From the streets to the galleries, graffiti culture has, in the last decade, made its way into the mainstream, turning artists like Banksy and Shepherd Fairey into overnight superstars of the art world. In Manila, Epjey Pacheco and Egg Fiasco, both street artists (but not confined to it) are part of Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP), a collaborative group of Filipino visual artists, who, armed with a paint brush and a spray can are ushering in the street art revolution and changing its landscape, one wall and canvas at a time.

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The two artists have come a long way since their humble beginnings as art students with a growing fascination for graffiti culture. As a student in UST, Epjey chose the more practical Advertising major over the Fine Arts education he really wanted, and only started focusing on his art after college, when a co-worker of his took him to an art show. From then on, he used art as an escape from the humdrum of a 9-5 job as a graphic designer.





But as fate would have it, he hit a rough patch at work just as his art life was taking off, so he used it as a sign to quit his job and make art a full-time priority, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“Yung dati kong nakakain na mahal, walang kapantay yun sa kinakain kong kwek-kwek ngayon, na ang pinangbili ko galing sa art,” Epjey says about his decision to pursue art full-time, “mas masarap yung kwek-kwek na yun. Iba yung satisfaction niya. Yun yung hindi mabibigay ng work. Yung dati kong escape, yun yung naging full-time ko na ginagawa.”

Meanwhile, a Fine Arts student over at FEU, Egg Fiasco first picked up a can of spray paint after a particularly inspiring talk by Malaysian artist One Day about street art.



“After nung art talk, lumbas kami lahat, tapos sumunod lang ako. Tapos yung iba, may mga alias na sila pero ako, hindi ko alam yung susulat ko. Tapos naalala ko kung Korean classmate ko na di mabigkas yung 'r' sa pangalan ko so tawag nila sa akin 'Geg', tapos yung buong klase ko 'Egg' na yung tawag sa akin.” Egg recounts how he adapted his clever moniker.

The pair’s latest collaboration resulted in an exhibit at Secret Fresh at the Ronac Art Center, which features pieces by both artists, whose styles, though inherently different, complement each other by creating contrast that is both visually arresting and disturbing--but in a really good way.



Epjey’s painstaking focus on detailed line work and dark imagery, coupled with Egg Fiasco’s playful approach to color and character, result in strong, intelligent work that reels you in and makes it hard to look away.

“Ang una kong rule pag gumagawa ng art work, ayokong lip service yung message. So kung ano lang yung natural sa pagkatao ko, sa character ko, kung ano yung reality ko, yun yung ilalabas ko sa gawa ko.” Epjey says about the driving force behind his work.



When asked for any advice they could impart on kids looking to break into the street art scene, Epjey had this to say, “Importante yung intent, tsaka yung sincerity. Kasi mahirap yung mag-aart ka kasi nadala ka lang sa hype. Or dahil uso. O kaya may ilusyon ka na maraming chicks. Kung may iba kang motivation. Hindi ka tatagal.”

“Ang importante yung magpakatotoo ka sa sarili, at maging original ka.” says Egg Fiasco, a guy who, despite his non-descript appearance, has no trouble standing apart from the crowd. When viewing his art, it's pretty obvious that he's the real deal, and about as original as they come. Since his career in street art began, he's branched out into tattoo art as well, working at Republic Tattoo as one of their resident artists.

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Although they assure me their work is anything but political, the mere fact that Truth is what motivates their work is as political a message as it gets, especially in a country where, at least when it comes to politics, there’s a serious shortage of it.



Check out Dia de los Muertos exhibit at Secret Fresh featuring skull sculptures by Epjey Pacheco, Egg Fiasco, and other artists. The exhibit runs until November 9.