NY-based Filipino pop appropriation artist Sean Go is set to hold his first solo exhibition in the country entitled Fallacies of Fantasy. The show will run from June 25 to July 7 at The Secret Fresh Gallery in San Juan City.
Known for his cheeky pop art style, Sean Go’s works in Fallacies of Fantasy take inspiration from childhood icons and playfully infuse them with modern pop culture, creating a whole new idealized abstraction of heroes, villains, fairytale endings, and even hope.
Influenced by renowned abstract artists such as Ang Kiukok and Federico Alcuaz, as well as the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Picasso, Maurizio Cattelan, and Daniel Arsham, Sean Go’s works evoke childlike wonder and untamed creativity, inviting viewers to rediscover the magic of Disney icons and DC heroes through an entirely new lens.
An example is “Playmouse,” one of Go’s more famous pieces, which challenges what Disney films have taught viewers about idealism. In his work Humpty the Iron Samurai,” tragedy is depicted as a catalyst for determination and resolve.
“The pieces express childlike curiosities, and the show explores the possibilities that exist. At some point, we have to start looking at what’s real and not the projections in our heads. But it’s also optimistic that in this pop art universe, you can be whatever or whomever you want to be,” says Sean Go.
Born and raised in Manila, Go has a Masters of Art from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and degrees from Columbia, Emory, and UC Berkeley. Curious to explore different mediums, he plans to pursue a Master of Arts at Parsons Paris.
Prior to becoming a full-time artist, Go’s professional journey involved working in the finance sector for Fortune 500 companies. He was also an analyst at Ernst and Young in San Francisco, as well as Techstars Venture Capital in the USA. He founded the Berkeley Club of the Philippines, the official alumni club of UC Berkeley in Manila.
Fallacies of Fantasy will run from June 25 to July 7 at Secret Fresh Gallery in Ronac Art Center in San Juan. Sean Go is represented by Derek Flores of DF Art Agency.