OPEN sFACE
by Demi Padua
Demi Padua (b.1977), a native of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. Studied Fine Arts major in advertising at Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines. His interest in art started to express itself when he was six years old, inspired by childhood imagination and fantasies and everyday experiences.
Padua has always found himself hiding beneath masks. Quandaries of daily living have forced him into hiding the true artist that he was. Longing to express his immense creative impulse on 2D and 3D, he pursued painting and sculpting full time. This enabled him to paint trompe l’’oeil work – fusing his unique exposure to theatrical production and design with the visual arts, producing a series of collage-like images that conceal and reveal subjects underneath layers of photo-realistic renders. In his paintings, overlays peel away to unmask real identities without fear of perception.