Old LY Site

By: Kris Tangco The HIV crisis has gone on for four decades, and for four decades the world has struggled against it. Doctors, scientists, educators, policy makers, writers, artists -- people of all walks and all colors have, in their own ways, sought to make sense of this crisis and its relationship with society. From citizens to states, from medicine to prayer, from cures to cries for reform, people’s visions of how to respond to the crisis are as diverse as the people who bear its scars. The goal of this series is to give you a glimpse of these visions: the roles people of different passions and disciplines have played in this crisis that, as of March 2016 as recorded by the Department of Health’s Epidemiology Bureau, is infecting 25 Filipinos daily. From left to right: Tokwa Peñaflorida, Henri Palma, and Kay Aranzanso It was a muggy April evening as I sat down at a coffee shop in Capitol Commons with Henri Palma, Kay Aranzanso, and Tokwa Peñaflorida. Lamps lay low over the counter ...

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...