes, which locate each
• MIRRORS & MAPS
artwork in particular curatorial contexts. These zones
• SPACE & PLACE
shape the flow of the Biennale experience, like chapters
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in a book or sections in a poem. Like the title – ‘An Atlas
Where is ‘reality’, if every mapped ‘here’ is mirrored?
of Mirrors’ – which is built on the relationship between
Here, where culture-mapped territories and regions
a collective noun (“an atlas” as the collective noun) and
wend their way amidst world histories contained
what is being thought of ‘collectively’ (“mirrors”), these
within art’s histories, a mirror-scaled dragon heaves,
zones are conceptually themed along specific collective
bewilderingly opening up infinite flights of stairs within
nouns and what they hold together for contemplation
the curve of the stairwell in the heart of the museum.
and experience. Artworks located within each zone
Elsewhere, maps of present-day Sri Lanka and old
resonate on many levels, and at the same time, all nine
Ceylon jigsaw across space and time, whilst a pair of
zones coincide, intertwine and reflect each other along
artist-doppelgangers doggedly do balancing acts.
the conceptual continuum of ‘An Atlas of Mirrors’ as
a whole.
Space and place are explored and glimpsed through
mirrors and cartography, conjuring symmetrical and
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Each zone represents concepts, ideas and ways of seeing
asymmetrical parallel worlds where the real, surreal,
as explored in the 58 artworks and projects.
abstract and imaginary overlap.
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