The Street Art of Brian Barrios

I only started noticing these eyecatching street art late in 2010 dotting the McArthur highway (Valenzuela) on my way to and from my Manila office. One day, in February, I finally had the chance to photograph most of it and immediately posted most of it in my facebook account. It soon got comments including one from poet Angelo Suarez who had been most helpful in helping me identify the artist behind it. Angelo suggested that I get in touch with Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP), specifically Mark Salvatus, a cross-disciplinary artist based in Manila and a core member of an artist-run initiative called TUTOK, as well as co-founder of PSP under the Boy Agimat tag. Salvatus has been instrumental in helping me get to know finally the mystery Valenzuela street artist. Most of these street art/post-graffiti (http://www.theroguesgallery.net/post-graffiti/ ) are casually in wall spaces where MMDA art are, or walls of ruins that most often does surprise the passersby. On closer inspection, one would find that they are drawn on Manila paper, then wheatpasted on the walls instead of drawn or spraypainted directly on the walls (via stencil) much like the famous works of Banksy. To my mind, this being the artwork's material, and considering the pollution and weather it is subjected to daily, makes these works of art poignantly ephemeral. Brian Barrio's works capture spontaneous moments of individuals and groups, and for me, are always emotionally charged: a father carrying a son on his shoulders, a father hugging a son, a mother carrying her child, and always drawn in a manner that (at least, to my mind) sculptor Napoleon Abueva would have drawn in had Abueva chosen the medium (not meant to disparage Abueva here, I love Abueva). And these works coming from a 16 year old teener! Interesting, too, to note is that most of the drawings feature characters that are smiling. And then I came upon Brian Barrio's blog site, which explains the "smiles." I am glad to have captured a photo of most of his works in the streets of Valenzuela while they are still intact. Valenzuelanons, take note, Brian Barrios is a fellow Valenzuelanon after all! (and have your photo ops with the works while you can before the July rain takes them away).

And am the more glad because I was able to engage Brian Barrios in a short light interview, which I am posting here:

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Rei Alba (RA): Anu ba modelo mo? Actual na tao or sa isip lang?

Brian Barrios (BB): May reference ako. Pictures.

RA: Bat ayaw mo na pintahan mismo ung pader?

BB:  Hindi pa ako sanay. Magprapraktis nga ako mag-paint sa canvas ngayon e.

RA: Ah oks. At saka mas matagal kang andun nakatayo, masita ka pa for graffiti nga :)

BB: Oo. Tama.

RA: Panu un? May dala kang balde ng pandikit at tambo ng walis?

BB: Oo.

RA: Anu time mo ba usually nilalagay?

BB: Gabi po.

RA: Super gabi?

BB: Hindi naman, basta dumilim na. Mga 6 o 7.

RA: Buti di ka nahuhuli. As in super bilis mo lang magdikit?

BB: Hindi naman ako natatakot mahuli e. Sa tingin ko hindi naman ilegal ang ginagawa ko.

RA: May mga naninita ba sayo?

BB: Wala

RA: Ikaw lang talaga ang nagdidikit? Walang barkada?

BB: Wala e. Wala kase akong kaibigan na interested sa ginagawa ko. Isa rin sa dahilan kaya ako nag-street art ay para mgakaroon ng mga kaibigan na mahihilig sa art.

RA: Ba't un bang mga kaibigan mong iba, anu hilig?

BB: Computer. Dotadota

RA: Nag dodota ka rin ba?

BB: Hindi. Internet lang.

RA: Nagba-bastketball ka rin?

BB: Oo.

RA: Ga'no katagal ka magdrawing ng isang tao or figure?

BB: Isang buong araw. Minsan dalawang araw, kalahating araw. Depende sa gagawin ko

RA: Sa salas nyo?

BB: Sa kwarto ko, kwarto namin. Parang studio ko na rin.

RA: Nag-background music ka ba habang drawing? O walang istorbo?

BB: Radyo. Ahaha. Simple lang. Ahahha.

RA:  Nagbe-break ka naman para kumain or tuloy tuloy?

BB: May break syempre.

RA:  May sketch ka muna sa pencil? Tapos pentelpen ba ung black?

BB: Paint po yun, latex paint. Opo sketch muna.

RA: Nakaka ilang lata ka ng latex paint? Ung maliit lang ba un? Puro black lang ?

BB: Actually, 2 lata ng maliit lang ang nauubos ko ngayon. 2 lata palang sa ngayon.

RA: Ilang brush meron ka para magawa un?

BB: Apat: Number 1, 3, 7.

RA: Tapos alin dun sa na piktyuran ko ang pinakauna mong nagawa?

BB: Eto
http://prodyeksmile.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-just-need-somebody-to-love.html
Medyo hindi pa ayos yung gawa ko dyan.

BB: Yung Smile Project pala, positivity ang motibo ko dun. Kaya ginawa ko yun, kase karamihan ng mga street artist ngayon, medyo negative ang tingin sa kanila. So, naisip ko mas mganda kung gagawin kong medyo postive yung ipinararating nung mga gawa ko.

RA: Alin na ung first na work mo na part ng Smile Project?

BB: Yung sa may Fatima.

RA: Yung may camera?

BB: Oo kasali din yun, pati yung mag ama.

RA: Mga kelan pa yun?

BB: Mga October 2010.

RA: Panu mo pinipili ang space mo pala?

BB: Basta pader na maraming makakakita.
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So, without further ado, here are Brian Barrios' works.
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Location: near RT before PSB bank coming from Malanday.

Location: by the Honda store across Novo (coming from Malanday)

Location: Junkshop in Karuhatan after Sabino Funeral house.

Location: BBB post near BPI bank. (Status: Gone forever, discarded)

Location: Malanday

Location: at the landing of the footbridge across South supermarket (McArthur highway).

Location: Malinta, before Security Bank

* Most recently, Brian Barrios participated in his first group exhibition with co-PSP members titled "RepubliCAN: an Exhibition of Spraycans and Works Based on Street Art" last April 8, 2011 at The Collective in Malugay Street in Makati City.

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For the latest on STREET ART, read Beyond Graffiti.