15 May 2015 – Rossbert “Bong” Delfin and Lalaine Cerrada had their Berlin debuts at the international art fair “Berlin Art Goes Live” (B.AGL) on May 04. B.AGL is a platform for emerging artists to promote their art to an interested audience in Berlin, one of the most influential art-cities worldwide. Delfin and Cerrada were among those selected to participate in this year´s fair.
Bong Delfin describes his art as “counterculture propaganda cliché”. He quips, “My art is inspired by elements from famous paintings of artists whom I admire. My works are at times satirical as they almost always include symbols representative of current and significant issues.”
Delfin, an industrial engineer by profession, hails from South Cotabato. He worked as an au pair in Denmark before pursuing his passion in visual arts. In 2013, he won Artist of the Year at the International Art Fair in Kertminde, Denmark. He plans to move to Berlin to better explore his options as an artist.
Lalaine recounts her early beginnings as an artist, “I started out in the fashion industry. When I moved to Vienna, I was inspired and encouraged to try the visual arts. Since then, I have continuously fused my learnings from the fashion industry into my art to create dimension, and always with the aim of coming up with something unique.”
Lalaine, a fashion designer with a degree in Marketing Management, hails from Bacolod and is currently based in Vienna. Years of comprehensive training and practice in fashion design allowed her to develop a special technique for her artworks which are mainly sewn, embroidered, collaged, draped and incorporated with fashion accessories. What makes her work unique is her mastery in using gel pens over chalk on paper. Lalaine has staged solo exhibits in Manila and Austria and has won distinctions in the fashion industry.
The Philippine Embassy supported the two artists by way of events promotion and by personally meeting them at the fair. The 3000 square meter fair featured about 50 artists during its run from April 30 to May 03 at the Postbahnhof Berlin. END