A TRUE POST-WARHOLITE

By Arnel Mirasol

Garcia with his painting Kalookan

Jojo Garcia's fascination for the commonplace shows. He's not fixated solely on jeepneys, that ubiquitous Pinoy vehicle, that represents best our "patse-patse" national psyche. Jojo also loves painting Chuck Taylor sneakers and Coke cans. This depiction of images of branded products was first popularized by Andy Warhol, although the actual silk-screened paintings weren't done by him but by his assistants - at his so-called Factory. Warhol just told them what to do, and then put his signature on the finished products afterwards. A system which understandably led to myriad problems now, because of the appearance in the market of dubious Andy Warhols. One of the highest profile disputes was when London filmmaker Joe Simon sued the Andy Warhol Foundation for refusing to authenticate a Warhol "Self-Portrait" he owns (below right).








Now, how can the caretakers of the Andy Warhol Foundation justify insisting that a dubious Andy Warhol artwork is fake when the supposedly original Andy Warhols also weren't done by him? Maybe, what they should authenticate is just Andy's signature, not the entire artwork - which is a very tricky task, because the easiest thing to copy from a painting is the signature.

Suspected fake Warhol "Self Portrait" with owner 

That's where Garcia and Warhol differ, because Garcia did all of his paintings by his own hand, and many times in thick slithering impasto at that. So, every Jojo Garcia artwork is unique and thus truly valuable. All he needs at this point, aside from persistence or the tenacity to not give up easily on his craft when the going gets rough, are exposure and hype.

Artists Sherwin Paul Gonzales, Aris Bagtas, and Jojo Garcia, with Kartini Asia Gallery owner Nina Malvar

Which he is getting a lot of lately. Jojo Garcia's fortune had started to rise when Kartini Asia Gallery owner Nina Malvar took him under her wing. It was Nina who gave Garcia his first solo show. She followed that up with a group exhibit where Garcia showcased his works with those of Aris Bagtas, and Sherwin Paul Gonzales (above). An indefatigable "art impresario", with remarkable selling skills, Nina counts among her clients such notable collectors as Frank Guerra, Raymond Fortun, and Tessa Prieto-Valdez. Tessa not only opened the ongoing Garcia-Bagtas-Gonzales three man show (below), she also bought paintings from the exhibiting artists.

Tessa Prieto-Valdez (with green hat)) cutting the ceremonial ribbon with the other guests-of-honor

This turn of events augur well for the career of Garcia. I know well his years of desperation because he often confided in me. I'm glad that those dark years seem to be over. Not only had he found a gallery to represent him, he now also has a muse who'd inspire him to be more prolific, and reach for a higher level of artistry. Congratulations, comrade.

Jojo Garcia with former UE Fine Arts schoolmate Aileen Beltran