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On Facebook, Erka Inciong is often snapped hugging friends and carrying a wide smile, but the young artist knows all too well the feelings of loneliness and shame that hound LGBTQI+ persons. A professional graphic artist for a business daily by day, Erka eases into the shoes of an illustrator at night during which she creates powerful images of despair, visualizing the struggles that the LGBTQI+ community and she herself have felt growing up. Erka's work has been on display in "L O S S," an art exhibit celebrating the opening of Warrior Poet Art Cafe and she was also a featured artist in the Metro Manila Pride Queer Arts Festival held earlier this year. This Saturday, Erka also joins Pride Night 2016 and below she explains the comforting emotions she tries to imbue in her work: Could you describe your art? It's an extension of myself. What is the role of your art in empowering LGBT? To make them feel that they are not alone. What can people expect from you when they ...

When you step onto a dance floor, you let loose all inhibitions, and for Panty Monsters, it should also mean a release from inequality and discrimination. Self-hate and pretention are thrown out the window when you dance to a Panty Monsters set, as members of the "unapologetically insane" DJ group make you feel real good about yourself with their entrancing pop beats. "At a Panty Monsters' party, you are encouraged to be whoever & whatever the fuck you want to be. No T, No Shade," says Darryl Recina, the manager of Panty Monsters, which was formed more than eight years ago. DJ Mike Lavet DJ Queen Bridgette Olga  DJ Peanut Butter & Jelly DJ Mike Lavet, DJ Queen Bridgette Olga and DJ Peanut Butter & Jelly from Panty Monsters will be liberating party goers at  Pride Night 2016  on June 11, 2016 at Pineapple Lab, Makati, and we get a little teaser on how they will make the night a fabulously beastly one. What is your role, if any, in empowering LGBT? Thi...

By Kris Tangco Upcoming artist, Tokwa Peñaflorida, has showcased his works in numerous exhibits and campaigns including Ayala Foundation’s “As One As We Can” and The Red Whistle’s “Red Letter Days”. Tokwa has selflessly created works for advocacies he believes in. Prolific and skillful, with works ranging from paintings to illustrations for children’s books, Tokwa’s compelling works celebrate the beauty of the human form while combining deep and metaphorical narratives.   With eroticism and nudism as prevailing themes, Tokwa’s artworks challenge socially conservative mindsets and conventions by speaking close to human experience. Never smug, Tokwa is an artist who is constantly honing himself. The altruistic artist sits down with LoveYourself’s Editorial Team for a short interview. (Photos provided by Tokwa Peñaflorida) Could you describe your art? I always had this fascination with the concept of sleep and things that have a relationship to it, like dreams, the process of sleeping...

By Kris Tangco Art director and digital illustrator Josh Galvez spends much of her time working in an ad agency and at the same time creating art, but she also dazzles the 11,000 fans on her YouTube channel Artpalette with digital painting videos. In 2013, Josh Galvez was one-half of a pair that represented the Philippines in the Young Designs Lions category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a prestigious creative communications summit held in Cannes, France. Josh also maintains an online exhibit featuring her works, which mainly are illustrations, and digital art. Her works will be featured at LoveYourself’s Pride Night 2016, much of which revolves around the theme of apparent normalcy. (Photos provided by Josh Galvez) “A lot of us have issues we keep buried deep in ourselves even though we pretend we are fine and dandy on the outside. Inside we're already drowning and that we have no choice but to keep afloat no matter what happens. We also have to realize...

By Kris Tangco Derick Vinculado’s works transport the viewer into a surreal world filled with archetypal motifs from popular reality, while a sense of darkness and strangeness is conjured at the same time. Motifs from everyday life and from human consciousness such as empty arcades, towers, pyramids, and iconic landmarks are used by the young artist to create images of desolation and “emptiness”. With elements of pop surrealism, Derick’s works evoke strangeness in the familiar. A product of the illustrious Fine Arts Program of the University of the Philippines, some of Derick’s works will be included in LoveYourself’s celebration of LGBT Pride month. The dashing artist manages to give a quick interview with LoveYourself’s Editorial Team. (Photos from derickvinculado.wix.com) Please describe your art in 1 to 3 sentences. My work of art is a reflection of this generation in a way that you can’t tell if it’s Asian, European, or American Art. Art in the present era has evolved so much beca...

By Kris Tangco Multi-awarded artist Niccolo Cosme joins LoveYourself in celebrating Pride Month by participating in an exhibit showcasing some of his works in Pride Night 2016 at Pineapple Lab in Makati City. The conceptual photographer has always been a staunch LGBT advocate. He started The Red Whistle campaign in 2011 to raise awareness and understanding of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Philippines.  A recipient of the “Ani ng Dangal” award bestowed by the National Commision for Culture and the Arts, Niccolo’s works have gained renown in the international scene. His “Project Headshot Clinic” is a platform that layers online profile photos of people with marks and motifs used by the advocacy. This initiative has caught the attention of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and he has spearheaded its implementation for campaigns in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Macau. (Photo from nognoginthecity.com) (Photo from thelighthousestudio.files.wordpress.com) Interested in Chr...

By Kris Tangco Jun-jun Sta. Ana, visual artist who describes his works as “instinctive”, utilizes everyday objects as tools for expression. Hailing from a family of dentists, Junjun despised school and started his career in the arts as a window dresser. He honed his skills and artistry with one of the early release fine digital cameras back in the early 2000’s, experimenting with digital manipulation to come up with surprisingly different results.  exhibit in 2013 at the Nova Gallery in Makati City showcases 125 photographic prints using an iPhone4. The exhibit shows different views of the city of Chicago, including a portraits of men seen from social networking sites such as Grindr. Photos taken from chuvaness.com “The work I do is instinctive, using a lot of found materials.” said Jun-jun. Jose Ardivilla of The Standard describes Junjun’s photography as the antithesis of the narcissism associated with selfies and the glamour of glitzy landmarks, and instead offers the viewer an ...