Picture(s) of the Week: Bedtime Stories

RogueArt has officially signed on as a fan of Bea Valdes. One of the most sought-after luxury fashion designers from the Philippines, Ms. Valdes is renowned for her intricately crafted feather and bejeweled bags and necklaces. While her accessories and bags may have been the toast of Vogue, W and Harpers, it is Bea Valdes, the artist, and her work in “Bedtime Stories”, from her recent solo exhibition at SLab in Manila that had completely won us over.

Please bear with me while I gush.

A staunch support of local artisans and their craft, Ms. Valdes worked with her atelier of beaders to create a series of breathtaking depictions of animal figures inspired by fables and folk stories, intricately embellished with sequins, Swarovzki crystals and semi-precious stones. Combining her interest in fairy tales, the artist’s “first exposure to the idea of anything sinister, wicked, or dark,” and a fascination with taxidermy, her cast of lovingly created characters -a baby bear, fawn, squirrel, rat, bunnies, snakes and skulls- have been designed to charm our aesthetic sensibilities through their beauty, fine craftsmanship and immaculate finishing.

“Bedtime Stories” stands on the threshold between old and new, light and dark, the romantic and the macabre. Framed within each bijou-like animal is an amalgamation of sensibilities and style; we witness traces of Gothic and Victorian influences, Art Deco decorative style and echoes of Grimm Brothers and Disney.

She writes in her artist statement:

‘The term taxidermy is derived from two Greek words: taxis, meaning “arrangement” and derma, “skin”. I am continually intrigued by the concept of skin and applied surfaces. Being an agent of transformation, skin has the ability to either conceal or expose by validating or mystifying identity. Layers, grafted on or draped, serve to alter the self/essence associated with the form. One bead at a time, one minute at a time, and thousands of hours later,  we have woven stories on skin. As the object is re-surfaced, it evokes an atmosphere saturated with skewed nostalgia. In this liminal state, objects encased in decorated hides or cloaked in metal membranes straddle the threshold between ambiguity and certainty.’

For further information about the show and artist, do check out SLab’s website here.

Photos courtesy of SLab.