It’s oftentimes in solitude that the silence welcomes waves of thoughts from our subconsciousness—those we have forgotten, those we tend to suppress, those we can look back to with fondness, and those that give a vivid landscape for inspiration to grow from.
Jer Dee’s “Tempest” is a saturated visual performance of memory. The illustrator and art director’s newest works are digitally whimsical—replicating the motion of traditional Eastern art elements while augmenting classic RPG machina silhouettes into his subjects.
Now showing in Makati’s Futur:st, “Tempest” gives a sense of motion. Each one comes with flashing memories and glances of symbols etched in mementos of the past. You’ll immediately see the illustrator’s distinctly chromatic and queer approach in this series, but with it is a new dynamic balance of what feels familiar and looks unique.
“There was a common thread in all of my entries: They all took place in my hometown and household, which is very Filipino-Chinese. I haven’t gone home in the last three years so I guess that’s where my subconscious went. All of my artworks for this show are one way or another inspired by those two places,” Jer shared.
“Tempest” is an expressive approach of his personal memories and his persona as an artist, with a playful vibrance that invites you to take a closer look at each of its elements. There is an overwhelming feeling of respect to tradition as much as there is a need to break away from it.
Like its namesake play by Shakespeare, these works of art contain magic and love. There is nostalgic storytelling embedded in the collection’s works. It has a playful process of a confronting reconnection, conflating beloved times and spaces into each piece.
“‘Tempest’ is mainly about home. It started as a series of these personal recordings of my vivid dreams last year. You know, there were studies published that said the dreams of people got more intense during the pandemic and I wholeheartedly agree,” the artist said, “It’s also inspired by the challenges that I faced alone in isolation last year, so you’ll see a lot of those two things interweaving in my works.”
“There’s one piece that I’m really proud of: it’s an artwork of the altar of my grandparents and their specters dancing that I remember vividly even without looking at a photo of it,” he shared.
This body of work by the artist is what we’d like to call Otherworldly Oriental, born of personal experiences and rendered in pop. It creates a window to show the complexity of traditions and the richness of life’s tapestry—all while revealing the difference in the memories we own and what we make of them.
“Tempest” by Jer Dee is available for viewing and purchase on Futur:st.
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