Andres Barrioquinto

a Filipino artist is known for his surrealistic portraits layered with Japanese art style and patterns. He was born on April 6, 1975, in Manila, Philippines but spent his teenage years in Hong Kong studying at Royden House School. He went back to Manila and studied Fine Arts major in Painting in the University of Santo Tomas in 2000. He then had 19 solo exhibitions in the Philippines and 5 in Singapore. Some of his works can be seen in the Singapore Art Museum. His first step in his career was when he attended an art workshop at the University of the Philippines. After that, he took formal training and studied art at the University of Santo Tomas where he carefully honed his skills, built his career and made a name for himself. In just a few years after graduation, he has already earned the title “Dark Man of Philippine Art” and carried on to be the most interesting and most awarded artist of his generation. What made him interesting was the changes in his style. Barrioquinto’s earlier paintings were dark and grotesque images. He believes that his art does not always have to be beautiful and therefore depicted harsh realities and inner turmoil. He was said to be a hybrid artist for mixing surrealism and expressionism that gave his works a dark and disturbing feel. His style changed gradually. He did not limit himself to a single style, on the contrary, he experimented and tried different approaches. His dark and gothic paintings eventually grew less disturbing and grew more colorful. He also infused patterns of nature and layers of Japanese art in his portraits. Musician Jeff Buckley is the inspiration of his works. “Lahat galing doon(That’s where it all came from). I listen to him while I work.”. Artists he admires are Jose Legaspi, Manuel Ocampo, Louie Cordero, Charlie Co, Klimt, Munch, Chagall, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud.