Warren Lehrer

Jan 22

Lovejoy (1989) mentioned the work of Warren Lehrer as significant in computer art making. According to Davids (1988), Warren Lehrer's GRRRHHHH: A Study of Social Patterns is significant in the evolution of computer-generated image-making as an artistic expression. This work is a collaboration with poet-playwright Dennis Bernstein, whose text supports the images, and fiber artist Sandra Brownlee/Ramsdale, whose intricate weavings serve as the foundation for the striking visuals.

In GRRRHHHH, Lehrer challenges the secondary role of illustration to text by making the images the dominant force, with the text providing supplementary context. This reversal of the typical text-image balance highlights Lehrer’s approach to visual storytelling, where the images drive the narrative. This engages viewers visually, while the text punctuates and deepens the exploration of social patterns and cultural histories.

The fusion of traditional and modern technologies is also noteworthy: Sandra Brownlee/Ramsdale’s traditional weaving and Lehrer’s computer graphics. The loom’s natural grid of warp and weft pairs harmoniously with the pixel matrix of digital imagery, creating a dynamic visual dialogue between the tactile and the digital. This is a unique confluence of art and technology (Hickman, 1988).

Reference:

Davids, B. and Hickman, D. (1988). Grrrhhhh: Study of social patterns. Warren Lehrer.

https://warrenlehrer.com/grrrhhhh-study-social-patterns-1988/

Lovejoy, M. (1989). The Computer As Dynamic Imaging Tool. Postmodern Currents: Art and Artists in the Age of Electronic Media (p. 186). Prentice Hall.

Kevin Roque

Utilizing a collage approach in drawing, Kevin Roque offers enigmatic works that touch on societal issues and literary perspectives. Roque graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2022. Before this, he was a self-taught artist, creating illustrations and book covers for locally published books. Roque has participated in various group exhibitions in Metro Manila since 2010 and has had solo exhibitions at the Prism Gallery and the Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (CANVAS) Gallery. He also joined local artist residencies such as CANVAS Artist in Residence in Batangas and Linangan Art Residency in Cavite. Recently, he got shortlisted for the first SANAG UP Art Prize. Roque has been a member of several artist groups, including the UGATlahi Artist Collective, Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (InK), and the Malate Literary Folio.

As a skilled worker who values technical skill and craftsmanship, he uses graphite in drawing to capture the gritty details and nuances of his subjects, making it a powerful storytelling tool to illustrate issues such as inequality, labor conditions, or societal injustices. In his compositions, he seemingly blurs notions of reality and perception. This deliberate blurring of boundaries adds layers of depth and intrigue, inviting viewers to contemplate their fluidity and subjectivity. He also employs visual metaphors, where images stand in for larger ideas or narratives. This allows him to convey complex themes or stories in a condensed and evocative manner.

“In all his works, the referents, whose meanings are culled from history, literature, and present social conditions, are made to exist in the same pictorial plane. Often, what they signify, coincide, collude, and blur. Roque’s inchoate marks and textures also draw attention to a palpable sense of space. Instead of a tabula rasa, one discerns faint and obscure stirrings between and amid more established significations. Roque’s works reveal indications of progressive politics yet veer from direct fervor and incitement of emotions. Without discarding the seriousness of the topic, Roque employs more oblique methods that prod at the surfaces and forms of the nation’s socio-historical and political issues“ (JC Rosette).

Warren Lehrer

Nikki McCarthy

Subaltern Voice and Counter-aesthetic