A portmanteau of the Philippine words, “karton” (cardboard), and “tula” (poem), KaraTula is Kean Larrazabal’s first physical one-man show.
By occupying space between cardboards and poetry, KaraTula explores the allegories and visual poetries of day to day life of the regular person, caught in the incessant struggles of existing and survival.
The shows byline, “Children of the Rainbow”, is used by the artist as metaphor of the youth deprived of the physical attention they deserve and replaced with virtual worlds.
Larrazabal (1998, Iligan City) considers himself a social realist. His series of works are whimsical and manage to capture a certain lightheartedness as reflected in scarce childlike backgrounds and photorealistic imagery, especially in the use of relatable cartoon characters. Although his medium is usually digital based on his training as a graphic artist, he masterfully translates his compositions into work on canvasses, highlighting his drawing skills.
His distinctive cut-out cardboard imagery, for this series, shaped as a bird’s head, transform his subjects into anonymous characters.
His works have been featured, among others, at J Studio, Grey Space Gallery, Art Anton Gallery, and Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Arts. In addition to this, Larrazabal is a contributor to digital art initiatives in the Philippines.
He currently lives and works in Cebu, Philippines.