Party Peepz
JT Gonzales
Nothing like a party to lift our mood! Or so we think.
Hearty cheers. Balloons. Punch, sangria or beer. Maybe even an aperol spritz. Pick your potion of choice. It’s time to celebrate life.
And we need a reason to. The past two years have been brutal. That interregnum has tested boundaries. Faith. Personal limits. Values. We have all emerged changed, perhaps for the better, perhaps not. But here we are, and it is time to emphasize the here and now, rather than to dwell on the past.
We turn to three young artists to see their perspectives in life, and perhaps, allow us to see the world through their lens. Kiko Moran, Aldrin Tamidles, and Jesse Camacho, all friends, corresponded for nearly a year on the theme.
Despite the potentially insouciant theme of the show, Kiko Moran charts a more personal course, with intimate reflections of the individual. He takes a more intimate look at the party-goer, where all is not necessarily good fun and bonhomie.
As usual, the artist Kiko Moran ruminates on politics, inflecting his canvasses with wry observations, party or no party. Even at a party, presumably surrounded by revelers, Kiko’s protagonist is inward-looking, self-conscious and very aware.
In contrast, Jesse’s take is cheerier, reflecting the jovial atmosphere of fetes we so enjoyed. There is the rough and tumble gambol of a party-goer, happily bumping into life and its many pleasant interludes.
This translates even to a costume party, where we see his character garbed in familiar hero costumes. Cartoon faves mingle with supes, and we long for those days of dress-up, and momentary escape into wondrous worlds of hilarity.
Not so Aldrin, aka Alburoto. Aldrin veers off into a surprising critique of these gatherings, noting that the seven deadly sins are wont to make an appearance, invitation or no invitation.
Portraits of each of those sins are offered up, costumed in their party clothes. His final canvass cleverly delivers the final punch, depicting a convergence of all of those seven sins, surrounding his protagonist, Alburoto. And what is Alburoto to do in that scenario?
Well, it’s a party, after all. Anything can happen.